Ben Provest on turning isolation into intimate, cinematic songwriting.
Australian singer-songwriter and producer Ben Provest has returned to his roots with a profound sense of clarity, captured in his haunting new single, ‘Trying To Be Brave.’
Written and recorded during a month-long artist residency in a converted fish factory in Stöðvarfjörður, Iceland, the track is a masterclass in atmospheric folk, born from the surreal stillness of remote fjords and volcanic landscapes.
In an exclusive interview, Provest delves into the moment a COVID-era memory from Melbourne sparked the song’s creation, how the supportive yet isolating international artist commune fueled its themes, and why stripping back production was key to translating Iceland’s vast, grounding silence into sound.
This marks a poignant, personal return for the artist after years behind the scenes producing for others and working in Hollywood film scoring.
Happy: What’d you get up to today?
Ben Provest: I woke up, went for a walk, made coffee, and started packing for my trip back to Australia. I’ve been living in the U.S. for the past year, and I’m heading home for the summer, so today has mostly been about tying up loose ends before I fly out.
Happy: Tell us a little about where you’re from, and what you love about it!
Provest: I moved to Melbourne when I was 18, so even though I grew up on the Gold Coast, Melbourne is where I really came into myself. I’ve lived in a few different places since, but I always return.
It’s such a special city, full of creativity, curiosity, and people who care deeply about whatever they’re making. It’s a great place to work on a project.
Happy: Your music is described as blending “cinematic folk and ambient storytelling.” How did your formal training at VCA and Berklee shape this unique approach?
Provest: Both places exposed me to so many different worlds of music and gave me a strong foundation to build from. But the best part was the community, being surrounded by musicians who challenged and inspired me.
Those relationships and lessons have carried into everything I do as a professional musician.
Happy: Your new single, ‘Trying To Be Brave,’ was born from an artist residency in Iceland. Can you describe the moment or feeling that directly sparked this song?
Provest: One morning I was sitting on my bed with my acoustic guitar tuned to open D, and I started strumming the first few chords. I closed my eyes and drifted back to a memory from Melbourne during COVID, and the verses just came out.
I told myself I wanted to finish writing the entire song before touching the production, so I stayed there until it was done and then headed down to the studio to start building it.
Happy: The song explores “isolation, trust, and rediscovery.” How did living among a small community of international artists contrast with, or contribute to, those themes of isolation?
Provest: Everyone in the residency was incredibly supportive, and that energy gave me the confidence to create something that felt true to myself. But around the three-week mark, the isolation crept in.
I started missing home and found myself longing for a catch-up with an old friend, someone who really knew me. That tension between connection and solitude definitely fed into the song.
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Happy: ‘Trying To Be Brave’ is noted as a return to your songwriting roots. After working in production and film scoring, what did it feel like to return to such a personal, intimate form of creation?
Provest: Honestly, it felt a bit daunting at first to have no direction or collaborator, just me in a room with a guitar. But once I settled into it, I really enjoyed making something purely for myself again. It reminded me why I fell in love with songwriting in the first place.
Happy: You’ve said the Icelandic landscape made you feel both small and grounded. How did you translate that physical vastness into the sonic atmosphere of the track?
Provest: I tried not to overproduce it. Other than the vocals, I avoided layering too many guitars or stacking too many textures. Leaving space in the arrangement gave the song that same sense of openness and stillness I felt walking around the fjord.
Happy: Having produced for artists like Nikolas Lee and Amber Scates, what’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in the producer’s chair that you now apply to your own music?
Provest: Trust your instincts. Both of those artists had a strong sense of what they wanted to say and how they wanted their music to feel. Watching them lean into that taught me a lot about backing my own vision.
Happy: With a background in performance, production, and now film scoring, how do you define your artistic identity today?
Provest: I hope to continue doing all of it. Each role exercises a different creative muscle, and I love that variety. But I am looking forward to performing more over the next year—and hopefully putting a tour on the horizon.
Happy: Lastly, what makes you happy?
Provest: So many things! Food, people, music, movies. Right now I’m looking forward to Christmas, spending time with family, and giving gifts to the people I care about. That always makes me happy.
