The True Artistry of Luke Bentlay
By Maddy Cristall
The deeply gifted Luke Bentlay is a force to be reckoned with. The Vancouver based dark pop artist is a constant explosion of innovation. Luke’s music is brimming with inspiration, authenticity and passion. Just like the man himself, Luke’s work is best described as infectious. His insatiable lust for life is contagious and a room becomes more interesting once he steps into it.
Luke’s latest single and video for “Killing me Slowly” is a mesmerizing body of work. Luke expresses the inner workings of the track as- ‘Killing Me Slowly’ was written about my personal battle with depression and self-acceptance, something I believe we have all struggled with. Even though the subject matter is sad, I want this song to be a conduit of hope for anyone seeking truth and clarity within themselves. The line 'my life's amazing, why am I lonely' perfectly sums up the theme of the song; even if we have a good life, oftentimes we still experience a deep, unknown sadness, like something is missing. Therein lies the power of music, it helps us understand our elusive sadness and gives us wings to weave our demons into our muses. Luke manages to stay inspired during the pandemic.
Even though the subject matter is sad, I want this song to be a conduit of hope for anyone seeking truth and clarity within themselves. The line 'my life's amazing, why am I lonely' perfectly sums up the theme of the song; even if we have a good life, oftentimes we still experience a deep, unknown sadness, like something is missing. -Luke Bentlay
He says that “During the pandemic, I've been staying super in tune with my creativity. I have finished three entire music videos and written new songs! I dedicated most of my time crossing the finish line with multiple projects. Besides music, I've been spending time painting, drawing, and gardening. I recently listened to a podcast with Brenee Brown who was speaking about unused creativity. She said unused creativity isn't benign, it metastasizes into grief, pain, and anger. I've personally experienced moments in my life where I was rejecting my inner imagination, and it definitely contributed to my anxieties. This is why it's so important, especially in these times, to practice art in whatever way you want to. I believe every single person is creative in some way, shape or form.”
‘Killing me Slowly’ is an impressive gem in the sparkly collage that is Luke Bentlay. He is unapologetically gay, proud and loud. He is very much a voice for the freaks, geeks, super-chics and everyone in between. Luke says that- ‘Thematically, the music video is about death and rebirth, which is why we decided to shoot it in a graveyard. Visually, I represent a fallen angel finding their way through the darkness into light. This video was created with no budget and on a cellphone! I'm so happy with how it turned out and so surprised by the quality’.
That’s Luke for you, always making lemonade out of lemons which is truly apparent during these particularly sour times. He is a multifaceted artist with an array of fantastic layers. Check out the video for ‘Killing Me Slowly’ below and stay tuned for everything this powerhouse is up to.