Factor Eight performing live
about / one-sheet — factor eight

everything you hear,
is only my voice

Factor Eight portrait

Award-winning artist Factor Eight (Andrew Bennett, he/they) builds cinematic soundscapes using only his voice. His work centres around mental health advocacy, which he embodies in a single philosophy: Fear, My Friend — accepting and transforming the most challenging aspects of ourselves into sources of creative power rather than suppressing them.

His approach has earned significant recognition, including awards, prestigious editorials, and notable sync placements. Factor Eight’s work has been heard in productions and trailers from Universal, Paramount, Disney+, A24, MGM, and Apple TV+, with credits including Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Gladiator II, and the Oscar-winning Women Talking.

A three-time Saskatchewan Music Award winner, Western Canadian Music Award recipient, and SOCAN Foundation Award winner, Andrew’s work extends beyond music into dance choreography, performance art, and interdisciplinary installations. His music sits between ambient, experimental, and neo-classical, drawing comparisons to composers like Jóhann Jóhannsson and Trent Reznor.

December 11, 2025 marked Factor Eight’s sold-out live debut, A LIVE, at The Refinery in Saskatoon — performed three months after major leg reconstruction, integrating a dance practice he has led separately for over a decade, until now.

sync & screen
  • The Odyssey — Universal, sound design across the trailer campaign (2026)
  • Werwulf — Focus Features, trailer sound design (2026)
  • Warfare — A24, trailer music placement (2025)
  • Smoke — Apple TV+, trailer music placement (2025)
  • Gladiator II — Paramount, trailer music placement (2024)
  • Women Talking — MGM, custom music for the full trailer (2022)
  • Shipwreck Hunters Australia — Disney+, sync placement (2022)
awards
  • 3× Saskatchewan Music Awards — Instrumental 2023, Electronic 2022, Experimental 2021
  • Western Canadian Music Award — Visual Media Composer of the Year
  • 2026 Western Canadian Music Award nomination — Instrumental Artist of the Year
  • FUSE Interdisciplinary Collaborative Residency — Banff Centre, 2026 · John Linn Memorial Endowment Award
  • SOCAN Foundation Award — Impetus, original score for Citizen
editorial
  • Native Instruments
  • CBC
  • The Quietus
  • MusicTech
  • METAL Magazine
  • EARMILK
  • Magnetic Mag
  • Spotify & Apple Music editorial playlist placements

everything you hear, is only my voice

Factor Eight’s signature technique involves recording vocal sound — breathing, humming, singing, speaking — and transforming it through digital processing into atmospheric textures, percussive elements, and melodic foundations. This constraint becomes a strength: the intimate nature of the human voice creates emotional immediacy that traditional instruments and conventional processes cannot replicate.

This approach serves both his commercial sync work, where his unique sound stands out to supervisors, and personal artistic vision, exploring mental health themes through sound.

“His vocal-only approach is more than a technical decision. It’s a personal method built around trust in his own instincts, careful attention to detail, and a long-term vision that ties his music and message together.”

— Native Instruments
Factor Eight portrait
Factor Eight with microphone in the studio
Recording vocals in a red-lit studio
Factor Eight in silhouette during A LIVE
Factor Eight performing under red light
Hands and light during A LIVE
Factor Eight in the studio
Movement ensemble during A LIVE
Silhouette with projected trees
Factor Eight installation work
Movement work in performance
Lodestar light installation
Performing with electronics in low light
River Voices performance project

Through his music and the Fear, My Friend philosophy, Factor Eight addresses mental health openly and without stigma.

Factor Eight partners with the Canadian Mental Health Association, donating a portion of music proceeds to support mental health services. His work has received support from FACTOR, SK Arts, Creative Saskatchewan, Canada Council for the Arts, and CMHA Saskatoon.

“Through my first-hand experience with mental health and with a platform to express themes and ideas through art, I feel a responsibility to use my music in service to this cause. I hope this project will inspire a feeling of connection in those who struggle, and a sense of compassion in those who struggle to relate.”

“With messages that include hope and resilience, music opens the door to critical conversations about wellness and mental health. Finally music can be a stigma buster, as it builds awareness and normalizes mental health issues. CMHA Saskatoon is grateful for the work Andrew is doing to connect people to their own mental health and for encouraging them to be open and empowered.”

— Faith Bodnar, executive director, CMHA Saskatoon

“Factor Eight brings classic to the club in his new dance track Passenger. The track has a feeling of movement, of travel to somewhere new and bright. I couldn’t help but feel hopeful listening to it.”

— graeme smith, york calling

“‘A Voice (IV)’ is a minimal, ambient piece of music created by Factor Eight solely using his voice. On first listen, this wouldn’t necessarily be apparent — that’s what makes the track even more impressive. It’s a dark, spacious piece, haunting in parts and yet hopeful in others.”

— mixitallup.com

Through Factor Eight, Andrew connects with audiences across the globe, hoping to inspire a feeling of connection among those who struggle, and a sense of compassion among those who struggle to relate.