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Elvie Shane and his Single, “My Boy”

After being asked to join a small chorus program in the 4th grade, Elvie Shane sang his first solo which he described as “one of those defining moments.” 

“It was the first time I remember my dad ever telling me he was proud of me. That was reward enough,” he said with a laugh. 

Upon graduating high school, Shane moved to Nashville. After landing in a few different cities along the way, Shane recently settled down in his wife’s hometown in eastern Kentucky. 

Looking back on his journey playing bars and passionately writing songs, Shane explained he’s learned that the single most common factor that hinders success is money. 

“Most of the time it is money that keeps people from chasing their dreams. If you want to be an actor or a musician, there are all these things (that make you question) how am I going to make a living and do that? I think you just have to start doing something that will get you moving in that direction and the rest will take care of itself, if you are passionate,” he said.

Shane said he recently saw a quote from Jimmie Allen that said, “Support the dream until it supports you.” 

Finding this to be a brilliant statement, Shane commented, “I wish that advice would have been around for me.” 

Instead, Shane came up with his own way to guide his steps using a pen and a piece of paper. 

“The advice that was around for me came in the form of pen and paper. One day I (sat) down with a paper and pen and wrote down what I wanted my life to look like in five years. It was like magic.”

Five years passed and he was able to look back on who he was to see his career and personal growth.

“Out of the five, there was one we hadn’t met. I can’t take credit for that as much as I can give credit to the people who have come into my life in the past six years,” he said.

Shane acknowledged that one of key secrets to his success has been knowing when and where he needs help, so that he is able to grow and become the best artist he can be.

“Let people in your team be mighty where you are weak,” he said with a smile on his face.

Elvie Shane’s Inspiration for “My Boy”

His first hit single, “My Boy” defines how he found a new purpose in life when he met his wife. 

“I was 25 when I met my wife, and she told me (that) she had a 5 year old little boy. I needed a lot more purpose in my life, and her and him became that purpose,” he said.

The inspiration for “My Boy” was triggered from a Facebook post that he saw saying, “I don’t have a stepson, I have a son that was born before I met him.” 

“That resonated with me. I was sitting on the back porch with a few boys and started writing stuff that I liked. We set out to write about something that mattered that night, and I told them about the post. One of them was trying to leave and another one put a guitar in his hands strategically to keep him around.”

That night one of his co-writers asked Shane to talk about his son. He said his response was, “Dude, he’s my boy.” 

In that moment, Shane knew he had found his next tune.

Shane continued, “It turned into four grown men hugging and crying on the porch five, or six hours later. We knew that night (that) we had something special.”

Looking ahead, Shane hopes to release more music later this Spring. 

“I can’t wait for people to hear it and get to know me better because these songs come from a very honest place,” he concluded.

Elvie Shane Tour Dates

Connect with elvie shane.

To learn more about Elvie Shane, visit his website at https://www.elvieshane.com .

Luke Bryan Announces “Mind Of A Country Boy Tour”

Luke to Headline Atlanta’s Truist Field & Wrigley Field in Chicago with Special Guest Bailey Zimmerman

Tour will highlight multiple guest artists, tickets on sale february 9 at www.lukebryan.com.

Five-time Entertainer of the Year and American Idol celebrity judge Luke Bryan will kick off his 2024 “Mind Of A Country Boy Tour” in Canada in Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome on April 17 with Chayce Beckham and Tenille Arts joining. The tour will run through mid-September. Tickets on sale February 9 at www.LukeBryan.com .

Luke will also feature multiple special guests throughout the “Mind Of A Country Boy Tour”: Tenille Arts, Chayce Beckham, George Birge, King Calaway, Dillon Carmichael, Larry Fleet, HunterGirl, Ella Langley, Tracy Lawrence, Kameron Marlowe, Chase Matthew, Meghan Patrick, Lily Rose, Josh Ross, Alana Springsteen, Zach Top,  and DJ Rock. For many years, Luke has lifted up and mentored new artists by offering them the opportunity to perform in front of his concert audiences. The tour boasts two stadium dates this year, Truist Field in Atlanta on August 17 with Bailey Zimmerman, Kameron Marlowe and Chayce Beckham and Wrigley Field in Chicago on August 25 with Bailey Zimmerman, Tracy Lawrence and Chayce Beckham. The tour is produced by Live Nation.

Ticket presale for Luke’s fan club members begins Tuesday, Feb 6 at 8am local time through Thursday, February 8 at 5pm local time. For details go HERE .

Citi is the official card of Luke Bryan’s “Mind of a Country Boy Tour”. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Wednesday, February 7th, at 10 am local time until Thursday, Feb 8 th , at 10 pm local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit  www.citientertainment.com .

“Mind Of A Country Boy Tour” is aptly titled after a song from Luke’s upcoming album release.

During his career Luke has performed for more than 14 million fans inclusive of his numerous headline tours, “Crash My Playa,” “Luke Bryan: VEGAS” and “Farm Tour.”

Media has touted his enthusiasm, energy and ability to connect with audience during each and every concert.

The key to his success as one of country music’s foremost ambassadors for more than a decade has been his long-perfected onstage blend of lovable goofball, sultry swagger and positive attitude – Billboard

Bryan remains an imminently affable presence on stage prowess as a performer- Charlotte Observer

Luke Bryan cements his Entertainer of the year status (with sold-out Bridgestone show) – Sounds Like Nashville

Some of his best moments are connecting with the crowd between songs. He chatted about how it always seems to rain when he comes to Hershey (as it did just before the show) and how he realized how lucky he is to do what he does. I’ve seen Luke dozens of times, and he’s always a true entertainer. It truly was a great night- WGTY PD/morning host Scott Donato

Armed with a lengthy arsenal of hits, his enduring everyman charm and more energy than the Energizer Bunny, it’s a sure bet Bryan’s tour will continue to be one of the hottest tickets this concert season. He promises a party and you can tell it brings Bryan a great deal of joy to deliver on that promise- Newsbreak

Headliner Luke Bryan proved that he is still the reigning king of the modern country genre- Digital Journal

I t is a moving and quite telling testament to Bryan’s ability to unite a mass of strangers through the beauty of his music. The country music artist backs up his title as the “King of Country Music” when he put on a performance of a lifetime. It was a symbol of the significance live music has on uniting people, especially after a year of isolation- Tribune Journal  

The “Mind Of A Country Boy Tour” will launch during the American Idol season on ABC where Luke serves as a celebrity judge alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Idol premieres on February 18.

Tour Playlist HERE .

“Mind Of A Country Boy Tour” Schedule

*Not a Live Nation date

**On sale Feb 16

for full list of opening acts on each show go to www.lukebryan.com

About Luke Bryan

During his career, Luke has amassed a total of 21.2 Billion global streams, 11.5 Million global album sales and 55.3M track sales worldwide.  He is the most digital single RIAA certified country artist of all time with 84M digital single units and 15.5M album certified units for a total of 99.5M.

He has placed 30 singles at #1 and has accumulated 56 total weeks spent at #1 in his career. He was recently presented with the SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award in recognition of his standing as one of the most streamed artists in SoundExchange’s 20-year history.

His headline concert tours have played sold-out shows for 14 million fans inclusive of nearly 40 stadium concerts, Farm Tours, Spring Break shows, and ‘Crash My Playa’ destination concert events.

Luke has won 50+ major music awards including five wins as Entertainer of the Year. Additional awards include six recognitions as a CMT Artist of the Year, NSAI Artist/Songwriter of the Year, the first-ever recipient of the ACM Album of the Decade Award for Crash My Party , seven CMT Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, and four American Music Awards—as well as being named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 2010s, the Most Heard Artist of the Decade by Country Aircheck, and the Artist Humanitarian Recipient by the Country Radio Broadcasters.

About Live Nation Entertainment

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com

Luke Bryan Contact:

Jessie Schmidt / Schmidt Relations, [email protected]

Live Nation Concerts Contacts:

Monique Sowinski | [email protected]

Valeska Thomas | [email protected]

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Joey Fatone and AJ McLean Are Crossing the Boy-Band Streams on a Joint Tour

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

At the turn of the millennium, the battle lines in the boy-band wars were fairly clear. You were either on Team Backstreet Boys or Team ‘NSync. Some fans took a Switzerland-like stance and professed equal love for both groups, but they were mostly full of shit. Everyone had a favorite.

The cold war turned hot when ‘NSync’s Chris Kirkpatrick and the Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean dated the same woman a couple of years apart. “I wanted to punch AJ’s lights out for a little while,” Kirkpatrick said years later. “I guess he was talking smack to her about me, so I confronted him on it and wanted to kick his ass.”

This year, Backstreet Boys are off the road, which frees up McLean up for a collaborative tour with ‘NSync’s Joey Fatone that will officially mark the last vestiges of any sense of rivalry between the two groups. They have yet to finalize the set list, but expect them to cross the boy-band streams by playing each other’s songs throughout the evening.

We hopped on a Zoom with McLean and Fatone to hear about the history of their supposed feud, how they came together for this tour, what fans can expect once they take the stage together, and the ultimate dream of an ‘NSync/Backstreet Boys mega tour.

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AJ McLean: The Tupperware, yes. Over off of freakin’ OBT [Orange Blossom Trail].

Joey: I knew them before Brian [Littrell] and Kevin [Richardson] were in the group. I knew the Backstreet Boys before they were really the Backstreet Boys.

What were your first impressions of them? Joey: “Why is everybody else doing this and I’m not doing that? That’s what I want to do.” I saw New Kids do it back in the day too. “Why am I not doing that?”

AJ, what’s your first memory of Joey? AJ: Before I knew anybody else in the group, just from hanging around in the Orlando area, Joey was doing stuff at Universal, and I knew people at Universal, and we crossed paths quite a few times. I knew that he was a singer. But the first time I knew about ‘NSync as a whole was when Lou [Pearlman] and our previous manager, Johnny [Wright], had kind of signed them. We had heard that they were kind of similar to us, but we didn’t really know. We had been going already and we were just burnt out, fried … tour, tour, tour. And Disney came to us and they asked us to do a special of some sorts.

Joey: It was a concert special that they were doing with a lot of different artists that were doing performances around Universal. They were doing that a lot.

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AJ: The rest is history. That changed things for them, kind of overnight really.

The boy-band lore is that the Backstreet Boys were initially less than thrilled that this new boy band was suddenly on the scene. Is that true? AJ: No, it’s not “less than thrilled.” Look, there was always healthy competition. Period. But because there was no social media, because we all weren’t hanging out together … back then press was different. It was magazines. There was no online. So the press was basically depicting this theory that we were against each other, and that was never the case. And we never really had an opportunity, either group, to speak on it because everybody’s lives were going full speed. We did multiple shows with these guys. We did the Radio Music Awards, Billboard Awards.

Joey, is that how you saw it? Joey: Yeah. A few of us always would talk and say hi to each other, but they always kind of … kept us away just to make it a competition to make us do better. We were like, “What could we do just to be above everybody?” It wasn’t like, “Oh, we need to beat them. We need to be better than them.” It was more like, “No, man, let’s try to do what we’re going to do, and we just want to be number one.” But when you get older, you start to realize, “That’s not even the main purpose of anything because if we all are able to go on the same thing, who cares if we’re number one or number two?”

Joey: When we finally got together, it was always like, “Do we have any animosity?” It’s like, “No.” They just kept us away from each other because of what was going on with the whole Lou thing, becoming a sixth member. They didn’t want us to talk to each other about what was going on behind the scenes with Pearlman.

AJ: Yeah, I think probably the only time that some of my boys were a little bit … was when Jive Records signed ‘NSync. We had the same label, same managers, same producers. It was like, “OK, now it’s a little too much. We can all coexist and we can all help each other, but now it’s like everyone’s doing the same thing.”

AJ: One of my all-time favorites from those guys is “Digital Get Down.” I just love the lyrics. I love the flow of this song. Who produced that?

Joey: What’s his face … David Nicoll. Do you remember him?

AJ: Yeah! There were songs of theirs that me, personally, I’m like, “Man, that would’ve been a great Backstreet record.” “Pop” was one of them. “Gone” too. It’s funny because “It’s Gotta Be You” and “It’s Gonna Be Me” were both like … You’re just changing one word. “It’s Gonna Be Me” is one of my favorite ‘NSync videos. I thought that was genius with the dolls.

Joey: Thank you, sir.

AJ: It was comparable to “Backstreet’s Back” where we did full makeup. But I really think “It’s Gonna Be Me” was ‘NSync’s “Backstreet’s Back,” video-wise.

Joey: We never had the bodies to do the rain stuff. That didn’t work for us.

AJ: You weren’t missing out on anything. Trust me.

Joey, what were your favorite Backstreet Boys songs? Joey: “Quit Playing Games,” that’s my favorite song. It’s quite possibly my all-time favorite. The first time I heard it, I was like, “That’s a badass song. You sons of bitches, damn it.” And “Larger Than Life” is a great one too. When you take a song like that apart and deconstruct it or just listen to the harmony, you realize it’s just dope. You have got to give credit where it’s due.

How did you first get the idea for this collaborative tour? Joey: It really started with my idea of having different guys from different groups. The idea of it came back way back when I did Dancing With the Stars. It was with Drew Lachey, Joey McIntyre, and Joey Lawrence. My whole idea was more of a Rat Pack feel.

AJ: That’s a lot of Joeys.

But now that everybody sees it, they’re like, “Oh, my God, this is the frickin’ greatest thing ever.” I said, “It’d be fun if we sang each other’s song and then either poke fun at each other and then maybe we can do some new material. What about songs that you’ve never sang before and always wanted to sing?” So that’s how that became about. And I started doing shows with Dee Snider and Scott Stapp and all these people. But of course, what really worked was me and AJ.

AJ, how does it feel to sing ‘NSync songs? It’s gotta be weird, like seeing Mick Jagger do “Hey Jude” or something. AJ : Well, I’ll take that compliment. Honestly, it’s really fun. It’s fresh because I have no shame in saying I am an ‘NSync fan. I’m a fan of good music, and they’ve got great songs, and they have an amazing catalog. So to get up there and to sing these songs with a member of that band, it’s just fuckin’ cool.

One of the other things that I love about this show is that we have a live band, so we can change the show from night to night. This show is just ever evolving. We’re going to sing each other’s songs and sing songs of other groups that we’re fans of that take you back, whether it’s Green Day or Nirvana. We just added Lady Gaga to the set. It is like a Vegas revue. It’s got a little bit of everything. It’s got comedy, it’s got heart, it’s got great music. It’s got a lot of great interaction with the audience.

Joey, how do you feel when you sing “Backstreet’s Back?” Is that a weird moment for you? Joey: One time I yelled, “Give it up for ‘NSync!” at one of the shows. It automatically went to my brain out of nowhere. I’m used to hearing my guys sing the songs every night. To hear a different person sing those lines differently from what you’re used to, I like that. It’s a change of pace. I’m sure AJ hears Nick every night singing certain lines. He doesn’t often hear me sing one of his lines. So it’s different, and I think it’s a cool, fun take on it.

We did a show that was Joey, Nick, and Lance during Pride. Joey and Lance taught Nick and I the choruses to “Bye Bye Bye.” So the four of us did full-on choreography, and the audience went nuts. They were like, “Oh, my God, you guys know the moves?” It’s like, “We’ve known them for years — we’ve just never done them together live in a show.”

A ton of Nineties nostalgia conventions have popped up in recent years. What do you think is driving that? Joey: What goes around comes around in a circle. It sounds funny to say that we’re kind of nostalgia. We are, but we’re not. We’re still working and still doing things, but our songs and our music, you got to be real. It’s over 20 years now, 30 years for some of our songs.

A lot of these women are now in their 30s, 40s. They have children; they want an outlet. They want something to experience. They want to relive their childhood. So this is something almost like giving thanks [to fans] for all the years that you’ve been supportive for us.

What have these conventions been like for you, AJ? AJ: It’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. We’ve done meet-and-greets and it’s so fast-paced, you don’t really get to spend quality time with your amazing fans. And doing these Cons, you’re going at your own pace. So when you’re at your booth and the fans come up and they get an autograph and they get a photo, you could talk to one girl for 15 minutes if you want to.

You get to hear them tell you these great stories of why they’re fans and how they’re moms now, and they got their kids into it now, this whole new generation. It reminds you why you love what you do, and it just keeps you going.

Plus, Joey and I are both geeks. We take breaks during the Cons, and we’ll walk around and buy stuff. I’m a huge comic book nerd. So I’m getting comics, and then Funkos. My poor wife is just like, “I don’t understand.” I’m like, “You’re not supposed to understand. This is what I like.” There’s worse hobbies I could have. Comic books and Funkos and sneakers. Those are my vices.

Joey: The thing that really sets me and AJ apart from everybody else is we are performers. We love to perform onstage. Whatever it is, let’s go for it. Whether it be acting, whether it be singing. So I think that’s kind of why this works as far as us performing onstage.

Joey, when ‘NSync split, you were relatively young. It forced you to go out and really reinvent yourself. Joey: Well, thank God it didn’t force me. I wanted to. It wasn’t like, “Oh damn, I’m out of a job. What have I got to do?” It was more or less, “Holy shit, these doors are opened. Let’s see if I can walk in. I may suck, but let’s find out.”

I always wanted to do Broadway. Right after ‘NSync, I did Rent on Broadway. I did Little Shop of Horrors on Broadway. And then when I did Dancing With the Stars, people saw my personality. People were like, “Oh, he’s not just a guy from ‘NSync. He’s actually a person that actually acts.” It was interesting the path that I had to go through, but it was amazing.

AJ: Joey’s got to fulfill a lot of dreams that have been on my plate since I was six years old. I’m a huge fan. I mean, I grew up in musical theater, so to be able to do Broadway someday is on my bucket list. To do a movie, on my bucket list. Joey’s done three My Big Fat Greek Wedding s.

AJ, speaking solely as ‘NSync fan, are you hoping they tour one day with all five of them? AJ: Honestly, I am. And there’s been so many talks. Even before Trolls and before them coming together again, there’s been so many years of talks of Backstreet and ‘NSync touring together and a stadium tour. I’m not trying to start a new rumor. But if Backstreet, ‘NSync, and Spice Girls did a tour together, the world would melt down.

There are no stadiums big enough for a tour like that. AJ: What a great, almost like send-off moment that would be for everyone’s career. And it’s only for the fans, to say one big giant thank you for years and years of being loyal fans to all of us.

AJ, is there talk of a new Backstreet Boys record? You guys had a legit hit on the last one. AJ: We definitely have a lot of things coming up that are kind of on the QT, but definitely we are not done. We want to go back to Vegas at some point down the road. We would love to go back to do another residency, a little longer. We didn’t even expect the residency that we did to go two years. It was supposed to be nine shows, and it became 81 shows, the fastest-selling residency in Vegas history.

But 2024, we’re all taking a break. We’re doing a couple of one-offs. I just released my first single. I have my first EP coming out shortly, and then there will be even more music from me over the course of the summer and the end of the year, and then eventually touring on my own.

But being able to do my solo stuff in this show with Joey, it’s an honor, it’s a privilege, and I’m very grateful for it because I get to be myself even more so in a show like this. Joey and I are very much paralleled universe. We’re very much similar individuals in many facets of our life, onstage and offstage. We really complement one another. But there is definitely some really big things on the horizon for Backstreet.

The Beach Boys are still touring in their 80s. There’s no reason you can’t do the same thing. AJ: Kevin said that we would love to be the Rolling Stones of pop. I mean, crap, we’re coming up on 31 years. Before you know it, we’re going to blink our eyes, and it’ll be 40 years. I don’t think we’ll be dancing at 40 years, just so you know.

Joey: I think Kevin is going to look exactly the same. I think he drank vampire’s blood. He’ll look exactly the same, and have hair.

AJ: I’m very jealous of that, by the way.

Joey: We’re all jealous.

People are never going to stop wanting to hear you guys sing these songs. Joey: I’m going to be 90 in Vegas going [sings “I Want You Back” in an old man’s voice], “You’re the one that I want/You’re the one that I need.”

So is this tour the final bit of evidence that any Backstreet/’NSync feud, real or imagined, is 100 percent over? Joey: I don’t think there’s been any animosity since 1997. Chris and AJ had a thing, but that was because of a girl.

AJ: We dated the same girl two years apart, and that was it. Now we’re the best of friends. We have so much in common. He’s a dad. I’m a dad. He’s married. We’re boys now.

There’s been a lot of debate over which group was bigger. What’s your take? Joey: I mean, there’s no competition. We are. We’re the biggest group ever.

AJ: Clearly, 30 years says everything. I mean, come on.

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Every year that passes, the demand for an ‘NSync tour just grows. It’ll be such a big deal when it happens. Joey: I don’t know if I want to be there for it. I’m nervous.

AJ: I’ll be front row, man. It’s going to be really hard for me not to want to jump onstage and sing all your songs.

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Elvie Shane

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New Song “My Boy” Available Now

‘I don’t have a stepson, I have a son that was born before I met him.’ That’s the quote that inspired Elvie Shane to write his new song, “My Boy.” Released today via Wheelhouse Records, fans can click below to hear the track and watch the lyric video.

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That's My Boy by Justin Moore

Songfacts®:

• Justin Moore wrote this song specifically for his toddler-aged son, Thomas. That's my boy He's a blue chip straight off the blocker Jacked up old truck, Kenwood rocker Fist sized dent in a football locker The proud father is reflecting on the person he hopes Thomas becomes.
• When Moore wrote the song for Thomas, he was too young to appreciate it. "My son's not even 2 years old yet, so he won't get it right now," he noted to Billboard . "But that's something I'll be proud to share with him down the road, and he'll have it forever."
• This was written by Moore with producer Jeremy Stover during a last-minute writing session for Late Nights and Longnecks . Late on the penultimate day of recording the album, while sitting in his hot tub, the singer had an idea for a song called "That's My Boy. " Moore and Stover called co-writer Casey Beathard, who joined them early the next morning. They wrote the tune in an hour, dashed to the studio, and spent the rest of the day tracking it. "The whole thing happened in 12 hours, and that's the first time that ever happened to me," Moore told Taste of Country .
• Thomas has three older sisters, but this is the first time their daddy has specifically written a song for one of his children. Moore is fully aware he'll have to atone for that with his three daughters. He told The Boot he has a tattoo on one arm for his oldest girl, so that could be an option for the other two. "My wife and I, two years ago, we had our first son. I wrote a song for him about being a dad to a little boy. And so maybe I can get around to either working out and then getting some more tattoos, or writing more songs for the girls. I don't know, but either way, this song is really special to me."
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"Zoot Suit Riot" isn't just a Cherry Poppin' Daddies song - they were real riots in Los Angeles in 1943 that inspired the lyrics.

Outside Staind

Staind's big moment came in 1999 when lead singer Aaron Lewis played "Outside" on Limp Bizkit's Family Values tour. The live, acoustic version earned lots of radio play.

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Benson Boone Declares "Beautiful Things" Is No Fluke: "I've Tapped Into How I'll Write For The Rest Of My Life"

On his debut album, 'Fireworks and Rollerblades,' Benson Boone doubles down on the anthemic sound and cathartic narrative of his breakout smash — and promises this is truly just the beginning.

If there's one way to describe Benson Boone 's breakthrough year, look to the title of his debut album, Fireworks and Rollerblades .

While the name was borrowed from a lyric on the LP, Boone sees it as a metaphor for his life: "I feel like things have taken off for me like a firework tied to a rollerblade, all very quickly."

He's not wrong. In the three months since the pop singer/songwriter released the album's lead single, the booming ballad "Beautiful Things," Boone has held a comfortable position in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 (peaking at No. 2 as of press time), held a five-week reign on Billboard's Global 200 chart, topped charts in multiple countries, and amassed nearly half a billion streams on Spotify alone. The song has helped Boone become one of the biggest breakout stars of 2024 so far, but his talent is something many have been seeing for the past few years.

Building a career off of penning raw lyrics strung together with memorable hooks and thrashing piano riffs, the Washington native first made waves on social media and during Season 19 of "American Idol" in 2021, where judge Lionel Richie pointed out his natural talent: "You know, there's some folks who need to practice, and there's some folks who are just gifted at it." That same quality caught the ear of Imagine Dragons ' Dan Reynolds , who promptly signed the rising star to his Warner Records imprint Night Street Records right around the time Boone morphed into a TikTok superstar .

His powerful voice and penchant for vulnerability is what's had fans enthralled from the start, whether with early hit "Ghost Town" (a raw mediation on love with lyrics like,"Maybe you'd be happier with someone else/ Maybe loving me's the reason you can't love yourself") or the unflinching tracks on Fireworks and Rollerblades like the "Beautiful Things" follow-up "Slow it Down" ("I get nervous, oh, I'm anxious/ Maybe loving you is dangerous"). But for Boone, he simply doesn't know how to write any other way: "Nobody is going to relate to your lyrics if they're not real."

Just before releasing Fireworks & Rollerblades — and just after kicking off his sold-out tour of the same name — Boone spoke to GRAMMY.com about his success, debut album and the fine art of capturing authentic emotions in his work.

It's rare in today's zeitgeist to have a relatively new artist achieve the success you've seen recently. But now that you have the following, it becomes about following it up. So after the astronomical success of "Beautiful Things," does that make releasing your debut album stressful or stress free?

I definitely understand feeling the pressure for this album. But "Beautiful Things" was its own moment, and we worked very hard to get it to where that went — and I know that doesn't always happen, and I'm not expecting that. But I'm just doing my best to get the album to as many people as I can regardless of whether it doesn't stream at all or it does great.

I'm truly so proud of these songs, and I've made something I love and that I'm passionate about. So I'm just excited to get my first album out.

How do you usually write a song? Do you have one surefire way?

I think the last couple of months I've kind of tapped into how I'll probably write for most of the rest of my life. It's just me and the piano, usually late at night when I can't sleep. I'll sit there and start playing chords and singing random melodies. That's how it starts, and I'll take it down to the studio to beat it up and hopefully get a song [out of it].

Tony Bennett once said, "if you steal from one person, you're just a thief. But if you steal from everyone, that's research." When you were first getting started, who were your musical inspirations?

Growing up I listened to a lot of Billy Joel, Sam Smith , Adele , Stevie Wonder , and Queen ; these are artists who use their voice as the main instrument for their songs. I think I took a lot of aspects from that into my own music and that's kind of how I operate. So when I write, I let my voice lead where the song goes. I think that's what I naturally picked up listening to those artists.

Many of your songs have deep emotion at their core. For example, on Fireworks and Rollerblades , you have a song called "Cry" and the lyrics go, "Cry cry cry/ Go ahead and ruin someone else's life." These are heavy sentiments. Does a weight come off your chest when you write these lyrics?

I think every song is very different; some of them are sad and some aren't. But I do like to pull inspiration from whatever I'm feeling at the time. So whatever I'm going through, that's when I want to write a song; when I'm feeling those emotions the strongest.

No matter what situation I'm in, I always feel better writing something in the middle of whatever emotion I'm feeling. So it does help me. It's therapeutic.

Have you ever written a lyric and then wound up deleting or rewriting it because you thought it was too personal or too revealing?

Honestly, no. I never want something to come out about someone else that they wouldn't want out, so I would never name drop somebody or say something personal about someone else. But for me, I'm not scared to be personal; being vulnerable is the most important thing in songwriting.

When you're finally performing a song you've written however long after, what's it like to hear people sing these emotional lyrics back to you? Do they still have that power for you, or have you worked through them in the interim and they lose that grip?

I think depending on the song, they never lose their grip. A song like "In the Stars," I'll always remember why I wrote that and I'll always think of that. But when I'm performing live, I'm not trying to get everyone to think of my experience because I understand that everybody has their own experience they can relate to. It's not always my grandma, it's not always my girlfriend, it's not always my parents or experiences. It's the audience's experiences, friends, significant others. So when I perform, I don't always think of something I've written a song about but rather giving them something that they can take and grip onto instead.

Speaking of, can you take me back to the late night awhile back when you wrote "Beautiful Things"? How was that particular one born?

Well, I had just moved to LA, and all I had in my house were a mattress and a piano. There were two nights I could not sleep hardly at all and I went downstairs that first night and wrote its verse and medley. But I couldn't really figure out a chorus, so I went back to bed.

The next night I came up with a completely new song and idea, and wrote a chorus but couldn't think of any verses. The next day I happened to have a session with two people I love very much, Jack LaFrantz and Evan Blair, and I showed them the verses idea and we sat there and couldn't figure out where we wanted to take the chorus. So separately I showed them my other chorus idea, and Jack said, "Why don't we make it the same song and make this the chorus?" And that's kind of how the structure of "Beautiful Things" came, but we worked on it for a long time.

Once it came together, we were like "This song is insane and it has so much potential." I've never had a song written like that, ever."

Where did the name of the album, Fireworks and Rollerblades , come from? Do you have a typical way of thinking of titles?

Each one is different, but that title came from a lyric from one of the songs called "Hello Love." It goes: "I can try to blame you but my mind ain't safe/ Like two fireworks tied to a rollerblade." It always stuck out to me and in the session I wrote that, I said, "Dude, if this is part of an album, we should name it Fireworks and Rollerblades , imagine how sick that would be." Everybody was super hyped on the idea, and it actually happened. I loved the lyric and that sentiment.

It's also similar to my life: I feel like things have taken off for me like a firework tied to a rollerblade, all very quickly. And rollerblading is something I love, so it all made sense. I'm so happy with that title.

Let's talk about the single "Slow It Down," an ironic title considering it went viral immediately out of the gate.

I think a lot of people I talked to were like, "Oh the pressure's on for this song!" after "Beautiful Things." But I love "Slow It Down," and writing it was so natural. Some people were listening to me write it and it came together so organically.

It's another very personal song for me. I'm trying my hardest to do my best, and that's all I can do. I can't force people to like or listen to that song. I'm just hoping that it resonates.

How do you know when you're finished with something? Can you easily step away?

I try not to think of deadlines. I'm very particular about how a song sounds, especially its production and how the vocals are treated. Every sound matters to me. Some songs come together a lot faster. But if it's not a simple production, sometimes they take a while and I have to rethink parts and then go sit with the producer and have them do this and this. Some of them take weeks, some of them take months, some of them take days. Each song is so incredibly different.

For Fireworks and Rollerblades , some tracks took a lot longer than I thought, especially "Beautiful Things" actually. It's always a rollercoaster trying to finish a song and the last 10 percent is the hardest part. But it paid off, and I'm so glad.

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Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

25 Years Of Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way": 10 Covers By Ed Sheeran, Lil Uzi Vert & More

To commemorate the anniversary of Backstreet Boys' biggest hit, take a look at 10 clever ways it's been covered and sampled — from Ed Sheeran's karaoke bit to a Weird Al special.

When the Backstreet Boys released "I Want It That Way" on April 12, 1999, they likely had no idea how beloved their smash hit would still be a quarter-century later.

Written by the Swedish powerhouse team of Andreas Carlsson and Max Martin , "I Want It That Way" is undoubtedly BSB's signature hit, particularly thanks to its memorable undulating melody and its long-debated cryptic meaning. But perhaps the most surprising part of the song's legacy is how it has resonated across genres — from a TikTok cover by Korn to a hip-hop sampling by Lil Uzi Vert .

As the Backstreet Boys celebrate the 25th anniversary of "I Want It That Way," take a look at how the song has been diversely covered, lovingly lampooned and karaoke jammed by an array of voices in the business.

Weird Al Yankovic (2003)

When the king of parody songs selects one to skewer, you know it's an iconic song. Weird Al Yankovic paid tribute to the largeness of the Backstreet Boys classic when he used "I Want It That Way" as the basis of a song called "eBay" in 2003.

Yankovic's chorus replaces the original's with, "A used pink bathrobe/ A rare mint snow globe/ A Smurf TV tray/ I bought on eBay." The Backstreet Boys send up appears on Yankovic's album Poodle Hat , which won Best Comedy Album at the 2004 GRAMMYs.

One Direction (2013)

Three years One Direction formed on "The X Factor," the five lads — Harry Styles , Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson — included a cover of "I Want It That Way" on their 2013 concert set lists, the young boy band paying homage to the ones that came before them. Though their English accents poked through at times, their version was loyal to the original, and got their crowds singing along.

"Glee" (2013)

Poking fun at the presumed rivalry between *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, a medley of the former's "Bye Bye Bye" and "I Want It That Way" was featured in Season 4, Episode 16 of "Glee." In the episode — aptly titled "Feud" — choir director Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) and glee club heartthrob Finn (Cory Monteith) face off in an epic boy band battle, which ultimately proved the groups' respective music was more cohesive than divisive.

Brittany Howard and Jim James (2016)

The lead singers of Alabama Shakes and My Morning Jacket covering a boy band classic. It doesn't sound real, but Brittany Howard and Jim James did just that in 2016 when they recorded "I Want It That Way" for an animated short cartoon called "A Love Story."

Released by the fast food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill, the clip was part of a creative campaign to showcase the company's focus on natural ingredients. Howard and James highlight the poignancy and versatility of the song by adding lush string arrangements and dramatic beats.

Backstreet Boys x Jimmy Fallon and The Roots (2018)

The 2018 live performance of "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots for "The Tonight Show" is arguably the sweetest rendition of the song — and not just because they're using a mini xylophone, baby tambourine and other toy classroom instruments. It's even more endearing than the previous collaborations between Fallon and Backstreet Boys: a barbershop singing version of Sisqo's "Thong Song" and a "Bawkstreet Boys" version of "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," with everyone dressed like fluffy birds.

The 1975 (2020)

British rockers The 1975 performed a fairly faithful cover of "I Want It That Way," hitting all the high notes at several of their 2023 world concert tour stops. But it's not the first time frontman Matty Healy has hinted at the Backstreet Boys' influence on his band: he told Pitchfork in 2020 that " College Dropout -era Kanye West meets Backstreet Boys" was part of their veritable moodboard at the time when working on their own song called "Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)."

Lil Uzi Vert (2020)

In 2020, Lil Uzi Vert released a rap song called "That Way" that includes a refrain of "I want it that way" sung to the tune of the Backstreet original, but with an AutoTune twist. From there, the lyrics become quite a bit naughtier than anything the BSB guys have uttered in any song.

"I don't know how [the idea of] Backstreet Boys got involved in this song, I really don't," the song's producer Supah Mario told Splice at the time. "I think it was all Uzi. But it was a game changer."

The interpolation was so good, in fact, that Nick Carter even invited Lil Uzi Vert to collaborate: "Now you're gonna have to be featured on our next album bud," he tweeted upon the song's release.

Korn (2022)

Fans of Korn know that the nu metal band has a sense of humor, but few could've expected that Jonathan Davis and crew would post a TikTok of themselves singing "I Want It That Way" in 2022.

"I never wanna hear you say… 'Worst Is On Its Way,'" reads the caption on the post, a tongue-in-cheek reference to Korn's 2022 song of the same name.

Backstreet Boys responded on the app via a hilarious Duet video with Nick Carter. In the video, Carter — who sports fabulous metal eye makeup and a long silver wig — doesn't actually say or sing anything, he just drops his jaw in amazement.

Backstreet Boys x Downy (2022)

Downy hired the Backstreet Boys to poke fun at "I Want It That Way" with the now-viral "Tell Me Why" commercial in 2022. All five members — Nick Carter, Howie Dorough , Brian Littrell , AJ McLean and Kevin Richardson — appear as a Backstreet Boys poster on the wall that comes to life, using the "tell me why" hook of their hit to engage a woman doing laundry in a conversation about washing her clothes.

As Saatchi group account director Jen Brotman told Muse at the time, the nostalgic ad also spawned some memories for the folks working on the ad campaign.

"The moment [BSB] stood in front of the camera, they rehearsed 'I Want It That Way' just to get the notes right, and we felt like we were getting serenaded on set," Brotman recalled. "We couldn't believe how emotional we all got — there may or may not have been tears in some eyes. The song has always been a karaoke favorite of the team, so we knew which 'tell me whys' we wanted them to hit, and we still can't get it out of our heads."

Ed Sheeran (2023)

When he fancies singing a bit of karaoke, Ed Sheeran loves leaning on "I Want It That Way," as the star showed at his favorite Nashville bar in July 2023. A patron caught him on camera and his happiness level is undeniable when belting out this enduring pop classic.

As Sheeran told CBS News a few months later, he grew up on the pop hits of everyone from Backstreet Boys to Britney Spears . But what he said about "I Want It That Way" specifically may be the best way to describe its long-lasting impact: "You can't be in a bar, a couple of beers in, and 'I Want It That Way' comes on and not be like, 'This is a good song.' You can't."

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Photo: Ashok Kumar/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Get Ready For Taylor Swift's ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ Album Release: Everything You Need To Know

As we count down to Taylor Swift's 11th studio album release on April 19, feast on all the morsels GRAMMY.com has gathered about the Queen of Pop's upcoming "tortured poet" era.

The dawn of Taylor Swift 's "tortured poet" era is upon us. The reigning Queen of Pop is set to release her highly anticipated 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department , on Friday, April 19. 

Ever since she announced the new album during the 2024 GRAMMYs — while accepting her lucky 13th GRAMMY Award for Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights —- Swifties have been meticulously analyzing every detail of her existence for clues about the release of The Tortured Poets Department .

Fortunately, Swift has been serving a lot of information to snack on. After revealing the cover art in an Instagram post before accepting her record breaking fourth win for Album Of The Year , she didn't stop the feast. From the full track list to a five-stage breakup playlist — and, of course, all the bonus tracks and special editions — here's all the breadcrumbs GRAMMY.com collected in preparation for The Tortured Poets Department . 

All The Art Is Black And White

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

The cover art for The Tortured Poets Department displays a black-and-white inset photo of Swift in repose on a stack of white pillows, with the album's title in uppercase white letters above her. The photography accompanying the album, including back covers and special editions, captures Swift in reflective solitude: standing before a body of water wearing an oversized white button-up, and in a pensive self-embrace against a stark black backdrop.

The photography for the album was shot by Swift's photographer since 2020, Beth Garrabrant, who also shot the covers of Swift's folklore , evermore , Fearless (Taylor's Version), Red (Taylor's Version), Midnights, Speak Now (Taylor's Version) , 1989 (Taylor's Version) . She's known for using a medium-format film photography that evokes an emotional closeness to her subjects — especially fitting for an album titled The Tortured Poets Department .

The Album Features Two Notable Collaborations

On GRAMMY night, alongside the album announcement, Swift posted the complete track list on her Instagram. The post included a photo of the album's back cover, showing a close-up of Swift with her hand on her forehead, overlaid with the text "I love you, it's ruining my life" in all-caps. 

The 16-track release has been split into four sides and also features collaborations with Post Malone on Side A opener "Fortnight" as well as Florence + The Machine on Side B's "Florida!!!" 

Check out the full track list:

** Side A ** “Fortnight” (feat. Post Malone) “The Tortured Poets Department” “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” “Down Bad”

** Side B ** “So Long, London” “But Daddy I Love Him” “Fresh Out the Slammer” “Florida!!!” (feat. Florence + the Machine)

** Side C ** “Guilty As Sin?” “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)” “loml”

** Side D ** “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” “The Alchemy” “Clara Bow”

Bonus Tracks:

“The Manuscript”

“The Black Dog”

"The Albatross"

The Album Title Hints At Another Ex 

Mere moments after Swift dropped The Tortured Poets Department album name, the internet was ablaze with viral speculation that the title is derived from a play on ex Joe Alwyn's group chat, "The Tortured Man Club" with Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott. 

Alwyn and Mescal revealed their "club name" during an interview with Variety in December 2022 and it didn't take long for fans to connect the dots. Upon unearthing the tie-in, Swifties rushed to share memes and comment on the original interview across various social channels.

There Are Three Bonus Tracks (So Far)

Swift has revealed at least three bonus tracks for different editions of the album, each marked with its own "file name." The initial track list release, referred to as "The Manuscript," includes a bonus track sharing this name.  

On Feb. 23, Swift posted a slideshow on Instagram to promote a special edition named "The Albatross." It featured the bonus tracks and revealed the back cover, which presented a track list alongside a contemplative close-up of Swift overlaid with the question, " Am I allowed to cry?" 

Then, on March 3, she introduced the bonus track “The Black Dog” through a similar post that showcased new cover art, with the album's reverse side portraying Swift and the haunting text, "Old habits die screaming." 

Lyrics Have Already Been Shared

Unlike her previous album campaigns, Swift hasn't unveiled any music ahead of The Tortured Poets Department ’s release — but she has dropped plenty of hints at the subject matter to come. Handwritten lyrics first appeared in the album announcement post, in a stack of papers inside a folder tabbed with a monogram of the album's name.

"And so I enter into evidence/ My tarnished coat of arms/ My muses, acquired like bruises/ My talismans and charms/ The tick, tick, tick of love bombs/ My veins of pitch black ink," is written above the sign-off, "All's fair in love and poetry… Sincerely, The Chairman of The Tortured Poets Department."

Then, in an Instagram story posted on April 8 — the date of the total solar eclipse — Swift shared an image of a typewriter loaded with a sheet of paper stamped with the words, "Crowd goes wild at her fingertips/ Half moonshine, Full eclipse." 

Swift Created Five Playlists To Mirror The Stages Of A Breakup

Gearing up for the release, Swift dropped a 5-part playlist series on Apple Music on April 5 featuring previously released work arranged in playlists that reflect the five stages of grief. The playlist for "Denial: I Love You, It’s Ruining My Life Songs," features hits including Midnight 's "Lavender Haze," and Lover 's "Cruel Summer" and "False God." 

The other playlists run through the emotional gamut with titles like "Anger: You Don’t Get to Tell Me About Sad Songs," the midpoint "Bargaining: Am I Allowed to Cry? Songs," "Depression: Old Habits Die Screaming Songs," and finally "Acceptance: I Can Do It With a Broken Heart Songs." Each one takes listeners on a Taylor Swift escapade through love won and lost, representing what many believe to be a musical voyage through Swift's stages of grief following the end of her relationship with ex Joe Alwyn. 

Each playlist also includes a description from Swift. For "Denial," it says, "This is a list of songs about getting so caught up in the idea of something that you have a hard time seeing the red flags, possibly resulting in moments of denial and maybe a little bit of delusion. Results may vary.”

As April 19 nears closer, take a deep dive into everything Swift has unleashed so far — and get ready for a lot more divulging once The Tortured Poets Department arrives.

All Things Taylor Swift

Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Dua Lipa's New Song "Illusion" Is Here: Listen & Watch The Video

Dua Lipa's 'Radical Optimism' era is in full swing — and now, we have a new song, "Illusion," with an aquatic-themed video. Check out the new banger, and its aqueous video, below.

Now that we've absorbed "Houdini" and " Training Season ," it's time for a third scoop of pop goodness from Dua Lipa .

On April 11, the three-time GRAMMY winner released "Illusion," the third single from her hotly anticipated new album, Radical Optimism , due out May 3. The percolating, endlessly catchy track arrived with a video where Lipa dances on a pool deck in Barcelona, with swimmers and surfers joining the party — a playful homage to the shark-infested waters of the album's cover.

Lipa first kicked off her Radical Optimism era in November with "Houdini," which she performed alongside the debut of "Training Season" in a head-spinning show opener at the 2024 GRAMMYs. The album follows her GRAMMY-winning second LP, 2020's Future Nostalgia .

"[Releasing the album] feels good. It feels, for lack of a better word, radically optimistic," Lipa told Billboard in March, when she also explained the inspiration for the shark fin cover art. "Throughout the whole record, there's this idea of chaos happening around and me trying to push through it in a way that feels authentic and honest to me."

Now, adding "Illusion" to the mix, Lipa has made it very clear the only way she knows how to cope with chaos is to dance — and Radical Optimism will continue the party that Future Nostalgia ignited. 

Check out the video for "Illusion" above, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more news about Dua Lipa and Radical Optimism !

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Photo: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images

Get To Know Benson Boone, The "Beautiful Things" Singer & Rising Pop-Rock Sensation

As Benson Boone's erupting smash "Beautiful Things" continues to dominate Billboard's global charts, GRAMMY.com rounded up seven things to know about the budding star, from his reality TV roots to his rock star mentor.

Benson Boone's swift rise to stardom has been a beautiful thing to witness. Over the past three years, the Monroe, Washington native has gone from viral TikTok influencer to one of Gen Z's most promising pop talents.

Remarkably, the 21-year-old pop-rock artist didn't even discover his voice until he reached high school, after his best friend asked him to play the piano in their school's battle of the bands competition and the singer dropped out at the last second. Boone found himself filling in, an impromptu decision that would unwittingly alter the course of his entire life.

"It's just like I unlocked something I didn't know I had," he mused recently to MTV . "And I stopped, like, halfway through the first verse and just looked around, and I was so shocked that I had just sang…It was, like, the best feeling of my life."

Cut to the present day, and Boone's voice has helped him soar to the top of multiple Billboard charts. His latest single "Beautiful Things," a desperate prayer of a love song that pinballs between warm, folksy verses and a rollicking chorus reminiscent of Freddie Mercury's electrifying vocals, has positively exploded since its January release. Boone's breakout hit has spent six consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 3 as of press time and topping both of Billboard's global charts for multi-week runs.

"My life has changed dramatically since the song came out," Boone reflected earlier this month in a sit-down with Variety . "It's so, so, so insane to me that this is happening. I'm trying so hard to formulate words. I have so much trouble processing it all right now…But when I sit back and look at what's happening, it really, truly blows my mind. Because it's something a lot of people dream of, and [I'm] one of those people."

Benson is steadfast in building on the runaway success of "Beautiful Things," too. The singer/songwriter's forthcoming debut album is expected some time later this year, and his just-announced Fireworks and Rollerblades World Tour kicks off April 3 in Chicago, with legs in North America, the U.K., Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

As Boone's rise to superstardom continues, GRAMMY.com rounded up everything you need to know about the buzzy star-in-the-making, from his brief stint on reality TV to the A-list rocker who's taken him under his wing.

He's A Proud "American Idol" Dropout

Before he became a rising star on the charts, Boone initially attempted to get his start in music on "American Idol." During Season 19, the then-18-year-old auditioned for the reality show with a piano-playing cover of Aidan Martin's 2017 single "Punchline" after producers came across his videos online.

Boone's jaw-dropping audition earned a standing ovation from judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan before Katy Perry confidently declared, "They're gonna swoon over Benson Boone." All three judges were baffled to learn that the teenager had only discovered his obvious musical talent the year before, and the "Roar" singer doubled down on her praise by predicting, "I'm gonna tell you something that you may not believe. But if you believe it, it might happen…I see you winning 'American Idol' if you want to."

"That is the biggest compliment I've ever gotten, thank you," a starstruck Boone replied. However, by the time Hollywood week rolled around, the fresh-faced teenager had apparently decided he didn't want to win the long-running reality competition, and withdrew after advancing to the Top 24. 

"The reason I quit 'American Idol' is because I wanted to do music," he explained a couple of years later during an appearance on The Zach Sang Show . "I don't want people to be like, 'Oh, Benson Boone, 'American Idol' blew him up. Like, that's where he comes from. No. I want to be Benson Boone 'cause I write smash hits and they love my music…I just didn't want that label on me."

He Has A Bonafide Rock Superstar For A Mentor

Part of Boone's success as a solo artist can be attributed to Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons , who came across the young talent and personally signed him to Night Street Records, the rock singer's own Warner Records imprint that has also boasted K.Flay on its exclusive roster, in 2021. 

"We sign artists so rarely at Night Street — it was one of those moments where you know you have no choice," the frontman told Billboard at the time Boone inked his record deal. "That's how I felt when I first sat in a recording booth with Benson. I'm excited for the world to get to know him the way I have these last months."

Since then, Reynolds has also served as a sort of industry mentor figure for Boone, as the burgeoning rocker explained in a 2023 interview promoting the release of his EP Pulse . "He makes you feel comfortable in your own skin, he's very gifted in that way," Boone told iHeartRadio Canada . "So working with him has been incredible, and him taking time for an artist very much smaller than him is just…he's a very kind soul. 

"I think that the main thing that he's taught me is that in this industry, everybody wants something different from you," he continued. "Everybody has a different outlook on yourself than you actually do. And regardless of what that is, you are the leader of your own career and your own life. You have to do things that make you happy, write music that you want to be writing, releasing things that you're proud of…He's just taught me to stick to my gut and just follow my own dreams."

His Earlier Singles Pack An Emotional Punch (No, Seriously, Grab Some Tissues)

The runaway success of "Beautiful Things" may have earned Boone's legions of newfound fans in the last two months, but it's actually not his biggest song on streaming platforms (at least just yet). Before his soul-baring folk-rock anthem was burning up charts around the world, the singer released his debut single "Ghost Town" and heartbreaking follow-up "In The Stars," both of which are included on his debut 2021 EP Walk Me Home… (As of press time, the former has more than 336 million streams on Spotify, and the latter has a whopping 617 million.)

Another smoldering torch song, "Ghost Town" became Boone's first official entry on the Hot 100 after it was released in October 2021. "Maybe you'd be happier with someone else/ Maybe loving me's the reason you can't love yourself/ Before I turn your heart into a ghost town/ Show me everything we build so I can tear it all down," he laments on the soaring chorus over a running piano line and booming, orchestral percussion.

On the heels of "Ghost Town," Boone then penned "In the Stars" in 2022 about the death of his beloved great-grandma. "That kind of loss can be more emotional and heartfelt than a relationship," he told Genius about the song's tender meaning. "I wanted to write about something that was real. It's something I've never really talked about or dealt face to face with. Songwriting is very new to me, and so I'm still learning that process of figuring out how to cope with something through a song. And I think this is kind of where that starts for me." 

Other pre-"Beautiful Things" tracks worth checking out in Boone's quickly blossoming discography include the addictive TikTok smash "Sugar Sweet," wistfully upbeat bop "Coffee Cake" and the introspective "What Was."

His Stage Presence Is Downright Acrobatic

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Benson Boone (@bensonboone)

Boone may be a relative newcomer in the music industry, but he's already developed a magnetic stage presence at his packed live shows. In fact, one of his signature tricks on stage is landing a backflip mid-song without so much as missing a beat.

To tease his upcoming world tour, the singer posted a clip of himself in late January belting out "What Was" in front of an ecstatic crowd. In the video, he impressively nails a flip before effortlessly transitioning right into the power ballad's bombastic climax, wailing, "Let me/ Start over/ The moment that I left you in tears/ Is a mem'ry that will haunt me for years/ And years and years and years and years."

"My dad is 49 years old and still backflips, I get it from him," the singer confessed to Australian outlet The Project on his first trip Down Under in the fall of 2022. "I always thought he was, like, the coolest…but yeah, I've been flipping since I was, like, four and it's just always been my thing."

He Has Roots In Mormonism

Boone grew up in small-town Washington as the only boy in a Mormon family with four sisters. He's never really spoken publicly about growing up in the clean-cut, high-demand religion, but he actually briefly attended Brigham Young University—Idaho, the Mormon university in Rexburg, for a semester before pausing his education to focus on music.

Mormonism is a trait he coincidentally shares with his mentor Reynolds, who's been outspoken throughout his career about his Mormon background and actually got kicked out of Brigham Young University around the same time he formed Imagine Dragons. 

While Boone grew up outside the "Book of Mormon Belt" — the geographic area that radiates from Mormonism's Salt Lake City headquarters to include parts of Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming and even southern Alberta, Canada — his Mormon roots have shown up in his music in subtle ways. He even filmed the official music video for "Beautiful Things" against the majestic backdrop of the red rock bluffs outside St. George, Utah (which just so happens to be this writer's hometown!).

He Serves As His Own Creative Team

Boone's creative side extends beyond the realm of music: he's also a talented artist who often draws the cover art for his own singles. When "Ghost Town" was released in 2021, he showed off his skills by sketching the song's artwork for Spotify's Today's Top Hits — even admitting it was his first time attempting to draw a self-portrait with charcoal.

"I've always loved drawing and painting," Boone said of his artistic flair in a 2023 interview, also noting that he designs all his own merchandise. "I get that from my dad…My dad's, like, a crazy artist, he's so good. And so it's kinda just always been something that I've done."

He's An Avid Rollerblader

As the name of his upcoming Fireworks and Rollerblades World Tour would suggest, Boone is both a self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie and has a not-so-secret passion for rollerblading. In fact, the singer's TikTok feed is littered with videos of himself landing tricks, stunts and, of course, flips on wheels in between the requisite promo material teasing new music like his upcoming single "Slow It Down," footage from live shows and other viral TikTok content.

What other tricks does Benson Boone have up his sleeve for the rest of 2024? Judging by his meteoric chart success thus far, the world is eagerly waiting to find out.

• 1 Benson Boone Declares "Beautiful Things" Is No Fluke: "I've Tapped Into How I'll Write For The Rest Of My Life"
• 2 25 Years Of Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way": 10 Covers By Ed Sheeran, Lil Uzi Vert & More
• 3 Get Ready For Taylor Swift's ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ Album Release: Everything You Need To Know
• 4 Dua Lipa's New Song "Illusion" Is Here: Listen & Watch The Video
• 5 Get To Know Benson Boone, The "Beautiful Things" Singer & Rising Pop-Rock Sensation

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3 Times Taylor Swift Made Someone Else’s Song Her Own

I n addition to being perhaps the most famous songwriter on the planet, Taylor Swift is also among the most prolific. Her “Eras” tour clocks in at a staggering three and a half hours, and that’s nowhere near her full catalogue. Still, the “Anti-Hero” singer loves to keep concertgoers on their toes. In the past, that has often included putting her own spin on other artists’ work.

[RELATED: The Fan Theory Behind Taylor Swift’s New Track “The Albatross” That Is Taking the Internet by Storm]

Taylor Swift Has a New Album on the Way

Swifties everywhere are gearing up for her 11th studio album. The Tortured Poets Department is only a week away, dropping April 19. In anticipation of new material, the X/Twitter user @crumbshizz compiled a thread of “taylor swift covering other artist’s songs and owning them.”

Drawing from that thread, here are three times Swift absolutely slayed someone else’s song.

“My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light ‘Em Up”), Fall Out Boy

It was November 2013, and Nashville was questioning Taylor Swift’s country bona fides . “The first thing you need to know about this album is that it is not country, period,” read a Saving Country Music review of her 2012 album Red .

In hindsight, Swift’s performance at the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was a harbinger of the maximalist synth-pop era to come on 2014’s 1989. The then 23-year-old strutted onto the catwalk alongside pop-punk royalty Fall Out Boy rocking a sparkly Union Jack-inspired ensemble. Watch below to see how she commanded the second verse to the emo group’s 2013 Hit “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark.”

“See You Again,” Wiz Khalifa

Speaking of 1989 , the album’s fourth single, “Bad Blood,” spent some time at No. 1 on Billboard ‘s Hot 100 chart in 2015. It was eventually dethroned by Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again.” However, far from having “Bad Blood,” Swift brought the rapper onstage during her Houston stop on The 1989 World Tour . The “Shake It Off” singer took over Charlie Puth’s vocals as the pair belted the emotional tribute to the late Paul Walker.

“September,” Earth, Wind and Fire

Do you remember… when Taylor released her cover of Earth, Wind and Fire’s “September?” The megastar returned to her country roots on a pared-down version of the 1978 soul classic, recorded for Spotify Singles.

This is perhaps the most Swiftian cover of all, because the GRAMMY winner couldn’t resist dropping an Easter egg. The original version’s opening line recalls “the 21st night of September.” Swift changed this to “the 28th night of September,” which many fans believed was a reference to her dating anniversary with ex Joe Alwyn. The pair split in April 2023, and social media sleuths believe “9/28” will come up again on Tortured Poets .

Featured image by Jamie McCarthy/WireImage

The post 3 Times Taylor Swift Made Someone Else’s Song Her Own appeared first on American Songwriter .

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