BENEE makes sense of the world through music. She absorbs the chaos, confusion, and craziness of everyday life and molds it into addictive alternative pop. On her sophomore album Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles [out November 7th on Republic Records], the multi-platinum, New Zealand-born and Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and producer takes control back and channels anxieties of the unknown into irresistible anthems fueled by her signature creative storytelling and genre-bending production.

 

BENEE opens up about the state of the world, saying, “The world right now is at a cultural turning point; it feels as though we are on a precipice…all we have understood and accepted about humanity and our world order seem to be on the verge of dissolution. In a post-COVID reality, the rapid rise of AI, environmental disasters, and the global rise in authoritarianism has left many of us in shock. The ground moves beneath our feet, and we can feel emotionally paralyzed.”

 

She continues, “Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles is a deep dive into existential dread, where love, identity, and meaning slip through your fingers like sand. Each song grapples with the weight of existence. Feeling too small in a world too big, questioning whether connection is real or just another fleeting illusion.”

 

BENEE has carefully built and invited listeners into a sonic and visual world of her own. Early singles “Soaked” and “Glitter” deemed her an artist-to-watch, and then during 2020, her Double-Platinum breakthrough hit “Supalonely” feat. Gus Dapperton and acclaimed debut album Hey u x established her as a phenomenon and one of pop’s most distinctive voices. Follow-up singles like “Beach Boy,” “Green Honda,” and “Do it Again” feat. Mallrat—which was chosen as the Official Song for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023—solidified her staying power. Along the way, she’s gathered billions of global streams, earned more than a dozen Platinum and Gold Certifications around the world, collaborated with everyone from Lily Allen to Grimes to Phoenix, toured with Olivia Rodrigo and Tate McRae, and played to sold-out crowds on multiple continents. She notably took home an MTV EMA and scored 10 honors at New Zealand’s Aotearoa Music Awards, as well as received nominations at the MTV VMAs, People’s Choice Awards, and more. Expanding her work into the film and TV space, her song “WHAT” is featured in the second season of the critically acclaimed Netflix hit Nobody Wants This, and she also contributed “Zero To Hero” to the A Minecraft Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). Not to mention, she made her big screen debut in the New Zealand indie film Head South.

 

In the midst of everything, BENEE settled in Los Angeles full-time. Creating constantly, she embraced a wide swath of inspiration, listening to The Beach Boys, James Blake, Gorillaz, Groove Armada, and more. Over the course of a few years, she took her time to craft Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles, defining the overarching vision more clearly than ever.

 

“I’ve never honestly sat for that long intentionally working on an album,” she notes. “It wasn’t rushed. We were able to try different things. As a result, this is more cohesive than anything I’ve done in the past. The songs on the album unravel like diary entries, tracing the cycles of obsession, heartbreak, and fleeting ecstasy, all while wrestling with our inner demons and the fear of disappearing into the noise.”

 

You can hear BENEE’s confidence on lead single “Cinnamon,” as she adjusts to her new world on the west coast and sings, “I might not laugh again, I’ll cross my fingers ‘til the end, and I’ll stay sweet like cinnamon, I’ll stay asleep until 3 p.m.” Out of the gate, the bouncy electro-pop track arrived to acclaim from tastemakers like Stereogum, V Magazine, USA Today, Ones To Watch, and more. “I love this song,” she grins. “I sing the verses deep and strong, and then the chorus is so light, airy, and angelic.”

 

Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles opens with “Demons.” Her vocals tiptoe through sparsely plucked guitar chords and twinkling piano. Battling anxiety out loud, she flexes her range, “Demon crawls under my skin. I’m wondering where he’s been. I’m wondering where you’ve been.” She shares, “It’s a vulnerable and dark song about intense feelings of anxiety. You feel as if you’re being overtaken by some weird emotion, which I’m calling a demon. It’s just an intrusive thought you can’t control.”

 

Then, there’s the upbeat “Princess” featuring a very special collaborator—multi-platinum singer, songwriter, and producer PinkPanthress. BENEE and PinkPanthress lock into a punchy back-and-forth, culminating on a shimmery and silvery hook. Meanwhile, the finale “Heaven” doubles as a divine exhale. She crafted it on an island in New Zealand alongside trusted creative cohort—day-one collaborator and co-producer Josh Fountain. Between strains of faint piano and delicate beats, she processes her grandfather’s passing. She leans into a transfixing melody, “I wish I had more time, more time, more time.” She sighs, “I won’t get to see you till Heaven; I’m not doing so well.”

 

“Every song means so much to me, but that song is probably the most meaningful,” she admits. “I wrote it about my grandad’s passing a couple of years ago. At the end, there is this sense of, ‘Just let go.’ After the buildup of all these emotions on the album, it’s like a breath of fresh air.”

 

Ultimately, BENEE might just help you make sense of the world with this album.

 

“Being able to relate to an album is so important. It makes you feel like you’re not alone in this world, which can be so isolating at times. It’s an album for the sleepless, the over-thinkers, those staring into the void and wondering if it’s staring back.”