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Benson Boone on the Relationship That ‘Terrified’ Him Into Writing Smash Hit ‘Beautiful Things’

Benson Boone talks about his breakout hit "Beautiful Things" -- what inspired the song and what he wants to do with it on his upcoming tour.

The 21-year-old Washington-born singer-songwriter, who got some early exposure on American Idol and has since gained a following of nearly five million on TikTok, had scored a pair of Billboard Hot 100 hits early in the 2020s with the piano-led ballads “In the Stars” and “Ghost Town.” But for his latest single, the love song “Beautiful Things,” he added some power to his balladry, going electric with a mid-song guitar kick-in reminiscent of Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever.” The single immediately arrived not only as his own biggest hit, but one of the breakout songs of early 2024, debuting at No. And while his first two minor hits gave him a little taste of stardom — momentum which faded about as quickly as it appeared — this time, he says he’s not going to let this opening close again. Below, Boone talks about the inspiration for his new signature hit, why he thinks the song has already taken him to a new level, and if those inevitable Eilish comparisons were something he had in mind while writing it.

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