By: Kennedi Canova
Benson Boone, a 21 year old musician, who got his career jumpstart after going viral on TikTok, is currently on tour for his first ever full length album, Fireworks and Rollerblades.
Making his debut in early 2021, Benson Boone auditioned for the 19th season of American Idol. He soon dropped out of the competition saying he didn’t want his career to blow up due to the show, he wanted to make it happen on his own.
This quickly became his reality in October of 2021 with the release of his first single “Ghost Town”. It quickly debuted on the charts and helped him gain popularity on TikTok. It was quickly found at #100 on the US Billboard Hot 100. However, this was only the beginning of his “TikTok famous” career.
His newest single, “Beautiful Things”, released on February 3 of this year, peaked at the #2 spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard streaming songs list. It has been on the chart for 13 weeks. He now has over 5 million followers on tiktok and 6.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Fireworks & Rollerblades released on April 5, is quickly becoming a new favorite for many. With 15 tracks spanning 49 minutes, it has a range of messages behind each song. From upbeat and danceable songs to slow and somber songs, it perfectly encapsulates every aspect of the pop genre. Known for songs featuring piano melodies, he said he really wanted to include more guitar into his songs for this album, which is exactly what he did.
Track one, titled “Intro”, is the shortest song on the album with a run time of 1:02. It starts off with a slow piano melody which fades into retro sounding vocals, ending with more powerful notes. This song sets the tone for the album, and it leads directly into the second track titled “Be Someone”.
Track two, “Be Someone”, is an upbeat love song with a catchy chorus and beat.
Track three, “Slow It Down”, has already become a major hit from the tracklist due to the very catchy chorus and striking vocals. It tackles the concept of falling in love and how it can be scary at a young age.
Track four, “Beautiful Things” which is the single of the album, is by far the most popular after going viral on TikTok due to the insanely impressive riff during the chorus.
Track five, “Cry”, starts as one of the slowest songs on the album but has a climactic rise to an upbeat and fast sound, becoming one of the fastest songs on the whole tracklist. Another beautifully done song with amazing vocals and unique riffs, and my personal favorite of the entire album.
Track six, “Forever and a Day” is one of the slower love songs. It is full of high notes and long riffs that are hauntingly beautiful.
Track seven, “In The Stars”, is about the struggle of losing someone close to you and is by far, one of the most emotional songs on the album.
Track eight, “Drunk In My Mind”, is a fun and upbeat song that talks about love. In my opinion, this is one of the most fun and catchy songs on the tracklist.
Track nine, “My Greatest Fear”, is one of the most emotional and deep songs on the album, as it dives into some deeper aspects of life: fear and death. He talks about how he is afraid of losing someone and afraid of dying thinking his life was a waste.
Track ten, “There She Goes”, has an almost retro sound and is another love song that makes you want to dance and sing along.
Track eleven, “Hello Love”, features the title of the album with the line “I could try to blame you but my mind ain’t safe, like two fireworks tied to a rollerblade.”
“Ghost Town”, Boone’s first ever single is featured as track twelve. A breakup/sad love song with a catchy chorus, beautiful vocals, and relatable lyrics that make it such a classic listen no matter how many times it is played.
“Love Of Mine” is track thirteen, composed of heartbreakingly beautiful melodies and lyrics, this song is a perfectly melancholy one that gets you in a sad mood.
Track fourteen, “Friend”, is another sad song that talks about friendship. He describes feeling alone and needing a friend that will reach out in this sorrowful tune.
Finally, track fifteen, “What Do You Want”. A perfect song to end the album because it covers the popular topics including: love, sadness, loss, etc, it perfectly sums up the whole album into one song. Another super strong song vocally as well. It starts relatively slow but quickens towards the end, again a great way to end the album.
Overall, Fireworks & Rollerblades is an instant classic composed of love songs and breakup songs. Watch for Benson Boone and his new music as he gets more and more popular on his journey to stardom!
