âIn some ways youâre just like all your friends, but onstage youâre a star.âÂ
David Kennish/Ben Skye. 25. ASL Interpreter by day, singer by night.
David James Kennishâs life began on April 13th, 1996 in Seoul, Korea. He was adopted by his doting parents, Lily and John Kennish, and brought back home to Los Angeles, California. Lily was said to not be able to have children of her own, due to medical issues, so the couple decided to adopt. The pair were world travelers, so they knew they wanted to adopt outside of the US. Seoul was one of their favorite trips taken together early on in their relationship, so thatâs where they chose to adopt from. They were blessed with their David, who grew up to be a very sweet and caring boy. He always was the kid to share his toys with others and someone the family looked to for optimism when times were difficult. There was never an issue that David couldnât fix with his advice or a simple smile.
Davidâs family is wealthy, since John is a retired baseball player from the Chicago Cubs. The family currently owns a carwash in town, Kennish Car Wash, so David grew up very comfortably in their lavish mansion home. Although they are very well off, they are still warm people who use their privilege to help others by donating money and fundraising at the car wash as often as they can.
When David was eleven, a miracle had happened and Lily was expecting a baby. Thatâs when his little sister, Daisy, was born. There was a bit of an age gap, but David immediately took on the responsibility of being a big brother with grace, like he did with everything else. Daisy was born Deaf, the family found out, as there was history of Deafness on Lilyâs side of the family. She knew ASL since she grew up with her Deaf sister, and the boys in the family were more than willing to learn too. David is fluent in ASL, and this would inspire him to bring his skills to the clubs at school. It paved the way for what David would study in college as well.
David started suffering with migraines since he was thirteen, which he takes medication for daily to cut the number of them in nearly half. He still has days he struggles, but his loved ones also help him when he needs the extra support.
David knew early on that he wanted to be a sign language interpreter, and be able to help people like his sister. He received his Bachelorâs in Sign Language Interpretation from UCLA and became certified shortly after graduating. He currently interprets at the happiest place on Earth, Disneyland as a seasonal cast member.
This partly describes Davidâs career... because he also has a pretty big secret. Heâs also had a passion for music since he was a child. He learned to play the piano when he was seven years old. He would also sing since he started to babble, and eventually he would start writing songs when he was old enough to write and spell. Although, there are plenty of older drafts of songs that have some spelling errors.Â
While he was studying in college, David was also sending demos to various labels in LA in hopes of being signed. Shortly after his 19th birthday, he found success with his label, and he was able to work on his first album.
David performs under the stage name Ben Skye, for a multitude of reasons. (Note: Ben Skye is a nod to one of Davidâs favorite Star Wars characters: Kylo Ren/Ben Solo) He always wanted to be able to put his music into the world, but he wanted to maintain a normal life at the same time. He is still able to live his life freely as David, without being under a microscope in the public eye, and his family wouldnât have to worry about being crowded either. The family already was watched closely by sports fans, because of his father, and David didnât want to add more to that. His sister is currently in high school, so David keeping his secret also allows her to be able to go to school and not be bombarded by Benâs fans. He simply wanted âthe best of both worldsâ. His family and a tight nit group of friends know his onstage persona, and they help him keep the two lives separate.Â
His family has always been supportive of Davidâs sexuality, too, including when he initially came out as Pansexual in college. After a little while, he realized that the term didnât speak to his full sexual identity. He discovered that he was Asexual, and now identifies as Panromantic Asexual.
As proud as he is of being Asexual, Davidâs ex fianceâ broke their engagement off because of issues he had with the sexuality. They met in college, and the two fell in love fairly fast. However, as they grew together they both learned that their relationship would not work when they saw differently on the matter. David is still a hopeless romantic.
Love is found in unexpected places, and David happened to literally catch his current boyfriend at the library. The older, shorter man, Alastair, was on a ladder reaching for a book on a high shelf when he suddenly began to lean back and David was there to stop him from falling. As a friendship began, the two only ended up falling for each other. Even though Al is quite older than David, the couple shares a lot in common and deeply care for one another.
David loves animals and plants, owning a dog and rat of his own and nearly fifty house plants in his apartment. Both bring him a lot of joy, as well as anything sci fi, anime, and Disney related. He is a big geek with an even bigger heart.
~Benâs discography TBA lol~
