Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Eliza Bennett

Eliza Bennett stole our hearts with her vulnerable yet empowering portrayal of Jules Thomas in MTV’s Sweet/Vicious. Her nuanced performance received wide acclaim, making her a breakout star. She continues to impress, showing off another facet of her talent, this time as a singer-songwriter. She seriously can do it all. This fall, Eliza dropped her heartwarming debut single, “Stole Me,” a love song dedicated to her husband, and it’s given us all the feels. Pop Culturalist caught up with Eliza to chat about finding the balance between acting and music, her new single, and an exciting project she’s working on.

PC: You took some time away from music to focus on your acting career. What has the transition been like jumping back into music?
Eliza: It’s honestly been wonderful. Acting has always been my bread and butter, and as a result, music has had to wait patiently in the wings. I started songwriting partially because I wanted a creative outlet that I could do by myself and partly out of curiosity to see if I could. It honestly caught me off guard how much I fell in love with it and how comfortable it felt. After a couple of years, I had so many songs that I started to get itchy to share them.

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Eliza: I think often it’s the same story with many artists across creative fields in the fact that I always knew I loved it from a very young age. I was always a creative child and drawn towards the arts side of my education. I was a music scholar at school and spent every weekend taking dance on Saturdays and took acting classes on Sundays. My poor parents drove me around everywhere. I then started working as a child actor at nine, and it became my whole life, so I don’t really remember a time where the arts were not my focus. Honestly, I was very lucky to have parents that encouraged and supported me and never made me feel like I couldn’t pursue it.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Eliza: That’s so tricky to say! I think we are constantly changing as a result of our influences changing. When I was a child actor, I was obsessed with Natalie Portman after I saw her in Leon: The Professional and watching her transition from an extraordinary child actor to an extraordinary adult actor. As a teenager, I was obsessed with Hilary Swank, especially after Million Dollar Baby and Boys Don’t Cry. Presently, I think I speak on behalf of all my peers that Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the shit—a woman who has earned her place in the history books as a voice of our generation by consistently writing women who we can see ourselves in, flaws and all. She floors me and drives me to work harder in everything I do.

PC: Tell us about your new single, “Stole Me.” What inspired the track?
Eliza: “Stole Me” was actually one of the only songs where I wrote the lyrics first. I have been with my husband since I was sixteen, and yet I looked at all the songs I had written up until that point and none of them would suggest that I was in happy relationship. We used to laugh about it, but then I decided I owed my lovely husband a love song. I was sitting at my piano staring at the keys, and I looked up and saw a poem I had written for my husband the year before. That poem became the blueprint for the song.

PC: I imagine you’ve written tons of different songs. What was the process like selecting “Stole Me” as your debut single?
Eliza: Honestly, picking which song to record is one of the hardest parts for me. My favorite song always seems to be the last one I’ve written because it always feels fresh and exciting, but I just couldn’t shake “Stole Me.” It’s hard not to constantly second-guess yourself creatively, but also I think there comes a point where obsessing over whether something is perfect or whether people will like it holds you back from moving forward. It’s all subjective anyway. Every person that listens to my music will have a different favorite, so it was best to just trust my instincts and keep moving.

PC: Can we expect more music in the future? Possibly an EP or album?
Eliza: Absolutely. Now that I’ve started, I don’t want to stop. There’s obviously logistics to work out around other projects I’m working on, but I really love making music, and I want to put a lot more of my time into it.

PC: As we look ahead to the rest of 2019, what does the year hold for you?
Eliza: I’m currently shooting The Conners! It’s an iconic show to be a part of and has just the most incredible cast. I’m truly loving working with people that I have looked up to for a very long time. It’s always nerve-wracking coming into an already established show, so I’m grateful that everyone has been so lovely. On the music side, my music video for “Stole Me” will come out shortly, and I’m looking to start playing live as much as possible with a follow-up EP not far behind! Keep your eyes peeled!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Eliza: Supertramp features heavily on there! My dad used to play their music in the car a lot when I was growing up, so their music always makes me feel happy and nostalgic.

PC: First album you bought?
Eliza: It’s either one of the Now Music CDs (I used to love them) or probably Blue’s album One Love. They were a huge boyband in the UK, and I always had a crush on Duncan. Pop boy bands and girl bands were my jam when I was twelve.

PC: First concert you attended?
Eliza: I didn’t attend a music concert until I was much older, maybe eighteen or nineteen, and I think the first band I saw were Vampire Weekend at Camden Roundhouse in London.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Eliza: Wow, that’s a big question. The first album that I ever really got into and listened to over and over again in my car when I was seventeen was probably The Libertines. I loved every single song on that album, and I don’t think I’d ever done that before. I also felt like I wasn’t listening to it because someone told me to. I felt like I discovered it for myself.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Eliza: The Troubadour in LA or Camden Roundhouse in London.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Eliza: Lip balm, neck pillow and the ability to nap anywhere.

To keep up with Eliza, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Pick up or stream “Stole Me” on Amazon Music, iTunes, or Spotify.

Photo Credit: Benjo Arwas