April 29, 2021

BENEE Announces Orchestra Season With NZSO and APO

BENEE is teaming up with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) in Wellington and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO) and Auckland Live in Auckland for a season of spectacular shows that will bring her award-winning songs to life in an amazing new symphonic setting.

Accompanied by a 66-piece orchestra in each city, joining with her own band and guest vocalists, the rising star of New Zealand music is set to shine delivering new arrangements of her platinum hits like ‘Glitter’, ‘Soaked’ and the worldwide smash ‘Supalonely’.

“I’m so stoked to be playing with the NZSO and APO!! Adding 66 super talented musicians to the band is going to be something else,” says BENEE. “I can’t wait to hear and play some crazy different versions of my songs (:::”

After dropping her debut album Hey U X! at the end of 2020, this is an exciting moment for 21-year-old Stella Bennett as she continues her eclectic musical journey.

Her album collaborators were as diverse as Lily Allen, Grimes and US rapper Flo Milli, and BENEE now extends herself to team up with the country’s premier orchestras and foremost conductor, Hamish McKeich.

BENEE’s songs have been freshly arranged into unique orchestral settings by Claire Cowan, a current leading light on the New Zealand composition scene, making an enticing musical treat for fans of both her music and orchestra.

“The diversity of styles and the depth and detail of production in BENEE’s songs are an exciting challenge to re-imagine,” says Claire Cowan. “We’ve gone the full spectrum from Disney to James Bond to 90’s trip hop treatments to give the audience a really dynamic show full of surprises.”

NZSO Chief Executive Peter Biggs says the national orchestra has a proud history of collaborating across genres with many exceptional artists – from Sting on his 2011 world tour to recent projects with The Phoenix Foundation, Tami Neilson, and Maisey Rika.

“Benee is a gifted songwriter and performer and we’re excited at what we can create together on stage and for new audiences to experience the NZSO.”

Barbara Glaser, APO Chief Executive says: “We identified BENEE as a young Kiwi artist we were very keen to work with back in 2019, before COVID struck. These events are part of our APO Session Series, which has previously seen sell out shows with LEISURE, TEEKS and earlier in 2021 Louis Baker. It’s therefore with great excitement and a certain amount of relief that we are finally able to bring this special collaboration to life for our Auckland audiences.”

BENEE & The NZSO

Friday 30 and Saturday 31 July, 2021 at the Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington
Tickets on sale at 12pm, Friday, 7 May 2021 from www.ticketmaster.co.nz

BENEE & the APO
Presented in association with Auckland Live
Friday 10 and Saturday 11 September, 2021 at the Auckland Town Hall, Auckland
Tickets on sale at 12pm, Friday 7 May 2021 from www.ticketmaster.co.nz or www.apo.co.nz

New Zealand’s platinum sensation BENEE drops the music video for her song “Happen To Me”. “Happen To Me” stands out as the fan-favoUrite track from her critically adored full-length debut album, Hey u x.

The gothic visual finds BENEE at the center of the table during a surreal The Last Supper-style royal feast. She sits on a throne alone as guests enjoy medieval delicacies. As she flips through tarot cards, she turns over the death card only to be greeted by a man on a pale horse before finally disappearing from the table. As the song grapples with her own fear of death, the video personifies this existential struggle.

Over a soundtrack of hummable guitar and lithe synths, she confesses, “I think about these things too much. My mind likes to wind itself up. And I don’t get a lot of sleep. ‘Cause what if they happen to me?” Ultimately, BENEE upholds what has become a tradition of captivating and cinematic videos with “Happen To Me.”

Of the video, BENEE says, “Stoked to be sharing this music video with everyone! I filmed it with a bunch of mates, and it was the coolest set! Hope you love it as much as I do❤️”

Last fall, Hey u x arrived to universal critical praise. Pitchfork observed, “Hey u xstrikes a balance between whimsy and moodiness,” and British Vogue described it as “13 tracks of heavenly indie-alt pop.”

Meanwhile, Billboard claimed, “BENEE has had a blockbuster year, lockdown be darned.” Further acclaim came from Consequence, E! Online, Entertainment Weekly, i-D, Los Angeles Times,NME,NPR, NYLON,MTV, PAPER Magazine,People,Pigeons & Planes, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, The FADER, The Guardian, V Magazine, Variety and many more.

Billboard named BENEE one of its “21 Under 21 Artists” and Rolling Stone hailed her an “Artist You Need To Know,” meanwhile Hey u x was included in “Best Of 2020” lists from Billboard, Idolator, Teen Vogue, UPROXX and more. Not to mention, she delivered an unforgettable performance of “Happen To Me” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.