Rallo Bennett (formerly known as RALLO) ushers in a new chapter with the release of her vulnerable new single “Lonely With You,” arriving December 5 alongside a cinematic music video filmed on location at The Vessel in Hudson Yards. The release marks the artist’s official transition to performing with two parts of her name rather than one. It also signals the next chapter following her debut album Anymore, leading into her upcoming second album, named after her recent single “Eggshells & Rollercoasters.”

To celebrate the release, Rallo Bennett will perform a full band release show on December 8 at Berlin Under A. Tickets and information are available here: berlin.nyc/tm-event/rallo/

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Rallo about the new project, the transition from RALLO to Rallo Bennett, their background as a filmmaker, and much more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

This release marks your transition from “RALLO” to performing under a different name, Rallo Bennett. What inspired the change, and what does this new era represent for you creatively?

One of my goals as an artist is to never grow stagnant. I think that extends itself past the actual work and into every element, including the words we use & what we call ourselves! The people I work with, live with and play music with noticed that, as much as it is my name, there were many other artists named RALLO, but only one Rallo Bennett – which is also native to my name.  On many levels the music is always in evolution as it has been a visceral and soulful way to survive and live and, oddly enough, I could say that about my name — but that’s probably a story for another song.  

How did you find that balance between vulnerability and lightness in the writing process?

Even the darkest moments in life can come with a wink of humor if we let them. I think that playfulness is as vital to artistic expression as it is to the lived experience. Finding the balance comes down to asking: Is what I’m saying authentic — does it capture the truth of the moment? When I’m being honest to the bone, it is so freeing, and something worth striving for — that balance will naturally rear its head.

You have a significant background as a filmmaker. How did coming from filmmaking shape the direction, tone, or visual storytelling of the music video?

The medium ebbs and flows, but the goal is always the same: to tell an authentic story that connects the challenges, loneliness, hopes and joys of the human condition we all go through in a personal and engaging way. 

Whether it’s a feature film, short, pilot, play, music video or song, it’s wonderful to have different ‘lenses,’ tools and mediums that serve the story and moment.  Lessons learned from all of these projects find their way into every other piece I work on. The music video tells a story – not with dialogue, but movement, editing, color, and of course the music – just as a narrative film might. But the script and score is the song. 

The video takes place on The Vessel in Hudson Yards. What drew you to that location as the setting for this story?

Countless people pass in and out of The Vessel every day, each with their own backgrounds, relationships, insecurities, triumphs and stories. That universality – and the power of community – among the loneliness of some relationships is integral to the song. If only we could ‘zoom’ in to see inside other relationships struggling – we might not feel so alone, especially when it’s happening in open space. The vessel felt like a unique location to allow that to happen and encapsulate that idea. I’ve wanted to shoot something there for a long time, and the theme of this song and video was the perfect way to finally bring it all together.

What were you and your collaborators aiming for sonically, and how did the arrangement evolve?

As I have continued to write and compose, the process has evolved; I used to start with the lyrics more often, and then find the music and counterpoint for it. With this song, I had composed some of the music first, and then just started to write for it with what I was grappling with most. It was indeed the “pretzel logic, irrational facts, misapplied rage haven’t we paid” and the song’s question, “should I be lonely with you?” Kevin is a brilliant arranger and collaborator and challenges me til it feels right, both with the music and the lyrics. I’ve written some sadder songs, lullaby’s around darkness like “Don’t Wake Me,” but with “Lonely with You” I really wanted the song to have humor and lightness — as it was quite needed. We really hoped that the song would reflect the personality of the moment and need while still being a little sassy, a little sad, and plenty joyful, without ever being just one or two of those things. 

The organic sound and elements of classic and modern rock speaks to the natural and perhaps tricky balance that myself and collaborators Kevin Spencer Kendrick, Graham Orbe, and Liam Kerekes find together along with the genius of sound engineer, Stephen Kellner of The Burn Room. It was also mastered on tape by the lovely Fred Kevorkian, which also helped keep it rough-around-the-edges, in the best way.

With the release show coming up on December 8 at Berlin Under A, what are you most excited to share with audiences as you debut this new chapter live?

It’s been both a huge challenge and joy to perform live. Not something I ever thought I would do. I credit Zach Raffio, who nudged me to do these new shows, and in spite of huge challenges to do so, it has become something very special to relive and share the music freshly each time I sing it and we play it. The practice of it has evolved over time — I’ve learned so much in the process, and I really do believe we get better and better with each show.That in and of itself is invigorating. Playing live scares me and as in theatre, filmmaking and playing, the only way to enjoy it is to be totally present, honest, and embody the moment — something I strive to do in this life, while so many things pull us to the past or try to lure us to a future moment. Live performances make us alive, technically better, more thoughtful, receptive and ambitious to keep it going beyond our shows. Because it is all fresh and new, we also find things in the lyrics that aren’t always pinpointed in the studio. Sometimes I deliver a line live and think “oh wow, that’s really different from how I sing on the recording. I wonder why I did that?” — it helps me to explore the music in a whole new way. I get to be a performer and audience member at the same time.

***Tickets and information are available here: berlin.nyc/tm-event/rallo/