BENEE makes sense of the world through music. She absorbs the chaos, confusion, and craziness of everyday life and molds it into addictive alternative pop. On her sophomore album Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles [out November 7th on Republic Records], the multi-platinum, New Zealand-born and Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and producer takes control back and channels anxieties of the unknown into irresistible anthems fueled by her signature creative storytelling and genre-bending production.
BENEE opens up about the state of the world, saying, “The world right now is at a cultural turning point; it feels as though we are on a precipice…all we have understood and accepted about humanity and our world order seem to be on the verge of dissolution. In a post-COVID reality, the rapid rise of AI, environmental disasters, and the global rise in authoritarianism has left many of us in shock. The ground moves beneath our feet, and we can feel emotionally paralyzed.”
She continues, “Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles is a deep dive into existential dread, where love, identity, and meaning slip through your fingers like sand. Each song grapples with the weight of existence. Feeling too small in a world too big, questioning whether connection is real or just another fleeting illusion.”
BENEE has carefully built and invited listeners into a sonic and visual world of her own. Early singles “Soaked” and “Glitter” deemed her an artist-to-watch, and then during 2020, her Double-Platinum breakthrough hit “Supalonely” feat. Gus Dapperton and acclaimed debut album Hey u x established her as a phenomenon and one of pop’s most distinctive voices. Follow-up singles like “Beach Boy,” “Green Honda,” and “Do it Again” feat. Mallrat—which was chosen as the Official Song for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023—solidified her staying power. Along the way, she’s gathered billions of global streams, earned more than a dozen Platinum and Gold Certifications around the world, collaborated with everyone from Lily Allen to Grimes to Phoenix, toured with Olivia Rodrigo and Tate McRae, and played to sold-out crowds on multiple continents. She notably took home an MTV EMA and scored 10 honors at New Zealand’s Aotearoa Music Awards, as well as received nominations at the MTV VMAs, People’s Choice Awards, and more. Expanding her work into the film and TV space, her song “WHAT” is featured in the second season of the critically acclaimed Netflix hit Nobody Wants This, and she also contributed “Zero To Hero” to the A Minecraft Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). Not to mention, she made her big screen debut in the New Zealand indie film Head South.
In the midst of everything, BENEE settled in Los Angeles full-time. Creating constantly, she embraced a wide swath of inspiration, listening to The Beach Boys, James Blake, Gorillaz, Groove Armada, and more. Over the course of a few years, she took her time to craft Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles, defining the overarching vision more clearly than ever.
“I’ve never honestly sat for that long intentionally working on an album,” she notes. “It wasn’t rushed. We were able to try different things. As a result, this is more cohesive than anything I’ve done in the past.”
