It’s only been a few years since Benson Boone discovered he could sing. And it’s been a whirlwind few years.
Since the moment of discovery — which came when he filled in at the last minute at his high school’s battle of the bands — Boone has tried out for “American Idol” (and quit); been signed to Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds’ label; gone massively viral with his hit “Beautiful Things”; released an album; opened for Taylor Swift; performed in his first arena; and received a Grammy nomination.
Boone didn’t end up winning the Grammy for best new artist — that distinction went to Chappell Roan — but he still walked away from the ceremony with a standing ovation for a high-energy performance that included a dramatic outfit change, two flips and seriously high notes.
Watch Benson Boone’s Grammys performance
During a segment that featured performances from the best new artist nominees, Benson put on a show with his international No. 1 hit “Beautiful Things.”
The song is massively popular. On YouTube, the music video for “Beautiful Things” — which was filmed near St. George, Utah — has 492 million views.
“Beautiful Things” won the MTV Video Music award for best alternative music video last year.
Boone started out his performance in his seat in the audience, which happened to be at the same table as Jennifer Lopez.
Before diving into the chorus, the singer stood up and had Heidi Klum and Nikki Glaser rip off his tuxedo to reveal a sparkly light blue jumpsuit.
The singer then ascended the steps to the stage, climbed up onto the piano and did a front flip off of it to land on center stage (Boone has intertwined his gymnastics skills with music for a while; he also did a flip during his “American Idol” audition).
As his performance intensified, Boone channeled his inner Freddie Mercury with some impressively high notes — and managed to do a front flip in between it all.
Boone shouted out “I love you, LA!” as he closed out the song, and received a standing ovation from the crowd — including a beaming Lopez.
Reactions to Benson Boone’s Grammys performance
Reactions to Boone’s Grammy performance are varied. Some viewers thought it was the best, while others put it near the bottom.
The Washington Post ranked Boone’s performance 13th out of 15, writing that the performance didn’t really stand out.
“Sorry to this man — who seems very nice and is talented enough to have spent a considerable amount of time last year on the Billboard Hot 100 — but between the aerobic dancing and an outfit change into a sparkly, light blue jumpsuit, his performance played like a lesser version of the one Sabrina Carpenter delivered earlier in the night. … His viral hit ‘Beautiful Things,’ however, might be stuck in your head for the rest of time.”
Billboard placed Boone’s performance in the middle of the pack.
“Sometimes, a hit is big enough that you get invited to perform it at the Grammys, start singing it a few feet from Jennifer Lopez in the arena crowd, and get Heidi Klum and Nikki Glaser to dramatically tear off your outfit to reveal a powder blue jumpsuit,” Billboard reported. “Such was the case with Benson Boone, who has been ruling stages with his mega-hit ‘Beautiful Things’ for a year, and whose Grammys performance was fittingly rousing even before the backflips started. Boone contains plenty of charisma as a performer, and he’ll likely use ‘Beautiful Things’ as a springboard to a long run as a live act.”
USA Today, however, placed Boone and his fellow best artist nominees at the top — even above established artists like Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.
“This year’s best new artist crop outshined many of their more established peers,” USA Today reported. “But it was Boone and Doechii who tore the house down with their athletic performances.”
Online, Boone’s performance seemed to have generally favorable reviews. One user on X called it “electrifying” and “pure star power,” while another noted that the “flawless front flip off a piano” “is the kind of healing energy we all need right now.”
More about Benson Boone
Although Boone, who is from Washington, played piano a little growing up and loved listening to a wide range of artists, he didn’t really understand the scope of his musical abilities until he wound up filling in at the last minute as a singer for his high school’s battle of the bands, as the Deseret News previously reported.
He was just as surprised by the outcome as his parents.
“My husband and I hadn’t heard him sing ever really,” Boone’s mother told the Everett Herald. “He told us he was going to do it and we were like, ‘Oh, OK, alright, this should be interesting.’
“When we went, our jaws dropped.”
Up until that point, Boone, who was a competitive diver and loves the outdoors, figured his life would go in that direction.
Shortly after, Boone gained traction on TikTok and ended up auditioning for “American Idol.”
“They’re gonna swoon over Benson Boone,” “Idol” judge Katy Perry told him. “I see you winning ‘American Idol’ if you want to.”
But Boone ended up dropping out of “Idol” shortly after his audition to pursue music on his own terms. That eventually included getting signed to a label, releasing an album and going on a world tour.
Even before “Beautiful Things” or the Grammy nod, Boone said his rapid rise to fame already felt surreal.
“Five years ago, I did not even know I could sing. My plan was to play a professional sport, or be an architect, or interior designer,” he told the pop culture site Notion in 2022. “So, if my younger self could see me now, they wouldn’t believe it. I would be so confused.”
