The burgeoning star talks quarantine, cursing in music, and her upcoming debut album.
Benee is chill about you pronouncing her name wrong.
“I kind of like it when people say ‘Benee…’ because it’s kind of bougie.
Credit: Harry Were
Or if people say ‘Beanie.’
I’m like,Oh, that’s cute too.”
What is it like having your breakthrough moment during a global pandemic?
It’s pretty strange.
I’ve just been literally in the same spot doing Zoom calls.
It’s [like] watching a child live its life.
Have there been any frustrations about not being able to go on tour?
That was my whole year.
It was just me going and doing my biggest tours.
And obviously I had to cancel all those.
So I guess there’s that.
[Laughs]But I guess you just got to make it work.
You wrote and recorded “Snail” just afterNew Zealandreopened from lockdown.
[Laughs]Oh, golly.
I don’t know, I think “Snail” is still a lockdown song.
So even listening to it now I feel like I can still relate to it.
And the rest of the world is still…
The rest of the world is still very much deep inside this pandemic.Yeah, I don’t know.
And yeah, “Snail” is still in the lockdown vibe.
It’s not so much like, “We’re all free!”
It does, yeah.
I preferred saying “bitch.”
I think that it sounds a lot cooler.
I really wanted to swear in that.
I always feel like when you change a swear word, it always sounds a little bit lamer.
But, look, if it’s getting played on radio, I shouldn’t be complaining.
Whatever works is fine.
But no, it sounds cooler when I swear.
I mean, to be honest, I’m gonna put that single in the album.
I think that what I put out next is gonna be very different to that song, though.
But that’s my whole catalog.
So I don’t know.
I’m just hoping that people like it.
But if they don’t, that’s also cool, because music.
That’s what it’s there for.
There’s a lot to like and not like.
