Benjamin Kai (born April 17), who is better known as Benji Cavalli, is a Liberian singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and dancer from Monrovia. He started singing and dancing at the age of 9, and relocated to the New York City borough of

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

as a result of Liberia's first civil war. Between 2008 and 2010, he had a brief stint with La Jet Fami, a Philadelphia-based Coupé-décalé band. He embarked on a solo career after the group disbanded and released his debut extended play, ''My Time'', in 2011. His debut studio album, ''The Bridge'', was released on July 18, 2022. Cavalli was nominated for New Age Gbema Artist of the Year at the 2016

Liberia Music Awards The Liberia Music Awards, commonly known as the MTN Liberia Music Awards for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Liberian music awards show held to celebrate musicians living in Liberia and in the diaspora. The first Liberia Music Awards ceremony w ...

, and won King of the Stage at the 2017 Liberian Golden Awards. His music is a mixture of

Afrobeats Afrobeats (not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing), or Afro-pop or Afro-fusion (or Afropop or Afrofusion), is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and ...

, highlife and Gbema.

Early life and music career

Benjamin Kai was born on April 17, in Monrovia, Liberia. The eldest child of six, he started singing and dancing when he was 9 years old. He is the nephew of Zack Roberts, one of Liberia's famous musicians and the lead singer of the 1980's band Zack & Geebah. In 1996, Cavalli and his family fled to

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

as a result of the

First Liberian Civil War The First Liberian Civil War lasted from 1989 to 1997. President Samuel Doe had established a regime in 1980 but totalitarianism and corruption led to unpopularity and the withdrawal of support from the United States by the late 1980s. The Nat ...

. His father was killed prior to him and his family relocating to Ivory Coast. A year later, in the winter of 1997, he and his family relocated to the Park Hill area of

Clifton, Staten Island Clifton is a neighborhood on the North Shore of Staten Island in New York City, United States. It is an older waterfront neighborhood, facing Upper New York Bay on the east. It is bordered on the north by Stapleton, on the south by Rosebank, ...

. In 2008, Cavalli became a member of La Jet Fami, a Philadelphia-based Coupé-décalé band. He embarked on a solo career following the group's disbandment in 2010, and released his debut extended play, ''My Time'', in 2011. In 2015, he released the single "Slow It Down", which was produced by Just Prince and was the first collaboration between the two musicians. The song was nominated for New Age Gbema Song of the Year at the 2016

. The music video for "Slow It Down" won Best Music Video at the 2016 Liberian Entertainment Awards and was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2016 Liberia Music Awards. Between 2015 and 2021, Cavalli released a number of singles produced by Just Prince, including "One More Night", "Lazy", and "Spoil Myself". In December 2017, he performed at the Liberian Golden Awards in Australia and won the King of the Stage award. Cavalli's debut studio album, ''The Bridge'', was released on July 18, 2022. It is a blend of Afrobeat and Gbema, the latter of which is a traditional Liberian sound. The album's lyrical content explores themes of peace, love, celebration, and happiness. Cavalli toured eight U.S cities in support of the album. He has collaborated with Liberian artists such as Eric Geso, D12, and Tamba Hali.

Artistry

Cavalli's music is a mixture of Afrobeats, highlife and Gbema. From a production standpoint, his music relies heavily on instruments such as

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

s and horns. He works closely with his frequent collaborator, Just Prince, to write songs from scratch and share creative ideas.

Discography

Albums *''My Time'' (EP) (2011) *''The Bridge'' (2022) Singles

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cavalli, Benji Year of birth missing (living people) Liberian singers Liberian songwriters Musicians from Monrovia Living people Liberian male musicians

Early life and music career

Artistry

Discography

Awards and nominations

See also

References