TikTok phenomenon and chart-topper Benee has opened up about how she turned one of the most lowest moments of her life into an online sensation
Benee, whose real name is Stella Bennett, saw her single Supalonley become a viral hit thanks to lockdown app of the moment TikTok.
After social media users starting picking up the track to perform lighthearted videos to, Supalonley quickly raced up the charts.
As well as breaking the Top 20 in the UK after it peaked at number 18, the song hit the top spot in New Zealand and even broke into the US Top 40.
Revealing how the track came about Benee, 20, said: “The inspo behind Supalonley was a breakup.
“I got to L.A. and I was going to be there for a month and I kinda broke up with my boyfriend like a week before going.
“And I was just feeling super lonely, and I got into a session with Josh [Fountain] and Jenna [Andrews], and we were like, ‘Let’s make a sad banger!’”
She continued on the Beat X Beat series: “We finished the song in the session, so it was like, what? Like six hours or something?
“Okay, skip to this year, March, it was the night before lockdown and we just wanted to make a different version.
“I just wanted to make it sort of sad and show, like, the mood that I was actually feeling when I was writing the song.”
Opening up about how the track suddenly took on a life of its own thanks to TikTok, Benee added: “Quite a few people did reach out in lockdown, messaging me, and sending me like videos of them dancing to my song and stuff.
“It was really cool to see how they kind of connected to the lyrics when they are kind of lonely, and sad, and stuck at home.
“It’s like a baby. And you, like, you kind of put them out in the world and you have no idea what’s gonna happen to them.
“And then when good stuff happens to them, it’s kind of just, like, yeah. You go little thang. You do your little thang.”
Thanks to the track’s success Benee has become the latest musician to join Apple Music’s roster of Up Next artists.
The monthly initiative aims to identifying and showcase rising talent.
Other artists who have taken part in Beats Beat X Beat series include Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Charli XCX and Noah Cyrus.