One sunny day in eighth grade, I was sprawled across my bed, my Alexa blasting familiar songs from my childhood. Suddenly, interrupting a series of nostalgic memories, it played a song I had not encountered before. Its sharp lyrics brought out a painful sense of isolation I never realized home lockdown had buried so deep within me. 

“The streets are empty / Where love once was but it’s faded away.”

These hard-hitting lyrics from songwriter Benson Boone’s first single “Ghost Town,” released in 2021, were some of my only sense of reassurance, when I, like many others, was trapped in a cage of abandonment and loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown. Throughout the next few years, Boone’s captivatingly unique stories, enunciated by his melodic songwriting, were some of my only constants throughout my high school experience.

Boone, an American pop artist, has written many personal and soulful songs that appeal to audiences worldwide, marketing his work through TikTok videos or Instagram promotions. Most of his music was initially underappreciated, making his underrated songs feel so much more intimate and unique to me.

However, his recent single, “Beautiful Things,” has become hugely popular worldwide and peaked at number one on the Billboard Global 200 for seven weeks. With a slow, country-like introduction and sudden buildup, the song is a rollercoaster of intense and unique emotions that describe the fleeting nature of a new relationship. 

The piece is a perfect precedent for his newest and debut album, “Fireworks and Rollerblades,” released April 5. Much of his music in this album, similar to “Beautiful Things,” demonstrates Boone’s unique ability to create a song that climaxes to a point but suddenly changes into something new entirely. 

I remember listening to his song “Slow It Down” for the first time, pleasantly surprised by his tone shift from sorrowful to upbeat. The album name encompasses this theme of his flawlessly: His songs start mellow and smooth, like skating on concrete. Then all of a sudden — fireworks.

Another example is in the track “Cry,” where Boone’s lyrics start mournful and full of grief, blaming himself for many of his problems. However, only a few lines into the song, Boone breaks it off, suddenly transitioning from sadness to anger by saying, “Nah, nah, nah, that doesn’t feel right / Maybe, uh, speed it up.” The unexpected and deliberate change of pace in the song completely alters the feel of his music, as his lyrics morph into words of angst and resentment towards others in his life instead of himself. Adding these unique touches to his music makes all his songs surprising, special and endlessly enjoyable. 

With the release of “Fireworks and Rollerblades,” Boone has gained unbelievable popularity for songwriting, with his April monthly listeners on Spotify boosting to an astonishing 60 million. However, at least in a high school setting, while numerous of my peers listen to his music, Boone remains to be recognized as an accomplished musician by many. It irks me to see many of my classmates listen to “Beautiful Things” but not even know his name or who he is. 

That is what follows a debut album: appreciation for the new music and the emotions that it creates, but not complete trust or belief in the artists themselves. Nevertheless, Boone has been writing enchanting and inspiring music since the day stumbled across “Ghost Town” three years ago. He has finally taken the spotlight, and with his following albums and carefree persona, his fame will one day go beyond his songs and reach the songwriter himself.