Boychik (Ben Levi Ross) Shares New Single 'Jasmine Vine'

Composer, actor and vocalist Boychik, the musical moniker of Ben Levi Ross, shares their latest single today, "Jasmine Vine" along with an illustrative video that puts a new side of the artist on display, out everywhere now. Their poignant debut self-titled LP is due out September 9, and find all things Boychik, including brand new merch, here.

Steeped in nostalgia, "Jasmine Vine" takes Boychik back to the streets of their childhood neighborhood. The fragrant plant crowded familiar sidewalks and their pre-school garden, and often alleviated existential anxiety, bringing them back down to Earth. Written in two halves with the second half coming together first, the melody is one that kept coming back to Ben each time they returned to the piano.

Sung with heavenly vocals over gentle piano and guitar strings, the lyrics hold some of the darkest moments of their life. Boychik explains, "The intoxicating smell was grounding in its nostalgia. I couldn't and still can't really believe that something that smelled that beautiful is found untouched in nature. It was, for all intents and purposes, emblematic of Goddess."

Amid the surrounding tumultuous world, the beautiful, natural and sweet-smelling plant is a piece of serenity even in the most difficult times. Boychik adds, "I wrote the first half of the song a few months later. In its own way, it is recounting the some of the darkest moments of my life. When trying to piece together the rest of the song, I came back to that melody that I had written months prior. I went back to the Jasmine Vine, and found Goddess in the darkest corners of my existence."

The video, made with friends Gabby Goldberg and Sekai Abení, follows Boychik searching for food from the sea while the sun rises as observe the still water and quiet shore. The video concludes with Boychik sitting on the edge of a hotel bed surrounded by a candle-lit assortment of fruit with the TV on, reveling in luxury and proud of their efforts.

Describing the making of the visual with their best friends, Boychik explains, "We slowly pieced together this idea of me in a very stripped down look, foraging food from the earth and from the sea and coming back to some nondescript space and indulging in the fruits of my labor." The video expands the lush world that Boychik has built, with each release bringing more of their story to life and to new heights. "It's a different visual side of Boychik, expanding the ever-changing landscape of what this project is and can continue to be."

The highly anticipated arrival of Boychik, the self-titled, ten track body of work, is years in the making. It's one that carefully chronicles the deepest parts of the multi-disciplinary artist Boychik, and the multi-dimensional person, Ben. It necessarily brings Boychik's queer voice and lived experiences to the forefront, bearing their heart on their sleeve, but not without bandages and bruises.

"There's a lot about the release of this record that scares me. I've sat on this music for many years. For a long time, writing music was a very private solitary act. But I found collaborators that created an environment for me to open up this music safely." They continue, "Being able to expand this sound into what it is alongside Jake Luppen, Nathan Stocker and Brad Oberhofer was one of the greatest joys of my life." With such an intimate collection of music being made public, Boychik hopes the forthcoming time capsule is handled with care.

Today's release follows the elegant "Next to You" which premiered with PAPER Magazine, who wrote the track is "an orchestral highlight of the ten track LP" and that the accompanying stunning video is "a strong extension of the romantic visual identity Boychik has put forth thus far." Another previously shared single is the layered, piano-driven, "Bombed Out Building," whose lyric video premiered exclusively with V Magazine. V Magazine wrote, "Boychik shares the emotions that come with giving the deepest part of yourself to another. With lyrics like "but the deepest parts of me were always for you," the single tells a heartbreaking revelation. Along with the single comes a new lyric video. Depicting images of an empty castle lit up by hues of green, it gives fans a better insight into the world behind the song."

"Bombed Out Building," while light and layered, allows Boychik to calm their anxiety and explore the depths of true love-from the fear of falling-to discovering the comfort and safety within each other and everything in between. Honest and vulnerable, the track is a tender, thoughtful exploration of love and natural uneasiness that comes with the early stages of falling.

The forthcoming project's debut single "Dust After Rest," is a track that frees Boychik of any gender constraints, and is filled with hope, gratitude and profound authenticity. The track premiered with PAPER Magazine, who wrote, "Like with all queer expression - complex and expansive - the visual identity surrounding Boychik is just as important as the music itself." The track allows Boychik to, as they put it, "Zoom out and see my existence as finite and precious. The fact that I will return to dust has always helped alleviate my pain."

1883 Magazine, Cool Hunting, and many more enthusiastically embraced the single, with 1883 Magazine calling it, "powerful yet poignant, freeing yet, at times, filled with fraught," and Cool Hunting writing that it is filled with, "profound depth and beauty."

After a year of studying theater at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, Ross exited to join a national tour of Dear Evan Hansen, where they took the titular role from 2018-2019. The LA Times wrote Ross was "sensational," and "has a radiant strength and fills the theater with its luminosity."

The Washington Post wrote of Ross' "rewardingly supple" voice. In 2020, they went on to star in the Kennedy Center's production of "Next to Normal"and by 2021, they made their film debut in Netflix's Tick..Tick..Boom!. Now, in 2022, Boychik's artistry expands further into uncharted territory-filled with confidence, boldness and vulnerability-and much more.

The wistful "Jasmine Vine" and its accompanying video are out everywhere now, is an essential moment of serenity where Boychik grounds themselves as they swim in the scent and memories that shaped them.

Stay tuned for the cinematic self-titled debut from Boychik, one that through a queer body and mind proudly claims space complete with vivid, deliberate narratives-out September 9 and available for pre-order now. The previously released "Next to You" "Bombed Out Building," and "Dust After Rest," are out everywhere now.

Grab brand new merch now at itsboychik.com and connect with Boychik on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter for much more to come.

Watch their new music video here:

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