“I found it a great emotional outlet where I can vent everything into a song,” BENEE tells Apple Music. “Sometimes when I’m a little more sad, I feel like I don’t really like to talk to people about it. What I found in music is I can just let it all out.” The New Zealand pop artist grew up as a “weird kid” in a highly creative environment, willing to try out every hobby—until she joined the school choir and realised she’d found her calling. She soon began releasing covers online, and it didn’t take long to start experimenting with her own original sound. In her Up Next film, she talks being obsessed with Harry Potter, getting encouraged by her school friends and refusing to be tied down to any one genre. And in an interview with fellow Kiwi Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, she discusses finding inspiration in artists like Lorde and Lily Allen, not being afraid to confront her anxiety in music and the challenges of reimagining her rise—and a demanding touring schedule—due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Watch the interview and film, along with selections from the rest of the artists in the Up Next series.
