Biography
Who is Benee?
Early life and background
Born Stella Rose Bennett on January 30, 2000, she grew up in the Grey Lynn suburb of Auckland. Her father, Beny J. Primm, is a video editor, and her mother worked as an actor. During her school years, she attended St Mary's College, an all-girls Catholic school. Music was a requirement there, leading her to study the saxophone at age eight and later the guitar during her primary school years.
Despite her early musical training, she briefly stepped away from music to focus on water polo. After finishing school, she briefly attended the Auckland University of Technology to study communications. She left the program after two weeks. To support herself during this transitional period, she held jobs as a pizza cook and a dishwasher while beginning to produce her own music at age 17.
Musical career beginnings
She began sharing her early musical creations on the platform SoundCloud under the name Bene. These uploads caught the attention of Universal Music New Zealand, which led her to work with producer Josh Fountain. Her debut single, Tough Guy, arrived in late 2017. Her 2018 track Soaked earned significant local attention, eventually reaching number 14 on New Zealand charts and achieving double-platinum status by April 2022.
Following the success of Soaked, she signed with Republic Records. In 2019, she released her debut EPs titled Fire on Marzz and Stella & Steve. She officially changed her professional name to Benee around this time. Her work on Fire on Marzz was recognized at the 2019 New Zealand Music Awards, where she won categories including Best Solo Artist, Best Pop Artist, and Single of the Year.
International breakthrough and viral success
The singer achieved global recognition in 2019 and 2020 when her single Supalonely, featuring Gus Dapperton, went viral on TikTok. The song spawned widespread dance challenges and entered the Top 40 charts in more than 25 countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. She performed the track on major American television programs such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
In November 2020, she released her debut studio album, Hey U X, which peaked at number 2 on the New Zealand Albums Chart. The project included collaborations with artists like Mallrat and Muroki. She also launched her own vanity record label called Olive Records, signing the reggae musician Muroki to the imprint. Her second studio album, titled Ur an Angel I'm Just Particles, was released in November 2025.
Recent projects and collaborations
In 2022, she released the EP Lychee, which reached number 13 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart. That same year, she relocated to Los Angeles and collaborated with various musicians, including Jeremy Zucker, Easy Life, and Johnny Orlando. In 2023, she contributed the song Do It Again, a collaboration with Mallrat, as the official track for the FIFA Women's World Cup.
Her work expanded into film in 2024 when she appeared as the character Kirsten in the movie Head South, a production centered on the 1979 Christchurch post-punk scene. She also continued to release music throughout 2025, including the singles Off The Rails and Cinnamon. She remains active in the industry, supporting other artists on tour and contributing to various collaborative projects.
Birthday and age
Benee was born on January 30, 2000, which makes Benee 26 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aquarius sign. Benee shares the date with 27 other famous people.
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