Welcome to SOUND ADVICE, Interview‘s weekly destination for playlists curated by our friends, enemies, and lovers. In recent weeks, we’ve featured playlists from Lexee Smith, Soccer Mommy, and 9mice. This week’s edition arrives courtesy of our March cover star Benny Blanco, who couldn’t simply pick one song that reminds him of his fiancée Selena Gomez because, well, everything reminds him of her. To celebrate the award-winning producer’s engagement and cover shoot, we asked him to make us a playlist, where the vibes ranged from legends like Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson to more obscure entries out of Europe, like Domenique Dumont and Labi Siffre. Then, he completed our questionnaire—in all caps, of course—revealing his go-to karaoke song and his earliest musical memories.
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Where do you dance? THE KITCHEN, THE BATHROOM, HONESTLY I FEEL LIKE I’M ALWAYS DANCING.
Who do you trust most with the aux? MYSELF.
What song do you have on repeat? LABI SIFFRE “BLESS THE TELEPHONE.”
What do you listen to while you cook? MOSTLY OLDIES, LIKE PHILLY SOUL ERA OR SOMETHING FRENCH LIKE SERGE GAINSBORG.
What’s on your bedroom playlist? I THINK IT’S WILD THAT PEOPLE LISTEN TO MUSIC IN THE BEDROOM. WHO HAS TIME TO SAY, “WAIT BEFORE I PULL MY PANTS DOWN. I NEED TO GO PICK THE BEST SONG FOR THE MOOD!”
Dream collab, dead or alive? PRINCE BUT I WOULD NEVER ACTUALLY DO IT BECAUSE HE NEVER NEEDED MY HELP I’D PROBABLY JUST MAKE IT WORSE.
Name a song that reminds you of Selena: EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD REMINDS ME OF SELENA I DON’T NEED A SONG.
Go-to karaoke song? THE THOUGHT OF KARAOKE GIVES ME NIGHTMARES. I’M SWEATING JUST THINKING ABOUT IT.
What’s your earliest musical memory? I USED TO HAVE THESE OUTDOOR SPEAKERS WITH A PORTABLE CD PLAYER THAT HAD TO BE PLUGGED INTO THE WALL AND I WOULD TAKE IT EVERWHERE WITH ME AND DANCE IN MY UNDERWEAR TO PRINCE “SEXY MF.”
Three things you always bring to the studio? HARD DRIVE, SNACKS AND THE IDEA THAT IF NOTHING COMES FROM THE SESSION IT’S TOTALLY FINE.