New Zealand-born, LA-based viral sensation BENEE discusses how it took creating a world to find a place in the music landscape with Atwood Magazine. Her sophomore LP ‘Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles’ is a self-built universe stitched from science, spirituality, and spiraling emotion, charting her evolution from viral wunderkind to restless, world-building auteur.

Stream: ‘Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles’ – BENEE

**In 2022, Rolling Stone Australia said Benee is “releasing art on her own terms.” This assessment now proves accurate.**

BENEE’s sophomore album Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles, out now via. Republic Records, finds the artist stepping beyond her bounds into a world of her own design, looking through its haystacks for something permanent. If you haven’t heard her name since the pandemic, now is your chance to tune back in for the development of the dreamy, rip-roaring creator she has become. She is less concerned with making hits and more with making something that hits home, maneuvering briskly from alt-pop viral sensation to an intimate and infinite artist.

Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles - BENEE — Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles – BENEE

You can hear this transformation in the way she speaks. Sitting with one leg up on the chair, shiny, black hair cascading, her delicate, almost Bjork-ian features scrunching up when she laughs. She fights off her foster kitten’s nibbles with one hand, and gestures emphatically with the other. She talks about her brush with existentialism, unclear if it is a fleeting source of inspiration or a foundation to build a worldview on.

The project is not completely unfamiliar. Tracks like “Demons” and “Chainmail” take stock of her mental health, while “Cinnamon” and “Sad Boii” spill the realities of a Gen Z romance, topics she has addressed before. Somewhere along the way, BENEE finds herself staring into a canyon. Whether she has been led there or she stumbled upon it all herself, it is hard to tell. Nevertheless, she should thank the force that brought her there for transforming the natural disaster into a beacon of life and possibility. In her own words, “I developed the story of obsession, breakdown, chaos, and ascent, which are the four chapters of the record.”

BENEE 'Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles' © Jorge Rico — BENEE ‘Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles’ © Jorge Rico

The roadmap to the record is clear upon first listen. BENEE’s comfort with contiguity is best exemplified through the clear bounce yet warbly production of “Underwater,” or the hyperpop headbanger that is “Off the Rails.”

Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles is a tall order for any musician, but BENEE proves that she is ready to scale this mountain. The New Zealand-born, LA-based viral sensation discusses how it took creating a world to find a place in the music landscape with Atwood Magazine.

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:: stream/purchase Ur an Angel I’m Just Particles here ::

:: connect with BENEE here ::

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A CONVERSATION WITH BENEE

Atwood Magazine: With artists who blow up so early in their career, there is a heavier expectation of the sophomore album. This is where they can subvert expectations and reinvent themselves or delve deeper into the identity they have created. Did you feel this pressure?

BENEE: I thought I was on a good path pre-blowing up. Watching people drop off I felt the pressure to release an album, which I did. Listening back to that record, which I do love for that moment in time, it was more of an eclectic pace. That made me appreciate an album that has a strong story. I realized that I needed to sit down and take a lot of time with the next record. I kind of realized in the first year of making it that it was going to take me a lot longer than I thought it would. Coming to terms with that was stressful. With how we consume music now, it’s so fast. I felt that my relevance was on the line.

How did you establish the theme of the project?

BENEE: In this title, the “angel” part is the creative world that I have created in response to the chaos of the world. I had to find peace in not knowing. The “particles” part is the science I am fascinated by. When I get too existential, I want to talk to a scientist; I want educated thoughts. I was thinking a lot about time, I use the doomsday clock as a visual motif for the album. That countdown concept terrifies me.

How does music give you a sense of purpose in this world?

BENEE: Being able to write about it is how I cope with it. I also realize how many people have the same thoughts. Like SZA’s latest album was very existential. As an artist, I have realized more and more how important it is to be a source of comfort and support for people. I may think my life is hard, but there will always be someone who is in a worse situation than you. How much a song can help is so moving for me. Even a sense of childlike wonder makes everything that much brighter.

Which songs do you return to for comfort and support?

BENEE: “Life Is Not the Same” by James Blake.

That song punched me in the face when I first heard it.

BENEE: Totally. I love how it talks about companionship. I relate to that after moving from New Zealand to LA. I also rinsed “Good Days” when it came out. I actually worked with the guitarist [Carter Lang] on that song, who was so lovely. It made me realize the importance of live instruments, which I use a lot more now.

In “Animal,” you deflect your feelings with this cheeky concept of the “microcelebrity.” How does your fame affect your worldview?

BENEE: I had a taste of fame, but I was humbled pretty quickly. The “one hit wonder” thing is so annoying. It limits the path of an artist. You can’t put growing and learning on a timeline. I want to do that forever. Sometimes I think if I didn’t have a hit, I probably wouldn’t have so much self-doubt. Music artists deal with some unique shit. Like, “Oh, I liked your slow songs.” But you wouldn’t say that to a painter!

Do you want to make hits?

BENEE: Don’t get me wrong, I would love to play big shows. At that point, I could have unlimited creative ideas for the live set-up. The most important thing now is realizing that you need people who are going to be there forever, whether that means being mainstream or having a cult audience. That’s how I am with James Blake. But when I come into a session and someone says “We’re going to make a hit!” I’m like “Dear God.”

I noticed you’ve scaled back in collaborators. Was that a conscious decision?

BENEE: I don’t like a lot of voices when I am in the studio. That might also just be a response to moving to LA. I felt like I was speed dating for at least a year in sessions.

How was collaborating with PinkPantheress?

BENEE: Vicky and I are in the same circle in LA. I met her through my close friends. I knew I wanted a feature on “Princess,” so I sent her the track. She sent a verse and it was perfect.

“Off the Rails” is a fun little blip and stands out in the catalogue. Why did you feature it on this album?

BENEE: I’ve had that song for probably three years. I always loved it, but I wasn’t sure where it should go. After listening back to it, I thought, “This is undeniably a solid song.” It made perfect sense in the world of this album. I developed the story of obsession, breakdown, chaos, and ascent, which are the four chapters of the record. This song was the epitome of chaos.

“Heaven” is delightful and devastating. Why did you include a song about grief on this record?

BENEE: This was also one of the earlier songs I wrote. I wrote it in New Zealand on an island called “Waiheke.” It’s about my grandad passing. Losing someone you love when you are older just hits so different. I lost a lot of family members when I was younger, which didn’t feel as real or as massive. This happened just after COVID, and I completely spiraled. I had this weird peace coming to terms with death. It’s strange and it’s natural. Especially for him, he was ready to die. That really changed my outlook on things. This tied into ascent, and concluded the album perfectly.

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