Review Fix Exclusive: Ben Jaimen Talks ’7 Billion People,’ Live Performance New Year’s Eve in Berlin

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter Ben Jaimen, who discusses his the creative process behind his current single “7 Billion People” and his upcoming performance on New Year’s Eve in Berlin, where he will play in front of one million people.

An awesome combination of pop, funk, soul and rock, Jaimen’s sound reeks of legendary acts such as Michael Jackson and James Brown, but has musical similarities to bands and singers the likes of Imagine Dragons and George Michael.

Listen to “7 Billion People” Below:

Review Fix: How does it feel to be performing New Year’s Eve in Berlin?

Ben Jaimen: I am super excited about this performance. Berlin will always have a special place in my heart, in the end it’s the place where I was born and where I lived for so many years. Being able to sing in front of 1vmillion people is simply amazing. So many different people from so many different countries, all celebrating new years, I can’t think of a better audience.

Review Fix: How was “7 Billion People” written?

Jaimen: I was working with an amazing kids program this summer called SFK. It’s a non-profit organization that works with different schools all around the world, giving children universal spiritual tools that help them realize their potential and deepen their sense of purpose in life. We worked on a musical project, and when I asked the kids what kind of message they would put into a song if they could write one, they said “one about bringing the world closer together.” This inspired the entire song, and I saw in their eyes it could only be done by writing about unity and the positive aspects that we have as humanity.

Review Fix: What was the set of the video like?

Jaimen: Making this video was as exciting as writing the song itself, simply because it was done in the most unique way I could imagine. To make sure the video reflects the actual message of the song, we collected mini videos from kids all around the world singing and performing the track, and by doing so creating a virtual kids choir that we’ll screen during my performance at the Brandenburg Gate.

Review Fix: Are you going to be performing “Satellites” in a different way live or will it be more along the lines of the radio edit?

Jaimen: Performing a song live will always differ from the original radio version. In the studio or in front of a camera you can always change or edit stuff, when it comes to live, you have only one version – the one that comes out in the moment. Besides, I’ve been working on some new choreographies for this special event.

Review Fix: How can you possibly prepare yourself for a performance like this?

Jaimen: It’s funny, because actually there is not such a big difference to any other performances. Sure, there are bigger productions involved, such a the giant video screens, special video clips, new choreographies, etc. But on a personal level, I prepare very similar to what I usually do before a performance. I make sure that I’m giving my best, know my craft, and my vision. I pray before every show.

Review Fix: What’s next after this?

Jaimen: I’ll be flying back to LA very soon. Once I’m back, I want to concentrate on preparing my tour that I have planned for the coming year. Also, I’m working on new material. But somehow that’s what I always do.

mm
About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*