Hey U X

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Hey U X
Hey U X Cover Art.jpg
Studio album by
Benee
Released13 November 2020
Recorded2020
GenreAlt-pop[1]
Length44:07
LabelRepublic
Producer
  • Joshua Fountain
  • Djeisan Suskov
  • Claire Boucher
  • Jonah Christian
  • Kenny Beats
Benee chronology
Stella & Steve
(2019) 		Hey U X
(2020)
Benee albums chronology
Hey U X
(2030)
Singles from Hey U Z
  1. "Night Garden"
    Released: 15 July 2020
  2. "Snail"
    Released: 10 August 2020
  3. "Plain"
    Released: 27 October 2020
  4. "Kool"
    Released: 13 November 2020

Hey U X (stylized in sentence case) is the debut studio album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Benee, released on 13 November 2020 by Republic Records.

Hey U X was primarily written by Benee and frequent collaborator Josh Fountain, who also executive produced the record. It features guest appearances from Grimes, Lily Allen, Flo Milli, Gus Dapperton, Mallrat and Bakar.

Supported by four singles—"Night Garden", "Snail", "Plain", and "Kool",—Hey U X debuted and peaked at number two on the NZ Albums Chart and number twenty-two on the ARIA Albums Chart. The album received generally positive reviews from critics, with Radio New Zealand listing it among their best albums of 2020.

Background and release[]

Benee told Billboard that she would be releasing an album in 2020,[2] before formally announcing the release of Hey U X on 15 October 2020.[3][4] She had revealed prior to this that it would differ musically from her existing repertoire,[5][6] telling Uproxx:[7]

I think with this album, I haven’t really held back on experimenting with genres and even lyrics. Maybe I would have been more hesitant to do some of the things that I’ve done on this album in my previous bodies of work. [...] I feel like some people who like my other stuff are going to hate this because it’s pretty different. But I had a lot of fun making it. [...] I like the idea of blending genres and I don’t like the idea of kind of pinpointing. I would call [my music] a crispy apple because I try to make a fresh sound. So it’s a fresh, crispy, apple.

On the namesake, she told The New Zealand Herald, "'Hey u x' was something that was something that I thought was cute. I feel like there's never a word that sums up the whole thing… I try to just find something that's completely relevant."[8] The album track "All the Time" features Raglan-based musician Muroki who became the first signee to Benee's record label, Olive, which she established in early October 2020.[9][10] Shortly after the announcement of Olive, Benee embarked on a national headlining arena tour of New Zealand after the country had reported no cases of COVID-19.[11] She performed eight shows across four cities, with the final show at Spark Arena selling out all 12,000 seats and becoming the first sold-out concert at the venue to be livestreamed to ticketholders.[12][13][14]

Composition[]

Benee revealed to Uproxx that the album "infus[es] elements of 'hardcore' electronic [music] with trap-style beats."[7]

Singles[]

"Night Garden" featuring British musician Bakar and American producer Kenny Beats was released on 15 July 2020 as the album's official lead single.[15][16] "Snail" was released on 10 August 2020 and served the album's second single.[17] Both "Night Garden" and "Snail" received music videos to support their release.[18][19] "Plain" was released on 27 October 2020 as the third single, but did not receive a music video to support its release.[20] "Kool" was released as the fourth single from the album, along with a music video.[21][22][23]

Hey U X also includes the song "Supalonely" featuring Gus Dapperton, which served as the third single from the 2019 EP Stella & Steve, and achieved mainstream international success following its popularization on the social media platform TikTok in early 2020.[24]

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.6/10[26]
Metacritic78/100[25]
Review scores
SourceRating
DIY4/5 stars[27]
Financial Times4/5 stars[28]
Gigwise7.0/10[29]
The Independent4/5 stars[30]
The Line of Best Fit8.0/10[31]
musicOMH4/5 stars[32]
NME4/5 stars[1]
The Observer4/5 stars[33]
Pitchfork6.4/10[34]

Hey U X received "generally favorable reviews” according to review aggregator Metacritic, receiving a score of 78 based on 10 critic reviews. Radio New Zealand ranked the album at number 16 on their list of the 20 best albums of 2020.[35]

Track listing[]

Hey U X track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Happen to Me"
Fountain3:51
2."Same Effect"
4:04
3."Sheesh" (featuring Grimes)
Fountain3:33
4."Supalonely" (featuring Gus Dapperton)
Fountain3:43
5."Snail"
  • Bennett
  • Fountain
Fountain3:00
6."Plain" (featuring Lily Allen and Flo Milli)
  • Fountain
  • Suskov
3:52
7."Kool"
  • Bennett
  • Fountain
  • Schoushkoff
  • Fountain
  • Suskov
2:48
8."Winter" (featuring Mallrat)
  • Fountain
  • Christian
3:07
9."A Little While"BennettFountain3:18
10."Night Garden" (featuring Kenny Beats and Bakar)
Kenny Beats3:41
11."All the Time" (featuring Muroki)
  • Bennett
  • Fountain
  • Christian
  • Fountain
  • Christian
3:08
12."If I Get to Meet You"
  • Bennett
  • Fountain
Fountain3:02
13."C U"
  • Bennett
  • Fountain
  • Schoushkoff
  • Fountain
  • Suskov
3:00
Total length:44:07
CD edition hidden track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Make You Sick"
9:46

Charts[]

Chart performance for Hey U X
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[37] 22
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[38] 2

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b O' Reilly, Caitlin (11 November 2020). "Benee - 'Hey u x' review: New Zealand's alt-pop hero trades loneliness for party-starting spirit". NME. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  2. ^ Ginsberg, Gab (8 June 2020). "Chartbreaker: How BENEE Turned Her Breakup Into a Quarantine-Ready Hot 100 Hit". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  3. ^ Langford, Jackson (15 October 2020). "BENEE announces debut album 'Hey u x', with guest artists Grimes and Lily Allen". NME. ISSN 0028-6362. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  4. ^ Jenke, Tyler (15 October 2020). "BENEE Announces Long-Awaited Debut Album, 'Hey u x'". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  5. ^ Droke, Carolyn (16 October 2020). "Benee's Debut Album 'Hey U X' Features Flo Milli And Grimes". Uproxx. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  6. ^ Stallone, Cole (26 May 2020). "WNYU Interview with New Zealand Rising Star BENEE". Washington Square News. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Droke, Carolyn (8 September 2020). "Benee Is Blurring Genre Lines On Her Upcoming Debut Album". Uproxx. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  8. ^ Burgham, Lydia (14 October 2020). "Benee announces debut album 'Hey u x', featuring Grimes and Lily Allen". New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  9. ^ Brandle, Lars (8 October 2020). "Benee Launches Olive Label, Signs Muroki: Exclusive". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  10. ^ DeVille, Chris (16 October 2020). "Benee's Debut Album Features Grimes, Muroki, Lily Allen, & More". Stereogum. OCLC 1142733705. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  11. ^ Burgham, Lydia (16 October 2020). "Concert review: Benee, Spark Arena, Auckland". New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  12. ^ Bruce, Jasper (8 October 2020). "Benee to live-stream sold-out Auckland show later this month". NME. ISSN 0028-6362. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Benee to perform in first livestreamed concert to sold-out arena in New Zealand". The Ticketing Business. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  14. ^ Fuamoli, Sose (8 October 2020). "You'll be able to watch BENEE's sold out Auckland show from home". triple j. ISSN 1833-1440. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  15. ^ Renshaw, David (16 July 2020). "Benee teams up with Kenny Beats and Bakar on "Night Garden"". The Fader. ISSN 1533-5194. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  16. ^ Fuamoli, Sose (16 July 2020). "First Spin: BENEE links up with Kenny Beats and Bakar on the creepy-cool 'Night Garden'". triple j. ISSN 2203-0905. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  17. ^ Brandle, Lars (15 October 2020). "Benee Shares Her 'Lockdown' Song 'Snail': Stream It Now". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  18. ^ Brandle, Lars (16 July 2020). "Benee Takes a Walk Through 'Night Garden'". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  19. ^ Aniftos, Rania (8 October 2020). "Benee Goes on a Magical, Colorful Trip for New 'Snail' Video". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  20. ^ Lim, Eddy (27 October 2020). "BENEE shares new single 'Plain' featuring Lily Allen and Flo Milli". NME. ISSN 0028-6362. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  21. ^ "Benee debuting "Kool" music video on YouTube's 'Released'". 97.9 WRMF. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  22. ^ Campbell, Amy (13 November 2020). "Benee On Defying — And Exceeding — Expectations: "I love that I could release a rap song and it wouldn't be a shock"". GQ. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  23. ^ "BENEE on Instagram: "ALSO this is out in the world