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At its best, music brings very different people together. That’s what happened when Benson Boone performed “Beautiful Things” with Lana Del Rey. After speaking to her, Boone was unable to sleep.
Benson Boone on what it was like performing ‘Beautiful Things’ with Lana Del Rey
During a 2024 interview with Rolling Stone, Boone recalled getting a call from an unknown individual. “She’s like, ‘Hey, this is Lana,’” he remembered. “I was like, Lana, do I know you? Lana who? And she’s like, ‘Oh, Lana Del Rey.’ It was the most insane thing. I literally didn’t even hear the next thing she said. I’m sure she talked for a while but I didn’t hear any of it. I was like freaking out.”
The news left Boone unable to sleep. “I went back to the hotel, and I had a great night — I didn’t sleep at all,” he continued. “I woke up the next day. Well, I didn’t wake up. I just got myself out of bed the next day, and then went over and we did the festival and it was so cool. She’s so nice. She’s so cool.”
Benson Boone had to hide how nervous he was around Lana Del Rey
Boone had every reason to freak out while performing with the “Ride” singer. “There was storm and lightning everywhere,” he said. “She was like, ‘I’m so nervous. I didn’t tell her I was nervous. I played it really cool. ‘It’s OK, we’re going to be fine.’ Inside, I was like ‘Ah!’”
Del Rey’s performance with Boone is part of her history of collaborating with artists across genres. She’s worked with R&B singers like The Weeknd, rappers like Playboi Carti, pop stars like Taylor Swift, classic rock legends like Stevie Nicks, and avant-gardists like Sean Ono Lennon. Perhaps Del Rey’s admiration for Boone could lead to a duet.
On the same token, Del Rey has released numerous cover songs, so maybe she’ll record “Beautiful Things” sometime in the future. She mostly covers songs from that came out decades ago, would it would be quite the tribute to Boone for her “Beautiful Things.”
How ‘Beautiful Things’ and its parent album performed
“Beautiful Things” has become the biggest hit of Benson’s career so far. The tune reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, lasting on the chart for 53 weeks. “Beautiful Things” is currently the singer’s only top 20 hit. The track appeared on Boone’s debut album, Fireworks & Rollerblades. That record reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for 43 weeks.
The record has produced two other singles: “Slow It Down” and “Pretty Slowly.” The former reached No. 32 and spent 29 weeks on the chart. The latter reached No. 86 and reached No. 3 on the chart. It seems like he’s pretty fixated on the word “slow!”
Thus far, it’s unclear if Boone will become a one-hit wonder known solely for “Beautiful Things” or if he could become a major star. Perhaps he will become an artist like Del Rey, who occasionally appears on the pop charts but who mostly gets by on her cult following.
Del Rey seemed to like “Beautiful Things” — and that’s the highest compliment a song could receive.
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