Exclusive Interview: Justus Bennetts Talks “Don’t Trip”, Collaborating with GAYLE, and More

Justus Bennetts has emerged as music’s most exciting new artist. His genre-bending sound brings together the best elements of pop, hip-hop, and rock. But more importantly, it’s his uncanny ability to make listeners feel seen and heard that has made him a standout. Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Justus about his career, his new collaboration with GAYLE, and more!

PC: You come from a musical family. Was music always the career path for you? When did you realize you wanted to pursue it?
Justus: It wasn’t always in my career plans. I honestly didn’t know what I wanted to do, and that’s why I was originally going to school for business. Music became my path when I dropped out of college during the pandemic because of online classes. I started selling cars and eventually started focusing more on my music.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career, either personally or professionally?
Justus: Personally, it’s definitely been my family and my parents who have always been around. They’ve always been super supportive of what I was doing, no matter what it was. When I dropped out of college, as much as they wanted me to go to school, they were so supportive of anything that I wanted to do. That’s definitely had a big impact on me.

In the music world, it’s been everybody that I’ve worked with—everybody that I’ve gotten in touch with that has helped me develop my sound. All the producers and all the writers who have helped me and had a big inspiration on me as a writer and a musician.

PC: Your manager discovered you and reached out via DM. What was your initial reaction when you got that message? Was there any skepticism there?
Justus: [laughs] There was definitely skepticism because it was a random dude and I had no idea who he was. I didn’t know what he was talking about. But he called me on the phone and we talked. I have a good sense of people. I can get a general vibe when I’m talking to someone, especially face to face. He was a good guy. I could see that he wanted to help me and help my music. I got good vibes from the very beginning. I’m glad I spoke with him.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your young career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Justus: One moment that really stands out to me would have to be when I took my first trip out of the state where I was living to go make music in New York with writer Jesse Fink. That was my first time meeting him. We had worked over the phone one time before that, but that trip really stood out to me because it set the standard for how it was going to be from then on. We wrote “Nightstand” that day. There were so many things going on. We were trying to get to the airport. Jesse got food poisoning. It was a crazy story. It made me realize how crazy the industry is and how crazy it is to be a musician in general. It really opened my eyes right then and there about how it was going to be.

PC: You’ve got a new single out now. Can you tell us about “Don’t Trip,” the inspiration behind the song, and how this collaboration with GAYLE came about?
Justus: I wrote this song with people that I’d been regularly making music with. We were having a good time up in upstate New York. We got a cabin up there and went on a writing trip. We were having a good time, drinking, partying, and having fun making music. It really shows in the song. It’s this laid-back, kick-back vibe. It’s like, “I don’t give a f*ck what anybody’s thinking, I want to do what I want to do.” That’s how the song came about.

As for GAYLE, I had heard from my manager that she had family members that were fans of my music. She had reached out to me a while ago, and I never saw the DM. I saw she was in New York. I messaged her and was like, “Let’s link up in the studio and get this feature going,” because our managers had been talking back and forth. She wasn’t able to at the time. Eventually, though, we linked up in LA and did a photoshoot and a music video for it. She sent her verse back pretty fast. It all fell into place, and it was really fun.

PC: You originally weren’t sure if you were going to release it as a single. What was that turning point?
Justus: The turning point honestly was GAYLE’s verse. Before then, it was a good song, but it didn’t stand out to me. Once I heard her verse, that made me say, “This could be a real single.”

PC: You’ve steadily been releasing music throughout the year. If you had to pick one song that best encompasses who you are as an artist, which would it be and why?
Justus: It’d probably be “Insomniac” because it hits all of the bases. It doesn’t sit in one general pocket of one type of genre. It’s really alternative and really free-flowing. It’s a good reference for who I am as an artist.

PC: You’re on the road right now. What has that experience been like? Has it been surreal to see your fans in real life, just given the past two years where you couldn’t do any touring?
Justus: We’ve had two shows so far in Nashville. It’s always nice seeing everybody’s face right there in front of you and having everybody sing the songs. It makes me feel better as an artist. I’m not sitting behind a screen seeing all these people talking. I can actually see the people in front of me enjoying my music, singing it with me, and having a good time. It makes me feel better about what I’m doing.

PC: You’re also the founder of One Media. Tell us about the mission behind the production studio and how it came to fruition.
Justus: It all really started with my music path. I knew I wanted to make music, and I had gotten linked up with somebody I went to school with. We hadn’t connected until about a year ago. We did a session in my room, and it went from there. We were like, “Let’s start a studio. Let’s do this.” We started doing it. I started making my music and working on the studio really heavily. It really helped propel me to where I am now and get the mindset. Because I’ve always had that business mindset. That’s what I was going to school for. The studio happening and all of this happening is for a reason. Everything I did before helped me do what I’m doing now.

PC: As we look ahead to the rest of 2022, what can fans expect from you? Are we leading to a larger body of work?
Justus: I’m probably going to do a couple more singles this year. I want to release a larger body of work in the very near future, for sure. It’s called Lifelong Daydream. I’m really excited about it.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Justus: I have a lot of Pearl Jam on my playlist. That might be surprising. And Dua Lipa.

PC: First album you bought?
Justus: Eminem’s Revival.

PC: First concert you attended?
Justus: It was a Def Leppard and Heart concert. I was twelve.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Justus: The Incredible True Story by Logic because of the way he put that together. It was a total full concept album. It got me into the mindset of how intellectual I want to get with my music. It was one collective piece. That was a big inspiration of mine.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Justus: Madison Square Garden.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Justus: My water bottle. You’ve got to stay hydrated!

To keep up with Justus, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music. Pick up or stream “Don’t Trip” today.

Photo Credit: Joseph Governale