Artist spotlight: BENEE

After rising to fame following the success of ‘Supalonely’ on TikTok (I really don’t get that platform), 21-year-old New Zealand star, BENEE, has been busy making a wildly talented name for herself. And, before you think it — no, she’s not some Lorde copycat. Not in the slightest. She’s bagged a string of jaw-dropping collabs with big-name artists — we’re talking Lily Allen, Bakar, Mallrat, Grimes and many more (I do hope she does something with Flume, too) — she’s also got some trophies in the cabinet. The New Zealand Music Awards and Triple J have both recognised and awarded her, so she’s a shoo-in as a new favourite in your pop/R&B collections.

BENEE makes the sort of music you don’t have to think twice about — you just feel the vibe and go with it. So much so, it’s hard to pinpoint which of her tunes are the brightest, but ‘Evil Spider’ has an unparalleled catchiness for me. She’s not afraid of electronics, straightforward and expletive lyrics and she’s got a shred of Billie Eilish about her, just without that dull teenage, clichéd aspect.

So, if you’ve got a vacancy for something chilled but gloriously upbeat in your playlist, BENEE’s ready to plug that gap — and she has a plethora of songs to listen to on top of last year’s debut album, ‘Hey u x’.