In my next episode of Eavesdrop, I’m in conversation with singer, dancer, and mentor, Denosh Bennett! She’s also my long-lost cousin… but you’ll have to listen to the episode to hear the full story on that!
In this recap of our interview, we discuss:
- Life on tour
- Freelancing
- Managing your finances as a freelancer
- Self-care
To hear the full conversation, give my podcast a follow on Podbean, Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts!
An Interview With Denosh Bennett
I’ve seen you perform with Justin Timberlake and Robbie Williams… but what would you say is the gig that you’re most proud of and happy to talk about?
“I think the Robbie Williams gig. I mean the very first gig for me as a dancer was Mariah Carey – and obviously, I’m eternally grateful for that because I was, you know, a young struggling dancer in Toronto trying to break into the industry. I also got to work with Debbie Allen, another role model icon. And then I worked with Faith Evans, which was my first background singing gig.”
“But I think coming full circle, working with Robbie has been, it’s the longest gig that I’ve held. So I’ve been working with him for almost 12 years. So that’s a testament to someone to keep you employed for 12 years.”
“I feel like, as a performer, he’s really given me space to grow. With Robbie, he’s kind of just been like, you girls do your thing – there’s no policing, there’s no micromanaging – we get to wear what we want (as long as it’s black). But you know, we get to dress very individually… and I’m given free rein to dance and move.”
“When I say free rein, that’s obviously within a box because there is choreography you have to do, there’s staging, but there’s so much room actually within that space. There’s so much individuality that you can express or that one can express. And I know that a lot of people don’t get that opportunity. And Robbie’s been so generous.”
“I think longevity in this business and with anything is really hard to achieve. So when you have someone that trusts you and gives you an opportunity, that’s something to be proud of and I’m really grateful for that.”
When you think back to the hustle of always looking for the next gig and selling yourself, how did you make sure that you looked after your financial situation? What did you do to protect yourself?
“I definitely have been down to the last dollar. I think maybe once or twice, I’ve been late for a rent payment. I remember when I got my first car in LA, I had a late car note – but I was always okay.”
“So the first piece of financial advice I got was from my cousin who works in finance, and he was just like, put your pay yourself first. 10%, put it away – just put it away. And I did that.”
“And then I got into those periods where there was no work. And so I would dip into my savings and then I’d have to start again. It was never lasting for me, but I never forgot that basic piece of advice – just tuck something away for yourself first.”
“That can only go so far because, at some point, you need more insurance. You go through these periods of feast or famine, or my friends say ‘chicken or feathers’, and that’s unfortunately what the reality is. The most important thing that I can say is to really set up your savings and some sort of plan for healthcare and retirement. It’s going to depend on where you live – but just always put something aside for yourself.”
“And then the other thing that I started to do, when I started to actually make money, was set up a company and learn, as an artist, what business expenses were tax deductible. The other component of that is to put some taxes aside. Every time I pay myself (and I didn’t do this at first) – I take my taxes out. You don’t want to owe that at the end of the year.”
“It took me a while to stick to it. I knew what I needed to do, but to stick to it and be consistent, and not dip into my savings, I just had to force myself to get really creative with earning. I like being productive and useful and making something out of nothing. So it really took a minute to stick in my head that I need to do this because we don’t get a plan laid out for us – because we don’t go to a job every day. We have to create those things, those safety nets. And I think, maybe when you get into your 30s, when you start to like, get married or have kids, you start to really see these things which really should be in place earlier.”
How do you look after yourself, your voice, your body, your mindset as you tour the world and travel through time zones? How do you prioritise well-being in your line of work?
“Well, that’s a good question. I started that a long time ago. I feel like it started with my very first gig, where I had a vocal injury and I had to tour with the vocal injury. And so part of being able to continue to do the tour, to keep my job, was every break that I got – I had to fly home, and I had to go see a speech pathologist and voice coach.”
“She put me on this really strict regimen and was basically like, ‘I’m going to get you through this tour. This is what it’s going to look like’. My voice healed, but the regimen that she put me on was one of very strict voice care.”
“I learned so much. This was in 2002, I think. I learned a lot that I then carried on my next tour, which was with Justin Timberlake. And then I had like this whole bag of tricks. So that helped me with warming up, if I felt hoarse, tired, etc. After that, it kind of snowballed. I’m so used to touring and going out to the clubs and being out, but now, I just can’t do that anymore. I can’t afford to.”
“So my lifestyle changed and I had to make other physical, more lifestyle changes, just around being able to support my voice and making sure that I was healthy and felt fresh and felt good every day. I think there’s a certain point where you deal with life. Life doesn’t stop. And so I think that’s where your mental health gets challenged, your ability to be away from your loved ones for long periods of time, your friends, and being in different places.”
“Touring is its own world and its own family, so you have your relationships on tour, good and bad. You’re like family – you fight, don’t get along, things like that. So I definitely had moments where that was hard.”
“Fast forward, I think as someone who is a former professional dancer, physicality and being well on tour, I’ve always wanted to keep my shape, keep my physicality, and still be able to move. I use that a lot in what I do now. So, I’ve always been in the gym. My father was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, and I think that I’ve always been very much aware of health and what’s important to eat.”
“I think people think that we’re superheroes, or because we’re singing and we’re dancing and we’re doing what we love and you see smiles on our faces, and we dress well, and we go to these parties – that everyone’s living with a great life. And now, we’re obviously seeing that that’s a complete lie. And when you’re touring, you’re in different time zones, you’re away from your family, your friends, you’re sort of forced into these situations that demand you to perform night after night and be ‘on’. It’s very hard, and this is where people become susceptible to drugs, alcohol, stress, and whatever the case is – to try to get through. To try to balance and manage and show up the next day. You know, it’s so normal and so common.”
“And I know me, even if I went down that path, I just, that would be the end of me. I’m so fragile. But it took a lot for me to recognize that. So in my coaching, in my teaching, where I’m coaching someone as a dancer or a performer, I’m always advocating for like, how are you showing up? How do you feel? Because how you feel would ideally be how you would perform. And if you don’t feel good, you can’t be great. Or you’re faking it. And that faking it is actually putting more pressure on yourself. And that pressure point, where you’re pushing yourself further and further to the edge, is where you then break. Whether that’s your voice or your mind or whatever.”
“I used to be very much into pampering. Now I don’t look at it that way. I’m like, this is survival. If I don’t go to bed and get my eight hours of sleep and wind down, if I don’t take these supplements, if I don’t make sure I have vitamins – my body won’t function. I’m out of that period of treating myself. It’s now more of a means to survive. And I would encourage anyone to just go, what makes you happy and what works for you? What’s the best thing for you to help you function the next day?”
“My self-care is going out – I love being in grocery stores and going into markets. I like to see fresh, local produce, like that makes me so happy. Anything really can be a form of self-care. So I just try to be adaptable. Even if you’re touring or if you’re travelling somewhere that’s not your favourite place – can you find the thing you relate or connect to, regardless of not liking the place?”
I love that! So for people who want to connect with you or find out more about you, how can they do that? Can you give us some links to share?
“Sure! You can always find me on Instagram and Facebook – and my website is www.denoshbennett.com if you’d like to see what I’m doing!”
Catch the Full Episode!
This was just a snippet of my conversation with Denosh! You can download and listen to the full episode by following the links below:
- Podbean: S5E7 – Managing your finances with Denosh Bennett
- Spotify: S5E7 – Managing your finances with Denosh Bennett
- iTunes: S5E7 – Managing your finances with Denosh Bennett
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Further Resources on Financial Wellbeing and Self-Care
If you found this interview helpful, check out these additional recommended resources on financial wellbeing and self-care
- Babs’ Story, How to Self-Care When You Have Financial Struggles: Babs’ Story
- UK-based debt charity, StepChange
- Money and mental health resources from Mind Charity
- Debt and mental health resources from the Mental Health Foundation
- The Lily-Jo Project’s self-care resource
The Lily-Jo Project’s article, The Science of Self-Care
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