Dalmatian
Popstar Benny Interview
by Joseph McCain
11 July 2026
Sports or video games?
Video games.
Were you a gamer, or rather, are you a gamer?
Yeah, I used to be way heavier when I was a kid. I still got a Nintendo Switch, so I still play that because it's really portable, so it’s nice for sessions and moving around.
But when I was a kid, that was probably like 60, 70% of my free time. I was usually playing a video game– PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS.
I was interested in the music, all the soundtracks.
I can see that influence in your sound for sure.
What's a game, then a movie, you would like to be part of the soundtrack for?
For a game, something within the Final Fantasy series or within the Kingdom Hearts series, something on that side. And then for a movie, something Pixar-related would be so crazy.
That would be legendary.
What's your favorite studio snack?
Probably gummy bears, gummy worms.
How intentional are you about moving your sound in different directions? Are you like, "All right, I'm trying to make this now," or is it kinda just a feeling when you hop in the studio?
It's a little bit of both. I have an overarching idea of all the directions I wanna go in. But in the studio, I can read the moment and be like, "Okay, this is gonna fall into this side of the spectrum. It's gonna be this." But I feel like with my sound in particular, it's kinda like an internet collage where it's a lot of different sounds. And especially since I DJ too, it’s a lot of different slices of all these genres and time periods and stuff that I'm blending. So, if it fits somewhere into that overall idea of the collage I'm building, then, like I said, in the moment, I'll be able to be like, "Okay, this fits here."
Is there any artist in particular you want to get in the studio with next?
Beyoncé. Even if what we make doesn’t drop or anything, just to have that session would be a game changer.
How do you know when it's time for album mode?
That's just feeling too. But usually, because my projects are, let's say, compilations, the spark of the idea will come if it's been an extended period of time. Maybe 6 months or a year since my last project. I'll go through all my unreleased music and see that I had 2 songs from this session in there, sent this artist some beats, and got 3 or 4 songs with them.
I just kinda go and form a loose little playlist for my own personal purposes. And then from there, the music that I create starts going into the overall space of what this project or this idea is forming.
Do you see your discography as a kind of world-building?
Definitely. As I touched on earlier, the overall idea with my sound is to blend a slice of everything that I think is cool. So who I'm working with, the tracks I'm including on the projects, everything fits into the big picture.
How do you keep it cohesive across your work with such a wide range of artists, especially over time?
It goes back to DJing, but the way that I look at music, even if it's seemingly different or a wide range, I feel like there are central overlaps no matter who people are. So I try to be that glue.
If this person has a darker trap sound, maybe they rap with a little more melody, and that can overlap with this person's poppy stuff, but then they have more turnt records where they take it there in a similar vocal range. If there's a little overlap, same way when you're DJing, it might be 2 seemingly different styles, but a synth choice in a Jersey club song can overlap with a rock song. So through that thread, you're able to piece it together. I’m trying to blend everything and anything that I think is cool. It's a central sound I see and feel.
What do you have lined up soon?
Album on the way. Trying to keep the momentum up, keep throwing events, and keep the excitement going until album time.
But I'm thinking it's gonna come a little later in the year. I don't wanna tease the exact month, but I'm around the 90% mark with it. I’ll add 2 or 3, swap out 2 or 3 more songs, and build the world with it.
Popstar Benny on Instagram.
Listen to some of Benny’s stuff here Spotify and Apple Music.