Myanmar Idol Ben started performing in public in 2018. He wanted to pursue a career in music, and so he auditioned for the fourth season of
Myanmar Idol. Finally, he was selected in Top 11 finalists. He made the grand final on the weekend of 28 December 2019, alongside
Esther Dawt Chin Sung and
Aye Mya Phyu. After Esther was declared the winner, he finished as the runner-up with over 50% of the public vote. During his homecoming to
Kalay, a huge crowd of thousand fans gathered. After competing Myanmar Idol, he started his tour to different cities in Myanmar. He began shooting for commercial advertisements, stage performances, and preparing to record his first solo album. On 18 May 2020, he released a single song called "Pyan Twae Mae Yat" MV on Facebook which earned one million views within 24 hours and then two million views in 5 days. Also it has long been number one on
Joox's top 100 chart. He also went to Australia to help the victims of the Australia bushfires and raised a charity for them just before the
COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020. During the pandemic, he spent his days making songs and released a few of them which got charted No.1 in
Joox. Despite his passion for making more music, he wasn't able to produce it due to the military regime.
Mizoram journey In February 2021, a
military coup overtook the government of Myanmar and the country came under a military regime. Sum was involved in the protest against the new government which exercised
martial law on its citizens, and became one of the key figures in the civilian activism. The
Myanmar Army issued his seizure under the
Penal Code of 1861 which would lead to years of imprisonment. From
Falam, where he was living at the time, he fled to India with his ailing mother in March 2021. Made in collaboration with a fellow Burmese musician, Thangbawiha Chhakchhuak, it was dedicated for charity for civilians in Myanmar. This was the turning point of his career in the Mizo music industry, and became a "recognisable celebrity." He later donated all the money received from the song through YouTube and contributions from Summers to the Burmese refugees. Sum then proceeded to make a music video "Tunah Erawh Zawng" from which he was noticed by a Mizo producer,
Rpa Ralte and got connected via YouTube comments. Since then, he has been performing in various platforms and even won the "Best Male Artist" in Ṭhazual and Lelte Awards in 2021, the very same year he fled from Myanmar to Mizoram. In April 2022, Sum released on YouTube an original song called "Chhingmitin Biahthu Kan Hlan", which had 0.7 million views ain one month and five million views in two years. The song rose to top of the chart on Voltas Malsawm Ṭhazual Lengzem in May 2022. He also worked with one of the biggest record labels in Mizoram, Kings & Prophets, which released his first English original song "Angel". He introduced himself as a grunge-punk artist and shocked the public with his new genre. He then released another music video "Sam Ang Then Zai I Rel Tawh Mai Ang", which impressed a number of listeners in Mizoram with the melodramatic lyrics, tune and the swooning vocals. He also worked with another talented artist, Saiwanah Sailo in a song "Khuanu Malsawmna" which became a successful hit.
Extended play After releasing different singles, Sum released an all-English EP named
Out of the Blue on 9 December 2022, which includes the songs: "Cancer", "Fire", "Song for You", "Feelings", "I Wish", and "Run Away". The content in this EP were all composed by him wherein he drew his inspiration from the people who are currently suffering a crisis back in his hometown. The genre in this EP is all Indie-pop-punk. While making this EP, Radwimps, Girl in Red,
One OK Rock and Blink-182 were his muse.
Orange Music Festival In December 2022, Sum performed along with his band at Orange Festival in
Dambuk, Arunachal Pradesh, India, and got featured in the
Rolling Stone India with the description: "Myanmar-born, Mizoram artist Benjamin Sum – who had recently released his EP Out of the Blue – brought a raggedy
pop-punk edge to the festival, matching the comedic heaviness of
Green Day with jangly-pop and moving on to Radiohead-esque melancholy on "False Hope"." He included his most famous Mizo ballad to date,"Chhingmitin Biahthu Kan Hlan", as a major presentation. == Controversy ==