Benee music showcase the New Zealander's quirky creative spirit

Photographer: Harriet Were

2000–2017: Early life

Stella Rose Bennett, musically known as Benee, was born on January 30, 2000, and raised in the suburb of Grey Lynn in Auckland. She became interested in writing and recording music at 17, concluding that she did not attempt a water polo career.

Bennett grew up in a musically inclined family that listened to Radiohead, Groove Armada, Bjork.

2017–2018: Online beginnings and solo debut

Benee started her music career by posting covers to SoundCloud and making her music in her final high school year. After leaving out of a communications degree at the Auckland University of Technology after two weeks, she decided to join the music business professionally during what she called "a quarter-life crisis."

Her music got the attention of Josh Fountain, a producer and member of the band Leisure, with whom she worked for both her 2017 debut single "Tough Guy" as well as her 2018 single "Soaked."

2018–2019: "Fire on Marzz" and "Stella & Steve"

In February 2019, Bene supported Lily Allen for an Auckland show during her "No Shame Tour."

She released her debut EP, "Fire on Marzz", on June 28, 2019. She signed to Republic Records in early 2019, before this release. An early favorite of BENEE devotees is the tune "Soaked," about as catchy a pop tune as can be crafted.

Photographer: Ricardo Cavolo

The EP earned Benee the award for Best Solo Artist at the 2019 New Zealand Music Awards in November 2019, where she also won awards for Single of the Year with "Soaked", Best Breakthrough Artist and, Best Pop Artist.

Benee's follow-up EP, "Stella & Steve," was released on November 15, 2019. The EP features the single "Supalonely" featuring Gus Dapperton, which later gained international success in March 2020 after a viral dance challenge accompanied by the song spawned on the online video-sharing platform TikTok. Supported by the growth in popularity of the music, Benee performed "Supalonely" remotely for audiences watching "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" and "Ellen."

The EP also includes percussive standout "Monsta" and the sad ballad "Blu."

"Stella & Steve" Album Cover

Benee also supported American singer-songwriter Conan Gray, for nine nights of his "Comfort Crowd Tour" of North America during December 2019.

2020–present: debut album

She was shortly announced as Apple Music's Up Next artist for July, becoming the first New Zealand artist with the title.

Photo by: Frances Carter and Lochie Stonehouse

Later, she was featured on the track "Afterthought" by Japanese-Australian musician Joji's second studio album, "Nectar" (2020).

In July 2020, Benee released "Night Garden," featuring American producer Kenny Beats and British musician Bakar, as the lead single. On August 10, she released "Snail." She said she would be releasing her debut album in 2020, noting that it will be very different from previous releases.