BENEE

Born in 2000 in Auckland’s Grey Lynn neighborhood, Stella Bennett first shared her music online while finishing high school, at which point she began using the shortened alias Bene. Producers Josh Fountain and Jason Suskov, both members of the band Leisure, soon discovered the tracks and took her under their wing, guiding the refinement of her sound. In 2017 she issued the single “Tough Guy,” and the following year “Soaked” climbed to number 14 on the New Zealand singles chart. To prevent mispronunciation she adjusted the spelling to BENEE, signed with Republic Records, and delivered her debut EP, the soul-slanted Fire on Marzz, in 2019; the project, which contained “Soaked,” reached number 13 on the domestic album chart. Later that year she released the follow-up EP Stella & Steve, which entered New Zealand’s Top 20 and also appeared on the Billboard 200.

BENEE’s smoky, stylized vocals and introspective lyrics fuse sophisticated soul with playful alt-pop, qualities already evident on her early releases. Her quirkier, collaboration-heavy debut album, Hey U X, arrived in November 2020, again featuring songwriting and production from Josh Fountain along with guest turns from Lily Allen, Grimes, Flo Milli, and additional artists; it peaked at number two in New Zealand. The album’s single “Supalonely,” a collaboration with Gus Dapperton, likewise charted in Australia and several European territories while reaching number 39 on the U.S. Hot 100. Early in 2022 she issued the LYCHEE EP, which included tracks written by Kenny Beats and Rostam. She began 2023 with the light-hearted “Green Honda,” tracked in Los Angeles alongside producers and co-writers Evlira Anderfjärd and Luka Kloser.