Broadway star Ben Platt might have recently finished his run in one of the most demanding roles ever created (Evan Hansen in "Dear Evan Hansen"), but he's not done yet.
He recently released his debut album "Sing to Me Instead" and it blew me away, to say the least.
For a debut album, the sound is incredibly mature and developed, staying true to his Broadway roots while also experimenting with different genres like a singer-songwriter, gospel, and more.
But my favorite thing about this album is how brutally honest it is on its themes of love and growing up. The lyrics are on a whole other level of beautiful and soul-stabbing than most songs you hear nowadays.
Everyone could benefit from listening to Ben Platt's songs, as they explore themes that lots of people experience, but aren't written about very often.
A great example of this would be his song "Grow As We Go." The song's lyrics tell of someone who wants to grow together with their significant other, saying that you don't have to be alone to change for the better.
What I especially love about this song is that it can be interpreted in two different ways. The first could be someone reassuring their significant other that they can grow and change together and become better people because of it.
But, the other meaning is much more pleading. The other person wants to leave, but the singer is telling them that they don't want them to go and that the two of them can grow together. This version is also told through the song's music video.
Either way, the idea of growing with someone is very common, but rarely ever expressed through song. And it is done beautifully in "Grow As We Go."
Another unique take on the love song from this album is "Ease My Mind."
I'm a sucker for a song about loving someone when dealing with mental health issues. It's such a common thing, as a very large percentage of people deal with some sort of mental health issue, but a lot of artists shy away from the subject.
However, with the song, Ben Platt leans into the topic. There's a saying that you can't love anyone until you first love yourself, but this song rejects that. And I'm so happy that it does because I always thought that saying was stupid. No one can cure mental illness, but having someone in your corner can make it more bearable, which is what this song explains so eloquently.
My last example will be his song "Older," which covers existentialism and aging in a motivational way.
Lots of people can relate to the feeling of not wanting to waste their youth. It's a legitimate fear and it can be hard to take something inspirational out of the fact that we're all aging and time keeps flying by.
But "Older" does a great job of reminding you that we can't take any moment for granted while also being a celebration of life.
I could go on and on about all the great songs in this album and their meaning. "Sing to Me Instead" is a beautiful exploration of all the things that make life and love both hard and worth it. So please do yourself a favor and give it a listen.
