Influenced by folk-rock as well as chanson française,
Bensé is a French contemporary singer/songwriter who made his album debut in 2008. Born
Julien Bensé on April 18, 1980, in Nice, France, he cites a range of influences including legends of folk-rock (
Neil Young,
the Band,
Cat Stevens) and chanson (
Jacques Brel,
Georges Brassens,
Nino Ferrer), plus American contemporary singer/songwriters (
Bonnie "Prince" Billy,
M. Ward,
Devendra Banhart).
Bensé made his full-length album debut in 2008 with Album on the label Naïve. Produced in partnership with
Yann Arnaud, Album features the lead single "Au Grand Jamais" and "Petite," a duet with fellow French contemporary singer/songwriter Rose. ~ Jason Birchmeier