Very few music artists rise to fame as quickly as Benson Boone did. Sure, it’s inspiring to see someone making an impact in their industry, but when they’re actively ruining their potential with songs like “Mystical Magical,” it’s not hard to see where his career is headed.
That’s right. The pits.
After leaving season 19 of “American Idol” to focus on his career, Boone turned to TikTok to build on his singing and songwriting. This led him to sign a record deal with Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds’ record company, Night Street Records, in 2021.
His debut single, “Ghost Town,” was an instant success, capturing his powerful vocal range and unique rasp. Although I’m not a fan of his, I have to admit he did a pretty good job with this record. At just 19 years old, he was gaining global recognition and was on track to become a big name.
That quickly faltered when he began releasing songs like “Mystical Magical” and “Beautiful Things” — two of my least favorite songs in the history of all time. First of all, “Beautiful Things” has to be the loudest possible combination of vocals and instrumentals ever, making my ears bleed every time I hear it. Second of all, “Mystical Magical” is just plain stupid.
The lyrics, “Moonbeam ice cream, taking off your blue jeans/ Dancing at the movies, ‘cause it feels so/ Mystical, magical/ Oh, baby, ‘cause once you know, once you know/ My love is so mystical, magical” are so asinine that it has become a trend on social media to randomly burst out singing it in public places.
Boone unintentionally turned himself into a meme instead of an artist that people would take seriously.
What’s most frustrating about this is that Boone doesn’t lack talent, he simply lacks direction.
I’ve seen videos of Boone at his concerts singing hits like Adele’s “When We Were Young,” and let me tell you, he sounded phenomenal — he actually sounded nearly identical to Adele herself. If he could write and produce a ballad like that, it would be the greatest thing he could do for his career. Such a move would push people to take him more seriously, even after showing that he’s not the most proficient when it comes to songwriting.
Boone needs to learn to take a risk and stray from the surface-level lyrics he’s currently belting and backflipping to. People identify with artists not only through their beats but their lyrics as well, and right now, he’s giving his audience nothing to hold onto or resonate with.
A long-lasting career is built on substance and depth, and if Boone keeps recycling the same shallow lines, he will continue to be an internet joke. The sad part is that it doesn’t have to be this way for him — he has an immense amount of potential, he just isn’t digging deep enough.
As of right now, it’s impossible to see Boone’s value when the first thing that pops into your mind after hearing his name is not actually how much talent he has, but how brainless his music is.
He sings like a star, but writes like a clown.
So until he figures out how to make timeless tracks, his career will continue to be the punchline to a silly joke rather than a legitimate legacy.
