Behind The Music: Ben Horsley

You might not know Ben Horsley by name yet, but chances are you’ve heard his work. At just 23 years old, the Sydney based producer and songwriter is fast becoming one of the most in demand names behind the scenes of the Australian country music scene. 

With over a million Spotify streams to his name and writing credits on tracks for rising stars like Kaylee Bell, Lane Pittman, and James Johnston, Horsley is proving that you don’t have to be in the spotlight to make serious waves.

When we caught up with Horsley, he was juggling two lives, one on the farm and one in the studio. “Yeah, it’s been a bit nuts to be honest,” he laughs. “The farm doesn’t slow down and neither do the songs. It’s a lot of balancing, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Unlike many of his peers, Horsley didn’t grow up chasing music. In fact, he was on a completely different path. “I didn’t even write my first song until 2020,” he admits. “Before that, I was studying journalism. Then COVID hit, I had a guitar and some spare time, and thought, ‘bugger it.’”

The real game-changer came in 2022, when he was selected for BIGSOUND’s SongHubs writing camp. “There were about 12 of us, and I think I was the only one without any releases. I still have no idea how I got in,” he says. 

But he made the most of it. On day one, he found himself writing with Kaylee Bell and hit American songwriter Shy Carter (Charlie Puth, Keith Urban). “It was intimidating. Producing on the fly with those two in the room? That was a crash course,” Ben says. The experience paid off though, he later co-wrote Bell’s Shot in the Dark which went on to feature on her acclaimed Nights Like This album.

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Horlsey’s approach to songwriting and production is as thoughtful as it is instinctive. “I’m drawn to melodies first. I like building an atmosphere with ambient layers, then contrasting that with something really dry like vocals or drums. It creates this nice push and pull.” He cites early influences like Keith Urban and, somewhat unexpectedly, Nickelback’s Dark Horse. “There were two CDs in dad’s ute: Be Here and Dark Horse. I didn’t realise it then, but those melodies stuck with me.”

Despite his rising profile, Horsley remains humble and focused on the creative process rather than the spotlight. “I don’t really care about the streams,” he says. “The best part is still being in the writing room. There’s nothing better than finishing a song that actually means something and then watching it connect with people.”

Still some moments have been hard to ignore, like hearing his songs played in front of massive crowds. “Sitting side-stage at CMC Rocks during Kaylee’s set was surreal. I think there were around 15,000 people. The imposter syndrome was real that night,” he laughs. Another pinch-me moment came when Lane Pittman performed one of their co-writes during Luke Combs’ Australian arena tour. “I didn’t see it live, but Lane sent me a video. That still gave me goosebumps.”

So what’s next for Horsley? A lot, apparently. He’s currently working across three to four EPs for different artists. “Some are in early writing stages, some are deep in production. I really like keeping artists involved every step of the way, it just makes the final product feel more honest.”

He’s also quietly collaborating on tracks for James Johnston’s next project. “I’ve got a huge amount of respect for James after writing with him, fingers crossed you’ll hear some of those songs soon. Although I’ve learned not to count my chickens before they hatch.” he laughs.

From bored in lockdown songwriting experiments to hearing his creations played to arena sized audiences, Horsley is proof that sometimes the quietest voices are crafting the loudest moments in music. And if his current momentum is anything to go by, this is just the beginning for Ben Horsley.

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