Benathon Interview: The Gold Coast Pop Visionary Behind Under The Moon
UNPUBLISHED
9 Lounges Team
9/7/2025
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Gladly! The inspiration from the laboratory stems from quite a few things. I have a huge love for Science Fiction, especially with films like Luc Besson’s ‘The Fifth Element’, and TV shows like Matt Groening and David X. Cohen’s ‘Futurama’ to name a couple. With those kinds of themes and the beauty I found in the fantasy of them, paired with the “classic” birth of a celebrity, or what I like to call “the art of the celebrity”. Back in the days where the talent scouts, executives, the people in the industry of Hollywood used to pick a person who had star quality, and crafted them into these “perfect” public entities. And, with ‘Under The Moon’ being my debut EP, what better time to craft this narrative? I have always been fascinated and intrigued by celebrities and pop culture, with certain few that took the forefront (which we will discuss further shortly). I was always inspired by the fashion, behaviours, flashing cameras, red carpets, music videos, movies, parties, interviews, the whole thing, I didn’t have any of that, but I wasn’t letting that stop me. So, I got to work in using all my inspiration, knowledge, research, and skills that I did know to tell this narrative of my birth and conception of who I am as an artist. And the portrayal of all of this all together is how we came to the laboratory, which is inspired by all the kinds of rooms stars are in away from the public (recording studios, audition spaces, offices with executives, etc.) as well as my bedroom, where it all began. All the rooms used to craft the images of these people. The laboratory is crafting me, this blank slate from wherever I’m from. These “scientists” found me, and decided that I was the prime specimen to become their ‘Perfect Pop Product’.
Gold Coast pop artist Benathon opens up about his debut EP Under The Moon, blending sci-fi fantasy with heartfelt storytelling. In this exclusive interview, he shares insights on creativity, freedom, and musical influences. Discover what sets Benathon apart and what’s next on his journey.
The Laboratory Metaphor: You’ve described your past as coming from a kind of “laboratory” where you were studied and tested. Can you tell us more about what that represents for you and how it shaped your identity as an artist?
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Breaking Free: Your music is fuelled by a sense of freedom and discovery. Was there a specific moment when you felt you truly broke out of that “controlled space” and embraced your own artistic path?
When it comes to breaking out of the “controlled space”, absolutely not. But, my reasoning for that is because it’s always about continuing to break through those moments throughout your life. It’s never going to be just one lightbulb moment and everything is magically figured out, it wasn’t just one for me. As someone who can deal with perfectionism, I know that I’m going to be dealing with lots of these crossroads as well when creating new material, new performance ideas, new costume ideas, and making these ideas tie together. So, I’m also reminding myself that perfection isn’t always the key and trying to release myself from my own limiting beliefs, but also not compromise on my core values, and find the balance between those two ideologies. Moving to the pursuit of my artistic path. I can say that I had a moment for this project and point of my path specifically. It started was when I was standing at an old job of mine one day, and in a moment of brief dissociation that I had realised that even though I loved that job at the time, I didn’t want to be there for the rest of my life, I wanted to find more. I had already been creating and performing for years in many different forms, and there was no way I was letting it slip away from me. The thought of that alone felt like something had died in me, that wasn’t going to happen. And, that was the catalyst for this point of my career. But the whole point of using these themes is to be a reminder of when things are scary, that’s when you jump. Every single time. Because, there’s never going to be that one moment that fixes everything, but there’s always going to be moments that lead you in the right direction, and that’s what we should be chasing.
Gold Coast Energy: Living on the Gold Coast, with its nightlife, beach culture, and festivals, clearly influences your vibe. How do the city and its energy feed into your sound and creativity?
When ‘Under The Moon’ was first conceptualised, it was during the COVID-19 pandemic during our lockdown period. At the time, we weren’t going anywhere and things weren’t happening. I missed it all, I wanted to be out dancing, having fun, going out, performing, and everything of the sorts. I hadn’t been to many festivals or concerts before all that either, so I was really reaching out to the things I missed and the places I wanted to be. I didn’t fully get started on everything else once I had made that decision to follow my heart. I’m also always looking and connecting to spaces that I can perform in, maybe this is a new time for me to break free and look further outside of the box and find new avenues outside of that even. If anyone on the Gold Coast or Brisbane is reading this, my door is open, let’s make it happen. Some things I really love and take inspiration from here and stretching toward Brisbane, is having more exposure to local EDM (Electronic Dance Music), the local community theatre productions, our drag performers, the film and TV productions that happen around, the people around us, and the infectious energy that you get from being near anything amazing going on. A lot of my inspiration is mainly rooted in fantasy and in the use of your imagination. There’s always something to look at, somewhere to love, someone to miss.
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Pop as Storytelling: For you, pop isn’t just catchy hooks—it’s about connection and storytelling. What stories do you most want listeners to take away from your songs?
I want any listener that comes across ‘Under The Moon’, and my future work, to craft their own story. I want them to make it personal. While ‘Under The Moon’ has one overall narrative, each song has its own story. My overall narrative in this EP centres around hope, and no matter how dark things may feel, no matter how strong you get hit by an Earthquake’, holding on to hope will pull you through. You just have to keep going. Even when it’s hard, it’s ugly, you’re still asking questions. Just keep going and keep trying, it will be worth it.
Adventure & Vulnerability: Your songs mix optimism with openness about not having all the answers. Why do you think it’s important to share both adventure and vulnerability in your music?
Adventure starts with curiosity; curiosity faces you with uncertainty; uncertainty brings with it vulnerability. Are you willing to take that step further into the chaos to make a discovery? What I’m trying to say is that they are intertwined with each other. All sorts of music incorporate them in some kind of way. It may not be a Sci-Fi Fantasy tale like ‘Under The Moon’, but it’s always there. Music has always been a way to communicate and express, and I don’t want to pigeonhole myself to one specific thing. Sure, we’re probably going to see some of my nacho ingredients getting repurposed or reused throughout my career in the future, but I don’t want to be a one trick pony. That’s also why tapping into themes of adventure and vulnerability are so important for me, it gives me a chance to grow, play and explore. and it gives the listeners that chance as well.
Fan Connection: You often describe your music as an “invitation” for listeners to join you on a journey. How do you hope fans engage with your songs beyond just listening?
I want any listener that comes across ‘Under The Moon’, and my future work, to craft their own story. I want them to make it personal. While ‘Under The Moon’ has one overall narrative, each song has its own story. Then, beyond that, I want the listener to find out how these stories connect to them. My songs could connect to them directly, or they could be point of thought for them. What I care most about is making that connection. I don’t care if I can’t connect with a listener fully, or if they don’t become a die-hard fan. If one song, one line, one word, one melody or one sound can resonate with the listener for whatever reason, I’ve done my job. That’s what I care about. It’s even more fun when you can do that in the live sense.
Musical Influences: Who are some of the artists—past or present—that inspire you and helped shape your sound?
There are so many of them to go through, and let’s start with some of the more obvious ones. David Bowie and Lady Gaga are two artists that have always stood out on a massive scale for me, and those references are shown straight off the bat on ‘Under The Moon’s cover art. David Bowie always fascinated me. I wasn’t a massive fan of his music growing up, I knew his hits and a couple of other deep cuts, but I didn’t know much outside of that. But I always felt a kind of connection to him, I have a beautiful artwork of him in my living room too. His storytelling under the guise of Ziggy Stardust is something I always loved, especially being another Science Fiction tale. I still don’t know a lot about it, I still have much to learn, and I wasn’t born around that time. Lady Gaga was the generational talent of my growing up that struck me hard. I remember when ‘Just Dance’ and ‘Poker Face’ came out, and my first reaction was “Ugh, I hate Lady Gaga.” I was either 11 or 12 at that point. Yeah, look that opinion didn’t last very long. My disco ball visor on the cover is inspired by 1) Disco Balls, and 2) ‘The Fame’ Album cover. Moving further into the project, there’s also a lot of inspiration from 70s and 80s Synthpop along with modern Pop music, and movie soundtracks. I grew up with a lot of music from these genres and eras. A lot of inspiration also came from the likes of Depeche Mode, Eurhythmics, Fernando Garibay, and Hans Zimmer. As well as other inspirational elements stemming from Ultravox, Queen, Abba, Michael Jackson, Poppy, Max Martin, Brittney Spears, The Presets, Sneaky Sound System, Kesha, Divinyls and the B-52’s to name a few more.
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Standing Out in Pop: Pop is one of the most competitive genres today. What do you feel makes your music different from other emerging pop acts?
My vision. I don’t want to act like I’m better than anyone else and say any fluff like “my vision is groundbreaking”, I still have to get my eyes tested too. But I believe in my vision and what I want to share with the world is what gives me my backbone as an artist. I don’t want to be the next best anything. My name is Benathon, and I want to be the best version of Benathon that I can be, and hope that brings more people to come see me share what I have to say, and come on that adventure with me.
Looking Forward: What’s next for you—are you preparing new releases, live shows, or collaborations that fans can look forward to?
There is DEFINITELY more on the way. I plan to dive in deeper into this narrative and give it the conclusion this portion of the narrative of Benathon deserves, and be ready to open the door for more, as well as have more material to work with. Like I mentioned earlier, I am looking for more opportunities for live shows and performances, the more the merrier. And, I’m always open to collaborations. What I do know is that the show’s not over. At the end of the ‘Mania’ Music Video, I escaped my laboratory. It’s now time to find out what happened after I stepped foot onto human ground. Thank- you so much for taking the time to curate these questions for me, this has been a lot of fun to talk about and share more about ‘Under The Moon’ with you. Here’s to more adventures forevermore.
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