Benson Boone

A vocalist and composer whose resonant, emotive voice draws from Billy Joel, Adele, Queen, and Jon Bellion, Benson Boone left the televised portion of his American Idol audition in 2021 to pursue an independent route. Later that year his debut single, “Ghost Town,” entered the Billboard Hot 100; the following year the track “In the Stars,” taken from his first EP Walk Me Home, climbed higher domestically while also registering overseas. The 2024 power ballad “Beautiful Things,” featured on his debut full-length Fireworks & Rollerblades, advanced to the top of several international charts and reached number two on the Hot 100.

Born in Washington State, Boone first recognized his musical aptitude when classmates invited him to perform with a band at a high-school talent show. He tried out for American Idol’s nineteenth season shortly afterward, earning on-air approval from the judges before choosing to exit so he could release original material. During this period he connected with Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds, who placed him on the Night Street Records imprint of Warner Records; concurrently, Boone amassed hundreds of thousands of social-media followers and began studies at Brigham Young University-Idaho.

“Ghost Town,” issued in October 2021, is a reflective breakup ballad drawn from a friend’s experience and debuted at number 100 on the Hot 100 while achieving stronger placements in Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Norway, where it topped the chart. Boone sang it on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in February 2022, the same month he unveiled “Room for Two.” Additional 2022 releases included the Norway-charting “Before You,” while “Sugar Sweet” appeared on the 2023 Pulse EP; the most successful of these early singles, “In the Stars,” peaked at number 82 in the United States and fared still better abroad, ultimately appearing on Walk Me Home that July.

With the early-2024 arrival of the anthemic single “Beautiful Things,” Boone attained prominent global chart positions, including number one in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Norway, and France. The accompanying album Fireworks & Rollerblades, released on Night Street that April and featuring contributions from producers such as JT Daly, Imad Royal, and Captain Cuts, entered numerous territories and reached number six in both the United States and Canada as well as number one in Norway. The project’s impact helped secure Boone a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.