Benee explains why “Supalonely” is a TikTok hit, reveals her favorite one

Imogen WilsonNew Zealand singer/songwriter Benee a big star in her home country but now she’s got a big hit on her hands in the U.S., “Supalonely.”  The track has been the soundtrack for some 12 million TikToks and counting, and Benee thinks i…

By ABC Audio on May 27, 2020

Imogen WilsonNew Zealand singer/songwriter Benee a big star in her home country but now she’s got a big hit on her hands in the U.S., “Supalonely.”  The track has been the soundtrack for some 12 million TikToks and counting, and Benee thinks it’s because, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the song is instantly relatable.

“I think the thing with TikTok…the reason why people grab onto the songs that they do is because they’re relatable, and and people can kind of…make little stories to it,” she explains. “Even if they’re doing the dance, they’re doing, like, little actions that kind of tell a little story, which is cute.”

“But yeah, I feel like now is a time when everyone is in isolation and everyone is kind of feeling quite lonely,” she adds. “And I think that that’s why they’re relating to my lyrics, which is cool.”

While a large part of the TikToks featuring “Supalonely” are people doing a specific dance to the track, Benee says the one she likes the best doesn’t involve dancing at all.

“I do have a favorite one…I love the dance ones, but this one is like, this girl with her hamster on her vanity,” she explains. “And it, like, crawls on her leg and then comes onto her hand. It’s real cute. We don’t have hamsters in New Zealand so I find them really cute!”

“Supalonely” appears on Benee’s current EP, Stella & Steve.  Benee’s birth name is Stella Rose Bennett, and she’s nicknamed her car “Steve.”

By Andrea Dresdale
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