Benee
Benee | |
|---|---|
 Benee at Laneway Festival in February 2020 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stella Rose Bennett |
| Also known as | Bene (2017–2018) |
| Born | 30 January 2000 Grey Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | beneemusic |
Stella Rose Bennett[1] (born 30 January 2000[2][3]), better known as Benee (stylised in all caps; pronounced /ˈbɛniː/[4]) and formerly Bene,[5] is a New Zealand singer and songwriter from Auckland. In both 2019 and 2020, she consecutively won Single of the Year, Best Solo Artist and Best Pop Artist at the New Zealand Music Awards. Benee initially gained local prominence with her singles "Glitter" and "Soaked", before her 2019 single "Supalonely" saw international popularity following its success on the video-sharing platform TikTok. Benee subsequently released her debut album, Hey U X, in November 2020.
Under the moniker of Bene, she made her solo debut with the 2017 single "Tough Guy", before later gaining prominence with her 2018 single "Soaked", which has been certified double-platinum in New Zealand. She released her debut EP, Fire on Marzz, with help from producer Josh Fountain in June 2019. Her second EP, Stella & Steve, was released in November 2019 and charted in the US, Canada and France as a result of the international success of the EP's final single, "Supalonely". Since 2018, Benee has earned five entries on the Triple J Hottest 100, three of which were in the 2019 list.
Life and career[]
2000–2017: Early life[]
Stella Rose Bennett was born and raised in the suburb of Grey Lynn in Auckland.[6][7] She grew up in a "really musical"[8] family with parents who would expose her to the catalogs of Radiohead, Björk and Groove Armada.[9][10][11] From the age of eight, Benee began taking guitar lessons in primary school before starting saxophone lessons in high school.[12] Eventually, Benee dropped all music in order to prioritise water polo.[12] She claims it "was [her] life" and that she at one point hoped to represent New Zealand competitively.[13][14] Benee later became interested in writing and recording music at the age of 17,[10] after deciding that she did not want to pursue a career in water polo.[13] Benee attended an all girls Catholic school, St Mary's College, where music was compulsory for four years.[15][10]
2017–2018: Online beginnings and solo debut[]
Benee began her music career by posting covers to SoundCloud, and began making her own music in her final year of high school.[16] After dropping out of a communications degree at the Auckland University of Technology after two weeks, during what she called "a quarter-life crisis", she decided to enter the music business professionally.[4] Her music caught the attention of Josh Fountain, a producer and member of the band Leisure, with whom she worked on both her 2017 debut single "Tough Guy" and her 2018 single "Soaked".[17][18] Benee (as Bene) earned her first career entry on the Triple J Hottest 100 2018 with "Soaked" at #58.[19]
2018–2019: Fire on Marzz and Stella & Steve[]
In February 2019, Benee supported Lily Allen for an Auckland show during her No Shame Tour.[20] Under the moniker of "Bene", released her debut EP Fire on Marzz on 28 June 2019, before later adding an "e" because of "pronunciation woes",[21] and copyright issues.[22] She had signed to Republic Records in early 2019, prior to this release.[23] The EP, which was described by George Fenwick of The New Zealand Herald as "a funky, sun-soaked record", peaked at #13 on the New Zealand Albums Chart and at #75 on the Australian Albums Chart. The EP also earned Benee the award for Best Solo Artist at the 2019 New Zealand Music Awards in November 2019, where she also won awards for Single of the Year with "Soaked", Best Breakthrough Artist and Best Pop Artist.[24]
Benee's follow-up EP, Stella & Steve, was released on 15 November 2019.[23] The EP features the single "Supalonely" featuring Gus Dapperton, which later gained international success in March 2020 after a viral dance challenge accompanied by the song spawned on the online video-sharing platform TikTok.[25][26] This became her second song to become viral on TikTok after "Glitter" spawned a similar dance challenge in December 2019.[27] Benee also supported American singer-songwriter Conan Gray for nine nights of his Comfort Crowd Tour of North America during December 2019.[28] Benee's singles, "Glitter", "Find an Island", and "Evil Spider" each appeared in the 2019 Triple J Hottest 100 at 19, 25 and 51 respectively.[29]
2020–present: "Supalonely" and Hey U X[]
Benee's first headlining North American tour with support from American singer Remi Wolf was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[30][31] In June 2020, the song "Supalonely" clocked over 250 million streams before Benee made her television debut performing it on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon alongside Gus Dapperton.[32][33] She also performed the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show a month later.[34] In July 2020, Benee released the single "Night Garden" featuring American producer Kenny Beats and British musician Bakar,[35] before releasing the single "Snail" amid the COVID-19 lockdowns in August 2020.[36] Also in July, she was announced as Apple Music's Up Next artist for the month of July, becoming the first New Zealand artist with the title.[37]
Benee featured on the track "Afterthought" on Japanese-Australian musician Joji's second studio album, Nectar (2020).[38] In October 2020, Benee was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2020 People's Choice Awards.[39] Benee performed "Supalonely" on the American talk show Late Night with Seth Meyers in October 2020.[40] In October 2020, Benee departed on a headlining tour of New Zealand October 2020,[41] and formed her own record label named Olive.[42] On 15 October 2020, Benee announced her debut album, Hey U X, which was released on 13 November 2020.[43] She had prior noted that it would differ musically from her previous releases.[44][45] In late October 2020, Benee released the single "Plain" featuring Lily Allen and Flo Milli, shortly before she was announced as the winner of the 2020 APRA Silver Scroll Award for the song "Glitter".[46] She also won Best New Zealand Act at the 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards,[47] where she was also nominated for Best New Act and Best Push Act.[48] On 13 November 2020, Hey U X was released, as was a music video for "Kool", which served as its fourth single.[49] She subsequently won Single of the Year (for "Supalonely"), Best Solo Artist and Best Pop Artist for the second consecutive year at the 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards.[50] She announced and then rescheduled a regional tour in Aotearoa aka New Zealand in 2021 to 2022. [51]
Personal life[]
In an interview for The New Zealand Herald, Benee revealed that she has dyslexia. She also described her childhood experiences with songwriting:[5]
throughout school I struggled with writing....I liked creative writing, that was what I loved, but I was always making mistakes, and I was confined to this way that I should write....Songwriting for me was this place where I don't have to be grammatically correct. Learning the craft with [Josh Fountain], when he was sharing all his knowledge – something clicked, and I was just like, I love this. It's a great emotional outlet for me; I just love splashing what I feel on to a track.
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [52] |
AUS [53] | |||
| Hey U X |
|
2 | 22 |
|
Extended plays[]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [55] |
AUS [56] |
CAN [57] |
FRA [58] |
US [59] |
US Alt. [60] |
US Heat. [61] | |||||||||
| Fire on Marzz |
|
13 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — |
| ||||||
| Stella & Steve |
|
19 | — | 91 | 150 | 138 | 5 | 1 |
| ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||||||||||
Compilation albums[]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [64] | ||
| Fire on Marzz / Stella & Steve | 19[A] |
Singles[]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ [55] |
NZ Artist [67] |
AUS [68] |
BEL (FL) [69] |
CAN [70] |
IRE [71] |
NLD [72] |
NOR [73] |
UK [74] |
US [75] | ||||
| "Tough Guy"[76] | 2017 | — | —[B] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Soaked" | 2018 | 14 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Fire on Marzz | |
| "Evil Spider"[79] | 2019 | —[C] | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Want Me Back"[81] | —[D] | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Glitter" | 3 | 2 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[E] | |||
| "Find an Island" | —[F] | 5 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
|
Stella & Steve | |
| "Monsta"[88] | —[G] | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Supalonely" (featuring Gus Dapperton) |
2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 18 | 39 | Stella & Steve and Hey U X | ||
| "Lownely" | 2020 | —[H] | —[I] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Night Garden" (featuring Kenny Beats and Bakar) |
—[J] | 12 | — | —[K] | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hey U X | ||
| "Snail" | —[L] | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Plain" (featuring Lily Allen and Flo Milli) |
—[M] | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Kool" | —[N] | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Happen to Me"[101] | 2021 | —[O] | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart, or charted on a subchart. | |||||||||||||
Other charted songs[]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ Hot [103] |
NZ Artist [67] |
UK Breakers [104] |
US Rock & Alt. [105] | |||||
| "Afterlife" | 2019 | 26 | — | — | — | Fire on Marzz | ||
| "Wishful Thinking" | 27 | — | — | — | ||||
| "Kua Kore He Kupu / Soaked"[106] | 8 | 5 | — | — | Waiata / Anthems | |||
| "Blu" | 31 | — | — | — | Stella & Steve | |||
| "Drifting" (featuring Jack Berry) |
32 | — | — | — | ||||
| "Afterthought"[38] (with Joji) |
2020 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 28 | Nectar | ||
| "Same Effect" | 8 | — | — | — | Hey U X | |||
| "Sheesh" (featuring Grimes) |
12 | — | — | — | ||||
| "Winter" (featuring Mallrat) |
18 | — | — | — | ||||
| "Back to Black"[107] | 29 | — | — | — | InVersions - Deezer Originals | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||||
Guest appearances[]
| Title | Year | Other artists | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Notice Me"[108] | 2019 | Role Model | Oh, How Perfect |
Awards and nominations[]
| Organization | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APRA Music Awards | 2019 | Silver Scroll | "Soaked" | Shortlisted | [109] |
| 2020 | "Glitter" | Won | [46] | ||
| MTV Europe Music Awards | 2019 | Best New Zealand Act | Herself | Nominated | [110] |
| 2020 | Won | [47] | |||
| Best New Act | Nominated | [48] | |||
| Best Push Act | Nominated | ||||
| MTV Video Music Awards | 2020 | Push Best New Artist | Longlisted | [111] | |
| New Zealand Music Awards | 2019 | Breakthrough Artist of the Year | Won | [24] | |
| Best Pop Artist | Won | ||||
| Best Solo Artist | Fire on Marzz | Won | |||
| Single of the Year | "Soaked" | Won | |||
| 2020 | "Supalonely" | Won | [50] | ||
| Best Solo Artist | Stella & Steve | Won | |||
| Best Pop Artist | Herself | Won | |||
| People's Choice Awards | 2020 | The New Artist of 2020 | Nominated | [39] |
Tours[]
Headlining[]
- 2019 – Australian East Coast tour[112]
- 2020 – New Zealand tour[41]
- 2022 - Regional New Zealand, "Aotearoa" Tour (Rescheduled) [113][114]
Supporting[]
- Lily Allen – No Shame Tour (2019; one show)
- Conan Gray – Comfort Crowd Tour (2019; nine shows)
Notes[]
- ^ A physical release combined both EPs, as did ARIA's chart listing.[66]
- ^ "Tough Guy" did not enter the NZ Artists Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 1 on the NZ Artists Heatseeker Singles Chart.[77]
- ^ "Evil Spider" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number four on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[80]
- ^ "Want Me Back" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 16 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[82]
- ^ "Glitter" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 40 on the US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.[83]
- ^ "Find an Island" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 4 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[86]
- ^ "Monsta" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 10 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[89]
- ^ "Lownely" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles chart, but peaked at number 24 on the NZ Hot Singles chart.[95]
- ^ "Lownely" did not enter the NZ Artists Top 20 Singles chart, but peaked at number one on the NZ Artists Hot Singles chart.[96]
- ^ "Night Garden" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 4 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[97]
- ^ "Night Garden" did not enter the Ultratop Top 50 Singles chart, but peaked at number 26 on the Ultratip Top 50 chart.
- ^ "Snail" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles chart, but peaked at number 6 on the NZ Hot Singles chart.[98]
- ^ "Plain" did not enter the Official New Zealand Music Chart, but peaked at number 13 on the Hot 40 Singles chart.[99]
- ^ "Kool" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 4 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[100]
- ^ "Happen to Me"" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 1 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[102]
References[]
- ^ Rowley, Glenn (19 March 2020). "With 'Supalonely,' Benee's Pop Stardom Reaches New Heights". Billboard. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ "@beneemusic on Instagram: 20