It is fair to say that this hump day has summoned a case of the mid-week blues for some, meaning that there will be a few sad girl sessions commencing this evening. And, if you and your pals plan on spending the evening firmly planted in your feels, we think you should do so along to the sweet sounds of Benson Boone’s “In The Stars”. A heartbreak anthem if there ever was one, prepare yourselves for emotion-drenched melodies and tear-jerking sounds upon the first listen.

“When ‘In The Stars’ was first written, hearing the first version was actually not what I expected. I didn’t like the production and I didn’t know if the song was any good,” explains the artist. “After I talked with my mum – I wrote “In The Stars” about her grandma – she told me that it was a very personal song and even if I don’t like it now maybe I should go back and try to turn it into something I love. Michael Pollack, Jason Evigan and I got back in the studio shortly after and finished the song turning it into a masterpiece that is now one of my favourite songs I have ever written.”

Upon the release of “In the Stars”, the artist sat down with Wonderland to talk how he first got into music, the importance of honesty in music and upcoming projects this summer. Head below to enjoy our interview with Benson Boone…

Hey Benson! How are you? How has this past year been?
With everything that happened during the pandemic, was your creativity affected?
Honestly, this past year has been a rollercoaster of events. I started writing music, I released my first song and I made the first official step in my musical career. It has been especially crazy because music is something I never thought I would be pursuing let alone having the ability to do, so every new thing I try, whether it’s in writing a song or performing in a new way, I’m just in love with the process.

Let’s start in the beginning, how did you first get into music? What sparked the interest?
I would say that during the pandemic my creativity was heightened. Not being able to connect with my friends and people I see on a regular basis is an extremely hard thing for me to do being an extrovert; I get energy from other people and when the pandemic started I felt very lonely. And I think a lot of the emotions from that lack of energy brought out some of the best parts of my music. I have always loved listening to music, but I never tried singing until my senior year of high school. We had a battle of the bands competition in which my best friend, Eric, asked me to play the piano for his band as a last-minute decision. I said I would do it and as the time came for us to perform our singer backed out last second and we could either step out of the competition or one of us could sing instead. This led to me trying to sing songs that I had just learned the day before. We only had time for one more practice before the performance, and my voice wasn’t sounding terrible but I still didn’t know how it would feel in front of my old school, but at the performance, something clicked and I was able to sing like I had been practising my whole life. It felt like a movie in every way and that is where it all started.

And your hometown, did it inspire you in any way?
I think growing up in Monroe, Washington helped a lot with my music. Monroe is a great place for the outdoors, and I especially loved being outside all the time growing up. I loved skiing, snowboarding, rock climbing, cliff jumping, scooter ring, mountain biking, playing football, track and field, diving, rope swinging, and many other outdoor activities so I was always up to something. Because I didn’t do music growing up, I think the music that you all see from me today is the most innocent form of my musical expression, this is the very beginning for me and in every way a tiny sliver of my capabilities will be in the future.

Now you’ve dropped your new single “In the Stars”, talk us through the production process, was there any challenging aspects?
When “In The Stars” was first written, hearing the first version was actually not what I expected. I didn’t like the production and I didn’t know if the song was any good. After I talked with my mum – I wrote “In The Stars” about her grandma – she told me that it was a very personal song and even if I don’t like it now maybe I should go back and try to turn it into something I love. Michael Pollack, Jason Evigan and I got back in the studio shortly after and finished the song turning it into a masterpiece that is now one of my favourite songs I have ever written.

It’s very honest and open, being so raw within your music, what is it like?
I think it’s very important to be honest in music because in my opinion music is a personal expression of your emotions. Every song that you hear from me in some way shape, or form is a piece of my mind’s diary, and sharing it with people can sometimes be scary. But as an artist, I want to show people that being vulnerable can be powerful even if it’s hard sometimes.

And what do you hope people take away from your music?
All I can ask is that people can just connect with my songs. I will never be able to fully understand what anyone else goes through except myself. So when I perform songs for people I know that they are taking away a different meaning than what I take away from it. I just want people to be able to enjoy the feeling of listening to my music, knowing that they can relate it to their own lives in some way.

Who would you say inspires you?
Jesus Christ.

What is next for you? Is there an EP or album on the way?
I want to release a large piece of work this summer. Whether that is an album or an EP I’m still unsure of, but something is coming you are about to wet your pants because this is going to be a big year for Benson Boone.