Who is Benee? The New Zealand singer taking over TikTok with Supalonely

In humanity's quest to discover every great song, we’re constantly finding new ways to dig out brand new bops - though recently it seems like more and more are slipping into our consciousness via TikTok. 

One such banger is pop anthem Supalonely, by Auckland-born Benee (featuring American singer Gus Dapperton), which is rapidly climbing the UK’s Official Singles Chart - entering at Number 39 and zooming to the cusp of the Top 20, at Number 22 at time of writing.

Benee (pronounced ‘Benny’, fyi) was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand. Real name Stella Bennett, she’s just 20 but has already made waves in her home country. 

Tell me more...

Benee began her career posting covers to Soundcloud as a teen, and in her final year of high school began making her own tunes. The super-infectious Supalonely came about in 2019 as part of her second EP, Stella & Steve.

This is Benee’s first venture into the UK charts, though she’s already made it big in NZ. She has a platinum single - 2019’s Glitter - and four New Zealand Music Awards, plus a nomination for an APRA Silver Scroll award - which recognises excellence in songwriting.

Supalonely is now her second Top 10 single in New Zealand, and has gone Top 20 in Australia, Ireland and Norway.

How did we get here?

The track has become the latest in a line of songs by lesser-known artists popularised through the video app.

Aside from just being a huge banger on its own, with lots of catchy hooks, TikTokers the world over have been joining in with the Supalonely dance. Celebrities including actual J-Lo, Madison Beer and TikTok sensation Charli D'Amelio have boosted the song's reach even further.

Other artists we’ve been introduced to recently through the rise of ‘challenges’ including dance routines on TikTok include country/rap game-changer Lil Nas X, Australian singer Tones & I, who landed one of the longest-running Number 1 singles of all time with viral hit Dance Monkey, Roddy Ricch with The Box and Doja Cat with Say So.