On 5 April, Benjamin Kheng posted this reel on his Instagram:
The 33-year-old singer-songwriter, who was in the local band The Sam Willows, is known for posting covers, where he uses random household items to create beats of songs.
In the video, he does a cover of ITZY’s new song, UNTOUCHABLE, using household items like books, glass cups, pillows, and a keyboard.
Fans of both Benjamin Kheng and ITZY were elated when the K-pop girl group reposted his video on their social media.
Then, just four days later, ITZY drove everyone LOCO with an unexpected collaboration with Benjamin Kheng on 9 April.
The girl group posted a video of them singing a rendition of the same song with special guest Benjamin Kheng.
Similar to Kheng’s first video, four of the ITZY members – Yeji, Ryujin, Yuna, and Chaeryeong, used similar objects to create sounds the way Benjamin Kheng does.
Was It a Teaser?
Because of this, some speculate that Kheng’s first video might have been a teaser for the collaboration.
On Kheng’s first video, his caption read “couldn’t get tickets to ITZY… so this will have to do”.
In response, a commenter told him there were still tickets on sale.
Kheng then responded with the following:
Another commenter replied to Kheng’s comment, wondering if he would be the guest opening act for ITZY’s concert in Singapore the next day on 6 April.
Spoiler alert: he wasn’t.
Given that there was only one reply to Kheng’s comment, we can infer that fans didn’t think much of his comment.
Perhaps they thought “a marketing thing” simply referred to getting reposted on ITZY’s story, and no one thought they would actually collaborate.
The collaboration with ITZY came as a pleasant surprise to fans of both, with many fans, friends, and other artists, including local singer-songwriter Jasmine Sokko, leaving nothing but praises for the collaboration.
Benjamin Kheng
While Singapore isn’t exactly the best place for artists to develop, Benjamin Kheng is one of the few who have managed to make a name for themselves.
He made his music debut 12 years ago with The Sam Willows in 2012.
The band comprised four people, one of which is his sister, Narelle Kheng.
After announcing their hiatus in May 2019, Kheng has since been pursuing his solo career.
Kheng co-created “The BenZi Project“, an online comedy sketch series on YouTube with Singaporean YouTuber Hirzi Zulkiflie.
He is married to Singaporean model and 987FM host, Naomi Yeo.
And, if you’ve been anywhere near the internet recently, you probably saw their viral video in which Yeo accurately guessed what Kheng’s fart would sound like.
ITZY is a five-member girl group under JYP Entertainment. They consist of Yeji, Ryujin, Yuna, Chaeryeong, and Lia.
Reader: Wait, five? Weren’t there only four of them in the video with Benjamin Kheng?
Lia is currently on hiatus due to anxiety and mental health issues. As such, the other four have been on tour without her.
However, fans do not fail to show their support for Lia, often leaving comments saying they miss Lia and are wishing her the best.
ITZY debuted in 2019 with their single album “IT’z Different”, and have amassed over 20 million followers on Instagram.
The girl group is considered one of the best 4th generation bands, joining the likes of AESPA, LE SSERAFIM, NewJeans, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and Stray Kids.
ITZY is best known for their hit songs WANNABE, Not Shy, and LOCO.
Other than their songs that resonate with their audience, ITZY has also gained attention for their sharp and synchronised choreography, incorporating elements of hip-hop and street dance styles.