Benee - Spark

“Only in New Zealand”. It’s a cliche, I know. Finding out someone you just met knows your cousin, going to shops in bare feet, hell, even having a competent female leader - these are not things only confined to our little country. But an endearingly awkward 21-year-old selling out an arena two nights in a row at the height of a global pandemic? Well, sometimes the phrase is apt.

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Tom Verberne

Muroki

Benee

To witness Benee at Spark Arena on Friday night was to see an artist on the cusp. With two EPs and a handful of singles in the bank, she has captured the hearts and fervour of her home nation in a remarkably short space of time. Her debut album not yet released, Benee already seems minted as one of the country’s newest pop daughters. 

And to see her embrace it in her hometown was a delight. One can worry about the pressure of headlining to large crowds at such a young age, but Benee owned the occasion with charm and panache. Songs such as “Glitter”, “Soaked” and “Supalonely” were chorused back by the crowd in the manner of old favourites, betraying the fact they were all released in the past two years. New songs were introduced too, all showing the potential to have Benee’s particular brand of spacey earworm quality. 

In full flow, Benee commanded the stage in the manner of a confident performer, soaking up and stoking the adoration of the all-ages crowd. And yet, as with all of her career so far, Benee’s polished pop production was combined with an endearingly homegrown and youthful individuality. What other pop starlets grace the stage in baggy jeans and a brown sweater vest, let alone use a not-so-quick quick-change to don a homemade tin-foil spacesuit for her song “Drifting”. Taylor Swift costume department, take notes! 

Between strutting and voguing across the stage, she would entertain herself with goofy impromptu dances. Between each song, she would awkwardly and profusely thank the audience in the manner of an artist still eternally grateful for all that is coming her way. This dorky exuberance clearly resonated with the thousands of young fans in attendance, who have found a charmingly authentic homegrown role model, firmly of their own generation.

Having already started her own record label ‘Olive’ and with an album on the way, Benee seems to have the musical world at her fingertips. And for a brief moment, it seems, the constellations have aligned in a country uniquely placed to celebrate its newest talent. Soon, one gets the feeling, Benee’s star will not be confined to just this country’s skies. But for now, she’s ours, only in New Zealand.

Words Isaac Penlington

Images Madeleine Brighouse-Mayo