Ben Howard

Ben Howard Is an English singer songwriter from West London and was born 24 April 1987. Ben was introduced to music via his parents who would play him there favorite records from singer songwriters including the likes of Bob Dylan one of Ben's major influences. Ben singed to Island Records in 2011 and and October 6th 2011 he released his debut album titled "Every Kingdom" in the UK.

Ben Howard is represented as being an Indie artist who had made his own success. The overall perception of him is a "nice guy" "talented" a "gentlemen" and "keeps himself to himself". Ben has be compared to similar artists in the Indie genre such as Ed Sheeran.

Ben is a modest individual and this is seen clearly In many of his music videos, live performances as well as magazine articles and interviews. Ben's international image is growing rapidly as a result of this, people look up to him and see him as an inspiration and an idol. Ben is often captured In photographs looking relaxed and composed, he has a very chilled out personality.


The type of clothing than he can often be seen wearing usually consists of  jumpers, checkered shirts, skinny jeans and t-shirts. This is commonly found among most Indie artists, Ben's  audience and fans we relate to this as they will dress similar to him and the latest Indie fashion craze. Ben also has a similar hairstyle to that of Ed Sheeran as well, a "messy" hair look a cut that is fashionable among most modern Indie artist today. The fact Ben also plays the acoustic guitar also emphasizes his Indie background as well as and folk/acoustic roots. 

During Ben's music videos he is often depicted as an honest hard working individual with clear references to the indie genre. This can be clearly seen in the video for "Keep Your Head Up".

Ben's reputation among the press Is very good, he is respected for being a "talented musician". He has a large fan base with over 100,000 followers on Twitter @benhowardmusic which he can regularly update with news on new work and performances. Ben keeps himself to himself and is very much "friends with everyone" and is well respected within the music industry, he also conducts himself professionally and honestly in interviews which makes him more approachable as a person as a result as his audiences can relate to him through his behaviour.

Ben's live performances or concert sets usually very simple and consist of him simply standing In front of an audience or crowd playing his acoustic guitar and singing, this is a very personal way of performing to fans and audiences. Ben usually dresses in T-shirts and jeans, when performing, he wears casual fashionable clothes that his audience can relate to and has his own style that is key convention of the indie genre.

Reasons behind choices in camera, editing, set, costume and props within Ben's video Keep Your Head Up are chosen to reflect Ben's hard working attitude and how he has worked hard for his place in the music industry, for example the opening shots are shots of Ben on his own carrying a shovel and a bail of hay. This could represent Ben's work as an independent artist and how he has worked his way into the music industry. The video is narrative based and set and choices of prop reflect a hard working individual who he seen to be working hard as well as having fun with friends. The choices of Mise en Scene reflect Ben as a person as he seen wearing a T-shirt and jeans which he is commonly seen wearing in day to day life and during live performances. The editing of the video is typical of the Indie genre, there is shifting of focus through out and the shots have been given a vintage feel to them, this is a key Indie genre convention. The overall impression of this video is that Ben has worked hard for his success, however, has had a lot of fun along the way.

In conclusion to this I believe Ben is portrayed as a well liked individual who has worked hard for his place within the music industry and has gained a large amount of respect as a result. He has a loyal fan base who continue to support him as he grows as an artist, this is largely down to how easily Ben's audience can relate to him whether it be through his choices in clothing or the lyrics he writes.