In recent weeks, students may have seen peculiar calendar posters displaying a man with curly hair and piercing blue eyes behind the name: Benson Boone. Although the posters were distributed by CdM’s yearbook staff, their purpose behind being on campus is actually the fault of Trident. As some students may know, or found out after doing a quick Google search, that man has recently released a song titled “Beautiful Things” and Trident has been asked to review the recent single.

Boone’s career kicked off when he signed with Night Street Records and released his song “Ghost Town” in 2021. This song pulled him through the charts and landed him on the Billboard Hot 100 and landed over 550 million streams. Since then he has released two EP’s: “Walk Me Home” and “Pulse”. 2023 kicked off his worldwide tour and to date, he has reached 1.9 billion streams. The 21-year-old was named MTV’s Global PUSH Artist last October and while speaking on his recent success he proclaims, “I still don’t even think I’ve processed it, I just go day by day and try my best. I don’t even have time to fully register how everything has changed,” reports the press release provided by Moxie.

Right now, Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” is his most popular song on Spotify. With over 32 million streams, this song is about all the beautiful things the singer now has in his life and does not want to lose. The first verse starts off slow, and it kind of sounds like a country song, but then it gets very intense very quickly in the pre-chorus. This effectively sends the message that he cannot stand having the things most precious to him be taken away. The gentle balance between a smooth serenade and screaming his heart out makes for a truly enjoyable listen. The message behind the song is one that many can relate to in one way or another and provokes the listener to think about their beautiful things. Although the chorus is repeated, it really drives the meaning of the song and emphasizes Boone’s theme.

A couple of students at CdM were asked to listen to the chorus of “Beautiful Things”, and provide their initial thoughts. Lily Eastmond, a freshman in CdM Choir, comments that “it’s [a] typical pop song,” and thinks that the song has compelling instrumentals. Katharine Stone, another freshman in choir, agreed with Eastmond and also thinks that it has good musicality. Josie Park, a freshman in CdM Orchestra, likes how he has so much control over his voice. Stone rated it a three out of five, Park gave it a four, and Eastmond decided that it was a “solid three point five.” Even though “Beautiful Things” is not what they would normally gravitate to, they both thought that it was worth a listen. 

Junior Tessa McRae and her sister, a fellow CdM Alum, Megan McRae are fans of Boone’s. Both of them got into his music because of social media; Tessa discovered him on TikTok and Megan declared, “I’ve had his song ‘Nights Like These’ in my Spotify liked songs for over a year now but didn’t start getting into his music until I saw fellow songwriter, Alex Warren, posting him on his Snapchat story. Additionally, a lot of people use his songs for Instagram Reels which drew me in even more.” Megan is drawn toward his music because “The topics he sings about are heavily relatable which helps listeners feel recognized. Also, he does a great job marketing his music through Instagram and TikTok where he shares a few-second clip of his new singles to get users enticed and excited to listen once they’re released.” “At the moment I really like ‘To Love Someone’,” shares the twenty-year-old and explains that it’s, “because of the storyline and Benson’s wide variety of singing ability.” Tessa shares that her favorite part of his songs is the meaning behind them, such as “the undertones of God and grief and love” and shares that she can relate to them. Described as a “die-hard fan” by her sister, Megan explains that “Although I switch between Rap, R&B, and Pop pretty often depending on my mood. My liking towards Benson is definitely deepened by listening to similar artists such as Noah Kahan and David Kushner.” Rating her love for him as a 7 on a 1 to 10 scale, Tessa, although not as big of a fan as her sibling, declares that “…it’s not like my whole playlist is him, but I really like his music.”

Commenting on his new song, the TCU Junior, proclaims “I like it, but not as much as his other songs out. I think the chorus is very catchy but the song doesn’t have a lot of substance to it other than that. Although, I think Benson‘s vocal ability carries the song to the top charts.” On the other hand, the younger McRae states that it’s her favorite song of his and describes the chorus and vocals as “powerful”. In their last statements, both McRaes reiterate their admiration for Boone. “Not only do I think Benson does a great job of marketing his music, but I’ve seen many videos of him performing live where he’s doing backflips and really engaging with the crowd more so than other singers,” declares Megan, “So, not only are listeners excited to hear new music through different streaming platforms but they’re also excited about the opportunity to see him live.” Driving home her love for his newest single, Tessa exclaims, “I really like that new song and I like all his songs a lot and I think that he has some really good emotional depth in his songs that I like and I just feel like his voice is really good too.”

“Beautiful Things” is an emotional song that can hit deep to some, and it also appeals to people who have never listened to any of Boone’s work before. So, for the students who have not been exposed to Boone’s music through social media, the posters scattered around on campus might just be a sign to give it a listen.