It takes a lot of courage to make the kind of life-changing decision which Benson Boone made when he chose to walk away from American Idol to pursue his own career path.
After being described by music icon and American Idol judge Lionel Richie as a “natural talent”, the teenage songwriter from Washington quit the show. A brave move but, given the success of his debut single, “Ghost Town” which, at the time of this interview taking place, had reached a staggering 40 million streams, it was clearly the right one for Boone to make. “It was a very hard choice,” he admits. “I didn’t want to show the world someone I’m not.”
The 19-year-old’s new single “Ghost Town” is a poignant ballad with unflinchingly honest lyrics and soaring vocals inspired by the emotions he observed during a friend’s toxic relationship. Of the single, Benson says, “I saw that from an outside perspective and wondered what they could have done differently. Love can hurt more than it can help. Sometimes the best way of showing someone you care is by letting them go.”
Now signed and mentored by Imagine Dragons star Dan Reynolds, Boone is being labelled as one of the breakout artists of 2021. We recently spoke to the songwriter and asked him about his decision to quit the reality show, the success of his new single, how mindblowing it was to have someone like Lionel Richie backing him and what his plans for the future are.
Read more about the Benson on his official Website
