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
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 to BENEE's song "Supalonely" convey a feeling of loneliness and heartbreak. The opening lines, "I know I fucked up, I'm just a loser / Shouldn't be with ya, guess I'm a quitter" set the tone for the rest of the song as the singer admits to making mistakes and feeling unworthy of their partner's love. The second verse captures the singer's despair as they describe water pouring down from the ceiling, indicating that something has gone drastically wrong in their life. The chorus emphasizes the theme of loneliness, with the repeated refrain "I've been lonely, mm, ah, yeah" driving home the point.
The bridge of the song brings in a rap verse from artist Gus Dapperton, which contrasts with the dreamy pop sound of the rest of the track. Dapperton's verse refers to the compostable cups that BENEE has been pushing on her social media channels, which shows that the song is very much anchored in the current moment. But despite these references to the present day, the feelings of heartbreak and loneliness that the song explores are timeless.
Overall, "Supalonely" is a catchy pop song with relatable lyrics that capture the pain of a breakup and the feeling of being alone. Its upbeat melody and infectious chorus mask the sadness at the core of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I know I fucked up, I'm just a loser
I acknowledge my mistakes and see myself as a failure
Shouldn't be with ya, guess I'm a quitter
I don't deserve to be with you and I give up easily
While you're out there drinkin', I'm just here thinkin'
While you're having fun, I'm stuck with my thoughts and regrets
'Bout where I should've been
I reflect on where I should have been instead of where I am now
I've been lonely, mm, ah, yeah
I feel isolated and alone
Water pouring down from the ceilin'
Bad things are happening to me and my life is falling apart
I knew this would happen, still hard to believe it
I saw it coming but it's still difficult to accept
Maybe I'm dramatic, I don't wanna seem it
I might be overreacting, but I don't want to appear that way
I don't wanna panic
I don't want to freak out even though I'm anxious
I'm a sad girl, in this big world
I'm a sad person in a world that is overwhelming and difficult
It's a mad world
The world is chaotic and unstable
All of my friends know what's happened
My friends are aware of my situation
You're a bad thing (ah!)
You are a negative influence in my life
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Singing to distract myself from my feelings
Lonely (I'm a lonely bitch)
I feel lonely and it's a constant state of being
Now I'm in the bathtub, cryin'
I'm upset and crying in the bathtub
Think I'm slowly sinking, bubbles in my eyes
I feel like I'm drowning and I have tears in my eyes
Now, maybe I'm just dreamin'
I might be delusional or fantasizing
Now I'm in the sad club, just tryna get a backrub (lonely)
I'm miserable and seeking comfort or affection
I loathe romancing in itself yea I'd be damned to try
I dislike the idea of relationships and don't want to pursue them
I'm only dancing by myself so I don't slam my Irish buck
I dance alone to avoid getting hurt or hurting others
Compostable cups B-B-Benee I can't stress this enough
Although it's irrelevant to my pain, I care about the environment
I would hate to mess things up
I don't want to ruin anything or make things worse
But my boogie still stays restless as fuck, yeah
I'm still anxious and antsy, despite everything
La-la-la-la (woo), la-la-la-la
Singing to distract myself from my feelings
Lonely (I'm a lonely bitch) (la, la-la-la, la-la-la, la-la)
I feel lonely and it's a constant state of being
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la (la, la-la-la, la-la-la, la-la)
Singing to distract myself from my feelings
Lonely (super lonely) (lonely)
I feel extremely lonely and it's overwhelming
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la (I've been lonely, I've been lonely)
Singing to distract myself from my feelings
Lonely (I've been lonely, by the way)
I've been feeling very alone lately
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la (la, la-la-la, la-la-la, la-la)
Singing to distract myself from my feelings
Lonely (I've been lonely)
I've been feeling very alone lately
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
@queenwizzard1853
That “I’ve been lonely mmm ah yeah.” Line goes so hard
@Lisaaa._.530
ikr omg
@erini.5650
frrrr it's my favorite line of the song
@samjosh9246
QueenWizzard nah it’s really annoying and designed to get stuck in your head
@thedome2064
sam josh you must be fun at parties
@ossaidahmad5447
QueenWizzard look like Mia khalifa with profile pic
@angeleech
This brings back vibes when quarantine just started 💀
@Dungeonsynthenjoyer
And we would all think we’d go back in like a week 💀
@akumulight
I kinda wanna go back the vibes in April and March and May hit different
@ye2216
@@akumulight same its weird it wasn't as bad as it is now