Benson Boone
Benson Boone's singing career has an unusual trajectory.
He audtioned for a spot on TV's singing competition "American Idol," but he had only recently discovered he could sing. Although his four sisters took piano lessons while growing up, and he learned to play a bit because of them, no one in his family sings.
He seemed unsure of the piano and the microphone at his audition, but soon launched into Aidan Martin’s “Punchline.” Judges were pleasantly shocked. Judge and music legend Lionel Richie called his voice a "natural talent," singer/songwriter Luke Bryan called his singing "a true gift." Fellow judge Katy Perry said Boone could win the competition if he wanted to. But it turned out that he didn't want to. He dropped out of the competition after making it to the top 24, instead wanting to follow his own path.
He had become passionate about his music quickly after a friend coaxed him into playing and singing in a high school battle of the bands. His short time on "American Idol" came when he was 18 and attending BYU-Idaho. Soon after dropping out of "American Idol," he dropped out of college too, moves his parents supported.
- “I think I”m a big risk-taker,” he said on “The Zach Sang Show.” “And that’s how I’ve been my whole life. ... I feel the thrill of not knowing fully how something’s going to go. ... And they just believed in me and I think it was because they believed in me that I really thought I could do it.”[1]
Two significant opportunities came his way.
Not long after “Idol,” Boone’s TikTok videos caught the attention of Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds, who provided some mentorship and signed the young singer to his label, Night Street Records. “We sign artists so rarely at Night Street — it was one of those moments where you know you have no choice,” Reynolds told Billboard at the time of the record deal. “That’s how I felt when I first sat in a recording booth with Benson. I’m excited for the world to get to know him the way I have these last months.”
- Boone released his debut single, “Ghost Town,” in the fall of 2021. Two EPs followed, and then the singer released his debut album, “Fireworks & Rollerblades” — which features the international No. 1 hit “Beautiful Things.” The music video for the song — which was filmed near St. George, Utah, per Grammy.com — won the MTV Video Music award for best alternative music video and has more than 370 million views on YouTube.
- When he released “Fireworks & Rollerblades” in April, Boone, 22, embarked on a world tour that involved his first-ever arena show, held at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah.
The second opportunity came when he opened for Taylor Swift at her London stop on the Eras Tour.
At the end of 2024, Boone was nominated for best new artist for "Beautiful Things." He begins a world tour in April 2025 in Chicago, with legs in North America, the U.K., Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
- “Five years ago, I did not even know I could sing. My plan was to play a professional sport, or be an architect, or interior designer,” he told the pop culture site Notion in 2022. “So, if my younger self could see me now, they wouldn’t believe it. I would be so confused.”
Boone is a native of Monroe, Washington, and was raised as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has drawn the cover art for his singles and he designs all his own merchandise.
External Sources
- Deseret News, "Who is singer Benson Boone?
- Grammy.com news, "Get To Know Benson Boone, The 'Beautiful Things' Singer & Rising Pop-Rock Sensation"
