Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter. After playing in several small independent bands from the late 1980s through the early '90s, Folds came to prominence as the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock trio Ben Folds Five from 1993 to 2000, their first reunion from 2011 to 2013, and since 2026. He has also collaborated with musicians such as Regina Spektor, "Weird Al" Yankovic and yMusic, and undertaken experimental songwriting projects with actor William Shatner and authors such as Nick Hornby and Neil Gaiman. Folds was the artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. from 2017 until 2025.
Folds has frequently performed arrangements of his music with uncommon instrumentation for rock and pop music, including symphony orchestras and a cappella groups. In addition to contributing music to the soundtracks of the animated films Hoodwinked! (2005) and Over the Hedge (2006), Folds has produced several albums, including Amanda Palmer's debut solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer (2008).
Folds was also a judge on the NBC a cappella singing contest The Sing-Off from 2009 to 2013. In July 2019, he published his first book, a memoir titled A Dream About Lightning Bugs.
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