Tim van Berkestijn (born 28 April 1977), better known by his stage nameBenny Sings, is a Dutch pop musician, songwriter, and producer from the Netherlands. Since 2003, he has released ten studio albums, including his most recent album, 2023's Young Hearts on Stones Throw Records. He has since collaborated with many artists worldwide, like Mac DeMarco, Mocky, and Rex Orange County.[1]
Biography
Tim van Berkestijn was born in 1977 and raised in Dordrecht, a city in the Western Netherlands. He formed his first band, the Loveboat, in high school. He attended the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where he studied sonology.[2] He made beats under the name Benny V Kreamtits before changing his name to Benny Sings.[3]
In 1999, Berkestijn adopted the stage name Benny Sings when he joined the Dutch hip hop group Abstract Dialect as a bassist. During this period, he also worked with hip hop collective De Toffen and the soul group Heavenly Social.
In 2003, Sings released his first solo album, Champagne People, which did well in the Netherlands and Europe. During the 2010s, Sings gained more attention in the United States.[4] In 2017, he helped pen the Rex Orange County single "Loving Is Easy".[5]
Sings released the single "The Only One" on 26 October 2022. His album Young Hearts was released on Stones Throw Records on 24 March 2023.[8] Sings recorded a cover of "Time After Time" for the 2025 tribute album Chet Baker Re:imagined.[9]
