It is the pursuit of most recording artists to create music that touches people. Music that transcends geographic and demographic boundaries to cut to the heart of our collective experience. And even then, it can take an entire career to achieve such heights — if indeed at all. For Benson Boone, however, music seems to come from a place that feels inherent. His voice is effortless in its feeling and moving in its timbre, and the songs he writes speak of loss and of love in a way that belies his age. At just 20 years old, Boone is at the start of what is shaping up to be a very promising career, with his hit singles ‘In the Stars’ and ‘Ghost Town’ already taking up top spots on global music charts. And although he is still considered ‘up-and-coming,’ Boone seems to have a knack for tapping into that place of authenticity and feeling that makes good music truly great.
“I have such a huge amount of passion for the music I write,” Boone tells me. We’re having a chat at Auckland’s Parachute Studios while the artist is in New Zealand for a whirlwind 48 hours. “Music was always a part of my family and my upbringing,” he continues, “but the last two years for me have been so crazy because it’s not something I ever thought I would end up pursuing as a career.” It’s hard to
believe that someone as obviously talented as Boone just fell into music accidentally, although he wouldn’t be the first. And he certainly isn’t flippant about his success.
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“All of this is still very new to me,” he says, “so I’m still figuring out what kind of artist I want to be and what kind of image I want to present to the world, but for now I just want to stay focused on writing lots more music, and making a plan for my future… I would love to release a full album and I would love to eventually play big venues like Madison Square Garden, but I also want to have a career that is more than just singing, I would love to be able to write songs for other people too.”
Being able to marry his natural talent and charisma with an ability to be patient and to consider his burgeoning career through the lens of longevity is unique in someone so young (particularly in an industry where many before him have become swept up in the fickleness of ‘fame’). But Boone is clearly an exception. “It’s a slow build,” he says, surprisingly humble and realistic about the goals he has laid out for himself. And despite the global recognition he has already garnered, I expect there is far more to come — watch this space.
