Check Out Jessica Benson’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Benson.

Jessica, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story has been shaped by a lot of different experiences, challenges, losses, and moments of growth. I’ve had to learn how to keep moving forward even when life didn’t go the way I expected.
I’ve always been someone who wanted more for myself. I’ve worked different jobs, experienced different environments, and learned something from each chapter of my life. Some seasons were difficult, but they helped me become more independent, resilient, and determined to create a better life for myself.
A big part of my journey has also been learning who I am and becoming comfortable with that person. I’ve had experiences that forced me to grow emotionally and look at life differently. Losing people I loved changed me in ways I’m still learning from, but it also reminded me that life is short and that I don’t want to spend mine afraid to pursue what I really want.
Today, I’m focused on building stability for myself while also pursuing things that are meaningful to me creatively. I’m interested in storytelling and creating things that reflect real experiences and emotions. I’m still figuring out exactly where my journey will take me, but I’m proud of how far I’ve come.
I don’t feel like I’ve reached the final version of my story yet. I feel like I’m in the part where everything I’ve experienced is starting to come together and prepare me for what’s next.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road at all. I’ve experienced homelessness and had to make some extremely difficult decisions just to keep moving forward. At one point, I had to leave most of my belongings, including all of my personal recording equipment, in storage because I couldn’t afford to take everything with me on the plane. Losing that equipment was especially difficult because recording and creating are such important parts of who I am.
I’ve also had relationships that became toxic and set me back emotionally and financially. My last relationship caused me to lose much of what little I had left, and for a while it felt like I was constantly starting over. That’s probably been one of the hardest parts of my journey—feeling like every time I build something, something happens that forces me to rebuild it again.
But I’m finally reaching a place where I have some stability, and I’m rebuilding myself from the ground up. I’ve learned to recognize what and who is healthy for me, and I’m choosing to stay away from situations that take me backwards.
I still have a long way to go, but I don’t look at starting over the same way anymore. Every time I’ve had to rebuild, I’ve learned something and become stronger. Now I’m focused on building enough momentum that I eventually reach a place where I don’t have to keep starting over—I can just keep growing.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work is rooted in music, creativity, and storytelling. I’m an artist, rapper, songwriter, performer, and creative, and music has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. I didn’t just wake up one day and decide I wanted to be a rapper. I’ve always been an artist and an innovator. Creating has always been a natural part of who I am.
One of the things that sets me apart is my sound. My voice naturally has an almost auto-tuned quality to it, which gives my music a different character without me having to force it. I write my own lyrics, record myself, freestyle, and love challenging myself to create entire songs from a beat, sometimes in one take. I really enjoy the process of taking an idea and turning it into something complete in the moment.
Music is also connected to performance for me. I love dancing and movement, and I grew up watching and studying artists like Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, and Tina Turner. I grew up watching The Five Heartbeats and doing the dances and songs over and over. I was also involved in drill team growing up, performed in dramas, and had experiences with music through church. All of those experiences influenced the way I express myself today.
My creativity goes beyond music, too. I’ve worked behind the camera, shot short projects, and enjoy editing. I like being involved in the entire creative process, whether I’m in front of the camera, behind it, writing, recording, performing, or putting something together in the editing room.
What I’m most proud of is that I’ve never stopped creating, even through some of the hardest periods of my life. I’ve had to rebuild more than once, but that creative part of me never disappeared. I think that’s what ultimately sets me apart: I’m not just trying to fit into one category. I’m constantly learning, experimenting, and finding different ways to turn my experiences and imagination into something people can see, hear, and feel.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite parts of childhood was simply having everybody I loved around me. Back then, we had big dreams. We talked about making music, getting money, becoming successful, and living life. We had no idea how much life would eventually change or how different things would turn out.
A lot of my best memories came from being involved in drill team with my sister, cousins, and friends. We were always outside, practicing, performing, competing, and basically tearing up the streets together. We competed as the Linden VP Steppers, and my aunt ran the Linden Center and the drill team, so there was always something going on. Looking back, those experiences gave me some of my earliest memories of performing, being creative, working with a team, and entertaining people.
I also remember always signing up for Vacation Bible School. It was fun being around everybody, learning about religion, and just having something positive to be a part of.
When I think about those memories now, what stands out most is how alive everything felt. Everybody was there, everybody had dreams, and we genuinely believed anything was possible. Life took a completely different direction than we imagined, and now I’m the one still carrying that dream and trying to survive and build something from it here in Dayton, the Gem City.
So I think my favorite childhood memory isn’t necessarily one specific day. It’s that feeling of having my people around me, dreaming together, performing together, and believing we were going to make it. I still carry that feeling with me today.

Pricing:

• No current set pricing at this time

Contact Info:

• Other: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jbenzo/1492423670