From American Idol dropout to TikTok-viral tunes, Benson Boone on his rise to fame and ‘finding my real sound’

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For Boone, social media is an important way to connect with his audience because he wants his followers to know who he really is: “I’m posting my music all the time and updating people with where I’m at in my life.”

“I have my personal life and my life on the internet, and I try to keep those the same; I’m not trying to be two different people,” he said.

Boone’s visit to Hong Kong last month was for a private performance at SoHo House with local singer Kiri T. It was his next stop after a busy series of concerts across two continents.

“I did a Europe tour … my first tour ever. And then, a couple of weeks later, I did a US tour. I had a blast – I loved the crowds, the fans, the stages, the venues, and being there with Nicky Youre, the opening act. His crew was so cool. I just had such a fun time.”

The last two years have been a whirlwind for Boone. In early 2021, he began posting TikTok videos of himself singing, and that same year, he auditioned for the competitive singing show, American Idol.

“I was going to college, and I wasn’t thinking of music as a full-time career, but I was posting videos on social media of me singing. They [American Idol] saw my videos and asked me to be on the show.”

Although he made it to the top 24 of the competition – with judge Katy Perry even saying, “I see you winning American Idol if you want” – he ultimately dropped out.

“Everybody on the show wanted to [make] music; they had been waiting for this moment their whole lives. And I did not feel that way,” Boone shared. “I didn’t want to get locked into something I was unsure about.”

“So I stepped away from the show to see if I wanted to write music and try my stuff. And I did! It went really well, so I kept going that way.”

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The artist was soon discovered by Imagine Dragons singer Dan Reynolds, who signed Boone to his music label Night Street Records in a partnership with Warner Records.

The singer-songwriter’s first single, the piano-driven, mournful “Ghost Town”, was released in October 2021, and its music video has racked up more than 29 million views on YouTube.

Boone’s debut track tells the story of a relationship that’s gone cold, with lyrics like: “Maybe you’d be happier with someone else / Maybe loving me’s the reason you can’t love yourself / Before I turn your heart into a ghost town / Show me everything we built so I can tear it all down.”

His latest work to make waves is the official music video for “In the Stars”, which came out last month and has already racked up more than 1.2 million views on YouTube – the lyric video, released last year, has 53 million views. Boone wrote the song about the death of his great-grandmother and said it was meant for anyone who has also dealt with grief.

“I experienced the emotions that I put into the song, but … no one’s gonna think of my [great] grandmother. And that’s not the purpose of it,” he pointed out.

“It’s so that when people hear it, they think of the people they’ve lost and people close to them who are not in their lives any more.”

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The artist emphasised that grief and loss were universal experiences that connected him to his listeners.

“Regardless of who you are and where you’re from, you’re going to lose people you love – that’s just bound to happen. So this is a song everyone can relate to. It’s a feeling that we all know.”

The video consists mainly of real-life clips from his concerts, including his recent European and US tours. “It’s just raw footage … unplanned moments that happened. I think [it’s] perfect for the song.”

“The first time I watched it was after I finished the tour. I did not want to be done with the tour; I just loved seeing fans every night. It was emotional to see that video … I’m proud of it.”

He was also moved to see fans singing along to the lyrics of “In the Stars”.

“It is really special to know that the song has [had] a positive impact on someone’s life … When I perform that song live and see the emotion on people’s faces and the energy in the room, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. And that’s a very special thing for an artist to experience.”

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After so much time on the road, Boone is shifting his focus to writing and recording music. He released Pulse, a five-track EP, in May, and now, he has his sights set on an album.

“I’ve been compiling songs for a long time and getting ready to pick and choose which ones I want to show the world. This will be a really big deal; it’s my debut album. And I’m preparing for that and getting ready to do more touring and shows with that album.”

His full-length release might show fans something different from the self-described “happy guy who writes sad songs”.

“I’m a very emotional guy, and I think that’s the way that I tend to write my music. But I also think that’s kind of been shifting over the past couple of months,” he shared.

“I’ve been writing more upbeat things, happier music, and finding my real sound.”