BENEE is a New Zealand singer and songwriter from Auckland, known for alternative pop, bedroom pop, indie pop, pop, R&B and soul. Born Stella Bennett in 2000, she grows up in Grey Lynn, Auckland, and performs under the stylised name BENEE, formerly spelled Bene.

Early life and musical background

She is raised in a musical family and is exposed at home to artists including Radiohead, Björk and Groove Armada. She starts guitar lessons at the age of eight and later takes saxophone lessons in high school. She also spends time focused on water polo, which she says becomes a major part of her life before she turns back to music at 17.

BENEE attends St. Mary’s College, an all-girls Catholic school where music is compulsory for four years. She later begins a communications degree at the Auckland University of Technology, but leaves after two weeks and decides to pursue music professionally.

Career

She begins by posting covers to SoundCloud and starts making original music in her final year of high school. Her early work draws the attention of producer Josh Fountain, who is also a member of Leisure. Together they release “Tough Guy” in 2017 and “Soaked” in 2018, with “Soaked” reaching the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2018 and becoming one of her first major local breakthroughs.

BENEE gains wider attention with singles such as “Glitter” and “Soaked”, and her 2019 track “Supalonely” becomes an international hit after spreading on TikTok and YouTube. She releases her debut EP, Fire on Marzz, in 2019, followed later that year by Stella & Steve, which charts in the United States, Canada and France. Her third EP, Lychee, appears in 2022 and reaches number 13 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart.

Her debut album, Hey U X, is released in 2020. “Soaked” is certified double-platinum in New Zealand.

Awards and recognition

BENEE receives multiple honours at the New Zealand Music Awards, winning Single of the Year, Best Solo Artist and Best Pop Artist in both 2019 and 2020. Since 2018, she has five entries in the Triple J Hottest 100, including three in the 2019 list.

Writing and personal details

She has dyslexia and has spoken about songwriting as a way to work around difficulties with grammar and writing, describing it as a creative outlet. She has also said that learning from Josh Fountain helped her develop her craft.