Kindersley’s 12 year-old rapper and songwriter

By Joan Janzen

Kindersley has talent, and 12-year-old Bennett Haubrich is one of those talented individuals. This young rapper and songwriter independently records his own music - an impressive accomplishment for someone so young.

“I don’t know anyone else my age who does it,” he said, but for Bennett, performing seems as natural as breathing. His mother recorded his first performance when 3-year-old Bennett was strumming a ukulele and singing a tune he had written about ice cream sandwiches. It was the perfect beginning for his musical endeavours.

Bennett performed at the KCS Talent Night earlier this month. Photo by Kate Winquist

Fast forward nine years, and we find Bennet writing lyrics for his favourite genre of music. “The first time I got into it was when my older cousin was making super cool beats. I had software for that on my computer, and I would try it out,” he explained. “I knew I could sing and rap, so my first song was a Halloween song. I had a YouTube channel already, so I put it on there. Once that was over, I thought ‘that was really enjoyable … why not make some more songs’. So that’s how I got to where I am today.”

I asked Bennett what motivated him to write and produce his songs. “I love seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they listen to my music, especially younger people,” he replied. “Music is an important part of the culture today and I just want to contribute to that. Most of my songs are pretty encouraging.”

He started taking piano lessons when he was six years old and also took percussion, which has served him well. For the past four summers, he’s attended a music camp in Regina. “It’s called School of Rock, and we do a performance for our families at the end of the week,” he said.

“I love performing and entertaining people!” Bennett admitted. “The school drama performance I was part of was probably one of the most fun things I’ve done.”

He works on his music an average of three nights a week but also plays soccer and hockey. “Recently, I haven’t had a lot of free time, but most of my free time is spent on music,” he said.

Bennett spends a lot of time recording his music, ensuring it has excellent audio. “I’ve definitely learned different methods and what works and what doesn’t,” he said.

Not only is he learning along the way, but he’s seeing where his musical pursuits will lead in the future. “I would like to release my album on June 28 and see where that takes me and see if people enjoy it,” he said. “I want to release more albums, but I’ll see where this one leads.”

By now, you will have gathered Bennett is not your average 12-year-old; he’s a goal-setter. “Currently I do love acting a lot. It’s a profession that I’d like to pursue, but I want to see where my music will take me,” he said.

A line in one of his songs says, “I keep on growing; these lyrics keep flowing.” And Bennett, whose stage name is Bennett Trapp, seems destined to write lyrics and perform for many years ahead.

Good luck, Bennett! We can’t wait to see what the future holds for you.