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."
Drifting
benee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An adventure they encounter, on a journey to Mars
Spacegirl lookin' at me, she has a silver heart
Robo boy not far from her, body with no bones
She takes a sip of a magic potion, and her hair starts to explode
Has he poisoned her, I wonder?
Will she fall for him, he hopes
She turns into a flower, robo boy left blind
Space, we're all driftin' through space
Space, we're all driftin' through space
And finding our way
Finding our way
Looks around the corner, but Pluto's where I lie
Looking out to the skies, hopin' she'll arrive
My body's made of metal, but my heart's of human kind
Foolish, I see the light, she won't come down tonight
She wanna know me, she wanna know me
But I'm a different type
She wanna see me, she wanna see me
But I refuse to fly
Hope for the best, here I rest, she knows that I'll be fine
(Hope I've got time)
Space, we're all driftin' through space
Space, we're all driftin' through space
Finding my way
Space, we're all driftin' through space
Space, we're all driftin' through space
Finding our way
Finding our way
Finding our way
Finding our way
Finding our way
The lyrics of Benee's song "Drifting" paint an intricate picture of an otherworldly adventure, taking place in space. The singer of the song is on a quest, seemingly to reach Mars, and encounters a number of colorful characters along the way. The first verse introduces us to a spacegirl with a silver heart and a "robo boy" with no bones, who seems to be interested in her. The lyrics take on a slightly ominous tone as the spacegirl sips a magic potion, causing her hair to explode, and the singer wonders if she has been poisoned. The chorus of the song repeats the refrain "Space, we're all driftin' through space," evoking a sense of aimlessness and uncertainty, as if the characters are lost in the vastness of the universe.
The second verse of the song is more introspective, with the singer reflecting on his own status as a being made of "metal" but with a "heart of human kind." He is hoping for the spacegirl to arrive, but feels foolish for waiting, believing that she is of a different type. The bridge of the song is a repetition of the chorus, with an added sense of urgency as the singer repeats "finding my way" and "finding our way."
Overall, the lyrics of "Drifting" can be interpreted in a number of ways, but they seem to be primarily concerned with the theme of loneliness and the search for connection. The characters in the song are all lost in space, disconnected from each other and from any sense of purpose, and they are all searching for something to hold onto.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm on a roller coaster on a mission to the stars
She feels like she's on a wild ride, chasing her dreams and heading towards the future
An adventure they encounter, on a journey to Mars
It's an exciting and unknown journey that they're taking, stepping out of their comfort zones and exploring the unknown
Spacegirl lookin' at me, she has a silver heart
A vision of an otherworldly girl who seems to have a heart of silver, a heart that's cold and unfeeling, but captivating nonetheless
Robo boy not far from her, body with no bones
The male counterpart of the space girl, a robotic being who has no bones and is probably a metaphor for being emotionally empty
She takes a sip of a magic potion, and her hair starts to explode
The space girl drinks a potion that makes her hair grow dramatically, evocative of a sudden and powerful surge of emotion
Has he poisoned her, I wonder?
Wondering whether this sudden change in the space girl is the result of the robo boy's manipulation or toxic influence
Will she fall for him, he hopes
Robo boy is waiting and hoping for the space girl to fall in love with him
She turns into a flower, robo boy left blind
An unexpected turn of events where the space girl turns into a flower, leaving the robo boy confused and perhaps at a loss
He asks her if she feels alright
Inquiring about whether the space girl is okay after turning into a flower
Looks around the corner, but Pluto's where I lie
The artist's sense of isolation despite being surrounded by a vast, unknown universe like Pluto
Looking out to the skies, hopin' she'll arrive
Still looking and waiting for an unknown and seemingly unattainable dream or goal to come true
My body's made of metal, but my heart's of human kind
Despite having a robotic body, the artist has a heart that feels like a human's, warm and emotional
Foolish, I see the light, she won't come down tonight
A moment of realization that the dream or goal may not be attainable, but still holding on to hope
She wanna know me, she wanna know me
The singer feels like there's someone out there who wants to get to know him/her for who they truly are
But I'm a different type
Realizing that while there may be people interested in getting to know them, they're still unique and not everyone will understand them
She wanna see me, she wanna see me
Feeling like there's someone out there who wants to connect with them visually, to see them for who they are
But I refuse to fly
Choosing not to take a chance or risk something in pursuit of that connection, staying grounded and safe instead
Hope for the best, here I rest, she knows that I'll be fine (Hope I've got time)
Hoping for the best and resting in the knowledge that everything will be okay in the end, but still worrying about whether there's enough time to achieve everything they want
Space, we're all driftin' through space
Acknowledging that everyone is on their own journey, drifting through life and searching for meaning
Finding our way
Despite the uncertain and sometimes turbulent nature of life, everyone is still trying to navigate and find their own path forward
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Stella Bennett, Jack Berry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fernandomagellan4385
"Drifting"
(feat. Jack Berry)
[BENEE:]
I'm on a rollercoaster on a mission to the stars
An adventure they encounter, on a journey to Mars
Spacegirl lookin' at me, she has a silver heart
Robo boy not far from her, body with no bones
She takes a sip of a magic potion, and her hair starts to explode
Has he poisoned her, I wonder?
Will she fall for him, he hopes
She turns into a flower, robo boy left blind
He asks her if she feels alright
Space, we're all driftin' through space
Space, we're all driftin' through space
And finding our way
Finding our way
[Jack Berry:]
Looks around the corner, but Pluto's where I lie
Looking out to the skies, hopin' she'll arrive
My body's made of metal, but my heart's of human kind
Foolish, I see the light, she won't come down tonight
She wanna know me, she wanna know me
But I'm a different type
She wanna see me, she wanna see me
But I refuse to fly
Hope for the best, here I rest, she knows that I'll be fine
(Hope I've got time)
[BENEE:]
Space, we're all driftin' through space
Space, we're all driftin' through space
Finding my way
Space, we're all driftin' through space
Space, we're all driftin' through space
Finding our way
[BENEE & Jack Berry:]
Finding our way
Finding our way
Finding our way
Finding our way
@ll-be9ry
“spaceeee, we’re all drifting through spaceeee, we’re all drifting through spaceeee, finding our way.” 2:05
i actually cant with her voice! 🥺😭
@isaacrodriguez8258
ʝαɳεllε ツ sorry but it would be Spaaaaace not Spaceeee
@stevenlucas6029
And then you got the backgroud wheeeew from the aliens. This is epic.
@andreasnoel5182
Addicted to this song rn
@Ishafiqq
BENEE: harmonizing with her raspy voice
Me: *spirit away
@izzymck4665
How is this girl not super famous yet wth
@carterthorn1243
I know Shes a god
@lunaluna6474
shes about to be
@kalebkennedy6517
Exactly
@an6350
She is pretty famous just not world famous yet