First discovered by Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds, Benson Boone is an extraordinarily talented pop singer, songwriter, rollerblader, and multi-instrumentalist. He began his career in 2021 as a social media personality on TikTok and Instagram amassing a large following through videos on fashion, lifestyle, and music. In early 2021, he auditioned for American Idol and made it into the top 24 before dropping out to pursue a career in music. At the start of 2024, he was on my Spotify Wrapped as one of my top artists so I decided to write this Grizzly focused on reviewing a handful of his songs that I particularly enjoy listening to.
Let’s start with Boone’s current hit “Beautiful Things.” This song was released as a single in mid-January, and it is definitely one of my favorites. The verses have such soulful lyrics and express his feelings of love and loss about how he found someone good for him who makes him happy, but he’s scared to lose her. There’s some insecurity towards trusting someone who could easily walk away and wreck him so he begs God to not take her away from him. “Beautiful Things” starts with a gentle acoustic guitar which begins building up to my favorite part where he screams into the powerful chorus and then it calms down again until there’s another build up and my favorite part comes up again. This song was such a rollercoaster and holds so much emotion in it with his raw vocals, so it’s no surprise that the music video, released on January 19, garnered half a million views within an hour, and as of March 11, it’s charted at #1 on Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. US, making it his first top-ten hit. It has also achieved number one in Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, and Switzerland.
Boone sings a heartbreaking song about the loneliness and sadness that followed the death of his great-grandmother in another favorite “In The Stars,” released on April 29, 2022. Like in “Beautiful Things,” he sings in the verses and choruses with such soul and emotion that it conveys his love for his great-grandmother and includes hints of nostalgia as he remembers the memories they shared together and expresses his reluctance to say goodbye for the last time. Boone talks about how he used to go to church with her and that, after she passed away, he “buried [his] faith with [her]” and is depicted as “[s]creaming at a God [he doesn’t] know if [he] believe[s] in,” expressing the anguish, sadness, and rage that followed her passing. The part where he sings about not wanting to spend the $20 he found from one of his old birthday cards, even if he really needs it, was one of the lyrics that saddened me the most. Overall, I think Boone’s vocals in this song are amazing, and the accompanying music and vocals really bring his voice and message to life. Despite the song’s depressing message, I still enjoy listening to it no matter what I’m doing.
“Ghost Town” was released as a debut single on October 15, 2021 and charted in 13 countries including the US on the Billboard Hot 100. This is one of my favorite songs to listen to when I’m doing homework and on my commute to school. To me, this song makes me feel sad and lonely, but is really gentle and peaceful at the same time. It’s a piano ballad showing off his vocals and similarly to all of his other songs, the lyrics are like a diary entry. He narrates a past toxic relationship where the girl isn’t happy in the relationship because she’s giving too much to him and not taking care of herself, making her unhappy. Due to these issues, these two lovers were no longer suited for one another, and he admits that he knows what has to be done for them to move on from one another. This message is similar to the one in his other song “Better Alone,” where he says he’ll get better but he never does and thinks that maybe he’s better alone. The fact that relationships don’t always work out is a wonderful thing. Sometimes it’s important to let go of the other person and give them space to find happiness and a partner who will support them in being authentically themselves. These songs are incredibly wonderful, as is the message they convey.
Another song with an isolating tone and exceptional vocals is “NIGHTS LIKE THESE.” This song holds the top spot as my favorite from Benson Boone. I adore it for many reasons – the primary one being the way his high vocals resonate as the song progresses. With soulful lyrics, he narrates his sense of loss and vulnerability without the other person, acknowledging the need to “get used to being alone,” solidifying his reputation as a talented and emotive artist. I also love his songs “To Love Someone” and “Empty Heart Shaped Box” for a similar reason, as somehow I tend to find myself gravitating towards sad (sometimes depressing) love/breakup songs
Overall, I really enjoy Benson Boone’s music and I’m super excited to see how he grows as an artist in the future and hopefully go to one of his concerts!
