Stella Rose Bennett was born and raised in the suburb of Grey Lynn in Auckland. She grew up in a "really musical" family with parents who would expose her to the catalogs of Radiohead, Björk, and Groove Armada. From the age of eight, BENEE began taking guitar lessons in primary school before starting saxophone lessons in high school. Eventually, BENEE dropped all music in order to prioritize water polo. She claims it "was [her] life" and that she at one point hoped to represent New Zealand competitively. BENEE later became interested in writing and recording music at the age of 17, after deciding that she did not want to pursue a career in water polo. BENEE attended an all-girls Catholic school, St. Mary's College, where music was compulsory for four years.
BENEE began her music career by posting covers to SoundCloud and began making her own music in her final year of high school. After dropping out of a communications degree at the Auckland University of Technology after two weeks, during what she called "a quarter-life crisis", she decided to enter the music business professionally. Her music caught the attention of Josh Fountain, a producer and member of the band Leisure, with whom she produced two singles: "Tough Guy", released in 2017, and "Soaked", released in 2018. she earned her first career entry on the Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2018 with "Soaked" at #58.
In both 2019 and 2020, she consecutively won Single of the Year, Best Solo Artist and Best Pop Artist at the New Zealand Music Awards. BENEE initially gained local prominence with her singles "Glitter" and "Soaked", before her 2019 single "Supalonely" saw international popularity following its success on the video-sharing platform TikTok and YouTube. BENEE subsequently released her debut album, Hey U X, in November 2020.
Under the moniker of Bene, she made her solo debut with the 2017 single "Tough Guy", before later gaining prominence with her 2018 single "Soaked", which has been certified double-platinum in New Zealand. She released her debut EP, Fire on Marzz, with help from producer Josh Fountain in June 2019. Her second EP, Stella & Steve, was released in November 2019 and charted in the US, Canada, and France as a result of the international success of the EP's final single, "Supalonely". Since 2018, BENEE has earned five entries on the Triple J Hottest 100, three of which were in the 2019 list. She also released her third EP, Lychee, in March 2022 which charted at number 13 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart.
In an interview for The New Zealand Herald, Benee revealed that she has dyslexia. She also described her childhood experiences with songwriting:
"throughout school I struggled with writing....I liked creative writing, that was what I loved, but I was always making mistakes, and I was confined to this way that I should write....Songwriting for me was this place where I don't have to be grammatically correct. Learning the craft with [Josh Fountain], when he was sharing all his knowledge – something clicked, and I was just like, I love this. It's a great emotional outlet for me; I just love splashing what I feel on to a track."
Supalonely ft. Gus Dapperton
BENEE Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shouldn't be with ya, guess I'm a quitter
While you're out there drinkin', I'm just here thinkin'
'Bout where I should've been
I've been lonely, mm, ah, yeah
Water pouring down from the ceilin'
I knew this would happen, still hard to believe it
I don't wanna panic
I'm a sad girl, in this big world
It's a mad world
All of my friends know what's happened
You're a bad thing (ah!)
I know I fucked up, I'm just a loser
Shouldn't be with ya, guess I'm a quitter
While you're out there drinkin', I'm just here thinkin'
'Bout where I should've been
I've been lonely, mm, ah, yeah
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Lonely (I'm a lonely bitch)
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Lonely (super lonely)
Now I'm in the bathtub, cryin'
Think I'm slowly sinking, bubbles in my eyes
Now, maybe I'm just dreamin'
Now I'm in the sad club, just tryna get a backrub (lonely)
I'm a sad girl, in this big world
It's a mad world
All of my friends know what's happened
You're a bad thing
I know I fucked up (fucked up), I'm just a loser (loser)
Shouldn't be with ya (with ya), guess I'm a quitter (quitter)
While you're out there drinkin' (drinkin'), I'm just here thinkin'
'Bout where I should've been (where I should've been)
I've been lonely, mm, ah, yeah
La-la-la-la (woo), la-la-la-la
Lonely (I'm a lonely bitch)
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Lonely (super lonely)
I loathe romancing in itself yea I'd be damned to try
I'm only dancing by myself so I don't slam my Irish buck
Compostable cups B-B-Benee I can't stress this enough
I would hate to mess things up
But my boogie still stays restless as fuck, yeah
I know I fucked up, I'm just a loser
Shouldn't be with ya, guess I'm a quitter
While you're out there drinkin', I'm just here thinkin'
'Bout where I should've been
I've been lonely, mm, ah, yeah
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la (la, la-la-la, la-la-la, la-la)
Lonely (I'm a lonely bitch) (la, la-la-la, la-la-la, la-la)
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la (la, la-la-la, la-la-la, la-la)
Lonely (super lonely) (lonely)
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la (I've been lonely, I've been lonely)
Lonely (I've been lonely, by the way)
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la (la, la-la-la, la-la-la, la-la)
Lonely (I've been lonely)
The lyrics of Benee's song "Supalonely" are about the feelings of loneliness and heartbreak after a failed relationship. The main character is reflecting on her mistakes and regretting the situation she is in. She acknowledges that she is a loser and she shouldn't be with her ex-partner. She is lacking the distraction of drinking and finds herself alone with her thoughts, wondering about what could have been. Water pouring down from the ceiling is a metaphor for how she knew that the relationship wasn't going to work, but it's still hard to believe that it's over. She admits that maybe she is being dramatic, but she doesn't want to panic. In the chorus, she repeats that she's a lonely girl in a mad world and all her friends know what happened. The bridge is about the singer trying to cope with her sadness. She is crying in the bathtub and possibly drowning herself in bubbles. She dreams of getting a backrub but ends up in the sad club where she is all alone. The outro is an extension of her feeling of loneliness, repeating the word "Lonely" over and over again.
Line by Line Meaning
I know I fucked up, I'm just a loser
I have made mistakes and I feel inferior
Shouldn't be with ya, guess I'm a quitter
I am not good enough to be with you, so I am giving up
While you're out there drinkin', I'm just here thinkin'
I am alone, contemplating my decisions while you are having fun
'Bout where I should've been
Reflecting on where I could have been if I had made better choices
I've been lonely, mm, ah, yeah
I have been feeling isolated and alone
Water pouring down from the ceilin'
My life is falling apart
I knew this would happen, still hard to believe it
I saw my problems coming, but it still hurts
Maybe I'm dramatic, I don't wanna seem it
I don't want to overreact, but this is overwhelming
I don't wanna panic
I am trying to remain calm in the midst of chaos
I'm a sad girl, in this big world
I am struggling to find happiness in a world that can be challenging
It's a mad world
The world can be crazy and unpredictable
All of my friends know what's happened
I am not alone in my struggles and my friends are aware of my problems
You're a bad thing
You are not good for me, but I still crave your company
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
A nonsensical expression of loneliness
Lonely (I'm a lonely bitch)
I am feeling incredibly alone
Now I'm in the bathtub, cryin'
I am so upset that I am crying alone in the bathtub
Think I'm slowly sinking, bubbles in my eyes
I am sinking into despair and crying so hard that bubbles are forming in my eyes
Now, maybe I'm just dreamin'
I am hoping that this is all just a nightmare
Now I'm in the sad club, just tryna get a backrub (lonely)
I am so lonely that I am trying to find comfort in a sad club and seeking physical comfort from strangers
I loathe romancing in itself yea I'd be damned to try
I am not interested in romantic relationships and it feels too daunting to even try
I'm only dancing by myself so I don't slam my Irish buck
I am trying to avoid getting drunk and making reckless decisions by only dancing alone
Compostable cups B-B-Benee i can't stress this enough
I am emphasizing the importance of using compostable cups in an attempt to distract from my problems
I would hate to mess things up
I am worried about making things worse with my actions or decisions
But my boogie still stays restless as fuck, yeah
I am feeling restless and unable to find peace
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la (la, la-la-la, la-la-la, la-la)
A nonsensical expression of loneliness
Super lonely (lonely)
I am extremely lonely
I've been lonely, I've been lonely
I have been feeling alone and isolated
Lonely (I've been lonely, by the way)
I want to be clear that I am feeling incredibly lonely
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brendan Patrick Rice, Jenna Andrews, Joshua Marc Fountain, Stella Bennett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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