babybenny drops “One Second” music video

Chicago-based artist babybenny has spent years building a presence within the city’s music scene, performing countless shows, championing fellow Chicago artists and working from some of the city’s most respected studios. Despite the experience accumulated along the way however, there remains a feeling that his story is still playing out in new ways. It’s an attitude that fits an artist whose music has consistently sought out new sonic areas.

The ambition behind the artist goes back much further than his official catalogue; at just seven years old, babybenny imagined a future in music, picturing himself finishing a sold-out show before celebrating the night from a rooftop afterwards. That childhood vision has remained with him, providing a constant thread through an artistic journey that’s taken him across rap, hip hop, R&B, pop, indie and rock.

If anything, that genre-hopping flair has become central to babybenny’s identity and by not locking himself into one sound, he’s allowed different influences and approaches to shape the music as it develops. His official artistic arrival came in 2020 with “The Dance Song,” a debut single that unveiled his original sonic vision before he stepped away from releasing music for an extended hiatus. The pause eventually gave way to a return last year with “PURE,” followed by new material this year. In June, he released “If It’s All The Same” and now that momentum carries forward with his new single titled “One Second.”

Blending elements of pop, indie and alternative stylings, “One Second” takes a subject that could easily become dragged down by melancholy and comes at it from a brighter angle. The song explores the fallout between two friends, or between two lovers, capturing the tangled emotions that can arise when a relationship reaches a breaking point. But instead of dwelling on the sadness of separation, babybenny surrounds the subject with bright, warm-hearted tones, resulting in a buoyant jam wrapped up in a concise ninety-second package.

That choice gives the track its particular sense of optimism. and at the centre of “One Second” is an acceptance that sometimes people grow apart. Paths change, relationships shift and two people can find themselves moving in different directions and for babybenny, that doesn’t necessarily have to be viewed as a tragedy, leaving enough room for warmth even within an ending. Opened by the pulse of plucked bass notes, the rustle of shuffling drums ushers in his lightly processed vocal layers as airy instrumental textures swirl around his voice, crafting a grooving slice of catchy, psych-tinged alternative pop music.

Perhaps fittingly, the song itself arrived with remarkable spontaneity, with “One Second” coming together in just forty minutes as babybenny immediately recognised that something had clicked. Paired with the single, the music video directed by Kayodidthat brings the track alive on screen, capturing jubilant beach scenes, perfectly reflecting the upbeat vibes of the music. As he continues to go from strength to strength on this exciting new chapter, we can’t wait to see what this talented artist on the rise has in store for the rest of 2026 and beyond.

Watch the music video for One Second below

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