Elton John Loves Her and So Should You: Meet BENEE, the Kiwi Queen Behind This TikTok Hit
Elton John called “Supalonely” “the next global smash” — and the internet can’t get enough of the song, either.
Meet BENEE, the 20-year-old, New Zealand-based sweetheart whose song “Supalonely” is going viral on TikTok — and being replayed by the likes of J.Lo and Madison Beer.
“It’s insane,” the artist, née Stella Rose Bennet, tells PEOPLE from her New Zealand home. “It’s just a big ol’ mind poof. I don’t actually understand it but it happened so fast. I’m mind blown.”
Imogen Wilson BENEE
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In true TikTok fashion, users are recreating a fast-paced dance for “Supalonely,” which has been used over four million times on the app.
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez joined daughters Natasha and Emme being playful with the track. Meanwhile, a bikini-wearing Beer recreated the dance in a clip that already has over three million likes alone.
— Tomás Mier (@Tomas_Mier) March 18, 2020
Madison Beer dancing “Supalonely” by BENEE ft. Gus Dapperton for TikTok pic.twitter.com/VHgzjNITHC
— best of madison beer (@madisonarchive) March 12, 2020
Others joining in on the “Supalonely” fun? TikTok sensations Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae and YouTubers Emma Chamberlain and Bretman Rock together have amassed nearly 30 million likes on their own dances. (Watch all the TikToks using the song here.)
“It’s all pretty crazy, but it’s awesome,” the “Monsta” singer says nonchalantly. “And it’s cool to see because it was one of my favorite ones that I had made for [EP Stella and Steve] and I’m glad people are liking it.”
But you won’t see her remaking the dance anytime soon… since “that dance is 2 hard for me :3,” as she told her fans on Instagram.
The song is silly and self-deprecating and came after BENEE — who opened for Conan Gray last fall — had gone through a breakup.
Imogen Wilson BENEE
On it, she sings: “I know I f— up, I’m just a loser / Shouldn’t be with ya, guess I’m a quitter. / While you’re out there drinkin’, I’m just here thinkin’ / ‘Bout where I should’ve been. / I’ve been lonely, mm, ah.”
“I was obviously sad from the breakout because it was pretty fresh,” she says. “I knew that I was capable of making super sad songs at the time, but I kind of wanted to play around with the idea of just being really sad and taking the piss out of myself.” (“Taking the piss out of myself” is Kiwi slang for “making fun of myself.”)
But BENEE clarifies: she wasn’t actually the loser in this breakup. She “twisted it” and made the lyrics seem like she was the one at fault, because… why not?
“I kind of wanted to make it playful and happy but silly at the same time,” she explains.
The kids are loving “Supalonely,” but the legends are too. Last week, BENEE got to meet and chat with none other than Sir Elton John during his Rocket Hour radio show on Apple Music — and the icon endorsed BENEE’s hit.
“Supalonely by @beneemusic is my top tip for the next global smash,” he captioned an adorable of the two on Instagram. “Love her and her music.”
A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn) on Mar 11, 2020 at 4:36pm PDT
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BENEE is, understandably, still in shock.
“Being able to meet him was just I don’t even know, I don’t even know!” she says excitedly. “I was like, ‘What am I actually doing here? What is my life right now?’ But it was insane. He’s the sweetest guy.”
BENEE got to choose three songs by several artists to play on his show, and to her surprise, the “Rocket Man” king had already listened to the tracks and “took the time to understand the songs.”
“He just knows so much about music and it’s really interesting being able to talk to him about it,” she continues. “Growing up, I knew he was an icon, but my parents, they were like ‘Oh my God. This is actually insane.’”
Imogen Wilson BENEE
On stage, she’s BEENE, but behind the scenes, the Kiwi queen is just Stella.
BENEE is a “ball of energy,” she explains, while Stella is “a little more quiet and reserved.”
“I think that BENEE definitely has this newfound confidence in me where I love to do whatever I want and have fun making art,” she explains.
As a 20-year-old, the “Glitter” singer is sure of who she is but she admits she’s still morphing into the artist she wants to be — and the music she’s now making, too.
She explains: “There’s always space for me to grow and I think that experimenting and making mistakes is gonna get me to this position where I’m trying to be is always changing.”
