Ben Platt Finds Magic in the Mundane in ‘Imagine’
Ben Platt is back with a new single, “Imagine.” The mid-tempo pop track, which is both tender and confident, serves as a tribute to everyday saviors — the people who lift others up in times of darkness. Its just-released music video, on the other hand, is quite literally uplifting.
The Broadway-star-turned-solo-singer co-wrote the song with Jon Bellion, Michael Pollack, Alexander Izquierdo, Jordan K. Johnson, and Stefan Johnson. It was produced by Bellion and the Monsters and Strangerz, who’ve previously collaborated on hits like Maroon 5’s “Memories,” Justin Bieber’s “Holy,” and Miley Cyrus feat. Dua Lipa’s “Prisoner.” The video was directed by Matty Peacock (Billie Eilish, Shawn Mendes, Selena Gomez).
Like many artists, Platt spent much of quarantine reflecting and creating. “We’ve all spent this past year and change holed up in our homes, having to create fantasies for ourselves,” he tells IndieLand. “For ‘Imagine,’ both the song and video, I was very inspired by the way that our loved ones, the people that make life worth living, can turn the mundanity of suburbia into something magical and fantastical. Everyone has that person or people that make their world technicolor, fueling us with a love that can feel supernatural. The video is that feeling of cloud nine. For me, when I sing the song, it’s for my boyfriend Noah.”
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“Imagine” follows 2020’s Finneas-produced “So Will I,” which was included on the deluxe edition of Platt’s debut album, Sing to Me Instead. That version, which also featured live recordings from his show headlining Radio City Music Hall, was released in May of last year on the same day that his special, Ben Platt Live From Radio City Music Hall, began exclusively streaming on Netflix. The second season of Netflix’s The Politician — the show that earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy — arrived in June.
But Platt is best known for starring in the lead role of Dear Evan Hansen, for which he won 2017’s Best Leading Actor Tony Award. He also received a Grammy in 2018 when the show won for Best Musical Theater Album. Platt will reprise his role in a film adaptation of the acclaimed play, which is being released by Universal Pictures on September 24th, 2021.
