Benson Boone has become the latest male pop star to enter the scene, and to celebrate his recent success, Billboard is diving into his musical journey in the latest installment of Billboard Explains.
The Monroe, Wash., native discovered his love for music when his friend asked him to join their group for a Battle of the Bands competition. He went on to audition for American Idol, where he received a standing ovation from the judges.
However, he ultimately decided to drop out of the competition to pursue his music career and signed to Imagine Dragons’ lead singer Dan Reynolds’ label, Night Street Records.
On the Billboard charts, Boone debuted at No. 33 on the Emerging Artists chart in October 2021. His first Hot 100 track, “Ghost Town,” entered the chart at No. 100.
His biggest hit to date is “Beautiful Things,” which went viral on TikTok and debuted at No. 15 on the Hot 100, and later peaked at No. 2. It topped the Streaming Songs chart and the Pop Airplay chart.
Check out Benson Boone’s full musical journey in the clip above.
After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about Stray Kids’ chart success, Peso Pluma and the Mexican music boom, the role record labels play, origins of hip-hop, how Beyoncé arrived at Renaissance, the evolution of girl groups, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and more.
