Benson Boone is a 21-year-old who is from Monroe, Washington. He made his first debut on American Idol in 2021, declaring he only found his voice a year ago. The judges–Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan–were not only amazed by that fact, but how beautifully Boone can sing. Perry stated, “They’re gonna swoon over Benson Boone.”
Boone dropped out of the contest after a few weeks stating “I don’t want people to be like ‘Oh Benson Boone, American Idol blew him up,’ I wanna be Benson Boone because I write smash hits.” Well he was right about one thing, he has made smash hits.
According to Moxie, “2023 has also seen Boone embark on a worldwide headline tour, emerge as MTV’s Global PUSH Artist for October, and reach 1.9 billion career streams.” Boone explained, “It feels natural to write melodies that are on the sadder end of the spectrum.”
Ghost Town
Boone’s breakthrough in the music industry was when he released “Ghost Town” on October 15, 2021. In Norway, Denmark and Sweden, the song was in the top 20. Streamed over 343, 653, 740 times on Spotify. According to Moxie, “After completing his pop apprenticeship, Boone dropped the emotional breakup ballad ‘GHOST TOWN,’ which amassed more than 530 million streams and became his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.”
Listening to the lyrics, one is able to decipher that it’s about being in a relationship. As the song progresses, you are able to understand it’s about a breakup. How ending it will allow his heart to keep on living, instead of being empty. By allowing his girlfriend to be free, she will be able to find her true love.
On ABC Audio, Boone tells the hosts and anyone tuning in, that “Ghost Town” is based on his friend. He further goes into details about how his friend was not the same after his breakup. That the relationship was truly toxic and did no one good.
In the Stars
Unlike his first single, “In the Stars” takes a deeper hit to the heart, talking about the death of a loved one. The song was released on April 29, 2022 and has been streamed 634,868, 677 times on Spotify. In just a week, “In the Stars” was the most used sound on Tik Tok.
Anjali Kachwalla, a junior at Colonia High School commented, “It’s a beautiful song with heartfelt and meaningful lyrics that many people can relate to. It’s a masterpiece that you can definitely tell Benson Boone put his entire heart in.”
In multiple interviews, Boone has openly explained that this song was written for his great-grandmother and how her death affected him. As emotional this song is, many listeners were able to relate with a story of their own. Just with the line “I don’t want to say goodbye ’cause this one means forever.” This is truly a song that will be played for years to come and will never be forgotten.
Beautiful Things
“Beautiful Things” is one of Boone’s most recent songs. He released it on January 18, 2024 and currently has 415, 140, 520 streams on Spotify.
Like all of his other songs, it is one that truly makes you think. The hidden message in the lyrics is about how nothing should ever be taken for granted. His listeners get a hint of this when Boone sings “But I know the things He gives me/He can take away.”
If ever needed, “Beautiful Things” would be perfect for an action packed movie. The song truly gives you an adrenaline when listening.