Benson James Boone (born June 25, 2002) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.[3] He was born and raised in Monroe, Washington.
Boone's career began when he started sharing his music on the social media platform, TikTok, subsequently auditioning for American Idol. He later withdrew from the competition, but continued to gain popularity on TikTok. He was recognized and signed by Dan Reynolds, frontman of American pop rock band Imagine Dragons, to his Night Street Records label. Boone's debut single, "Ghost Town", was released in October 2021, charting in 16 countries. He has since released multiple successful singles, including "In the Stars" and "Beautiful Things", the latter of which peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart, his first number one single on a major music chart.[4] It also became his first song to reach the top five on the Billboard Hot 100.[5] As of April 2024, Boone has amassed 6.8 million followers on TikTok, as well as garnering over 60 million monthly listeners on Spotify. His debut album, Fireworks & Rollerblades, was released on April 5, 2024.
Early life
Benson Boone grew up with four sisters in Monroe, Washington.[6][2] He attended Monroe High School and competed on the diving team.[7] He first discovered his musical talent when a friend asked him to play the piano and sing in their high school's battle of the bands his junior year even though he had no experience singing.[8][7] Boone briefly attended Brigham Young University–Idaho before leaving after a semester to focus on singing.[8]
Career
Boone in 2022
Boone drew early musical inspiration from attending a Jon Bellion concert, after which he began taking singing seriously.[1] He began posting singing videos to TikTok, and auditioned for season 19 of American Idol on a friend's recommendation in early 2021.[9] Though he was invited to advance to the show's Hollywood week, he was not present, as Boone withdrew from the show after making it to the Top 24 to consider his career.[10][11]
