Yahoo Lifestyle Benson Boone Fans Discover His Surprise TV Past at the 2025 Grammys
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Ever since Benson Boone blew up on TikTok, people can't stop listening to his music. His single "Beautiful Things"quickly took over the social media platform, making him an unexpected music influencer for Gen-Z. But while he can thank the internet for his incredible music career, Benson surprised his fans by revealing an unexpected past attempt at breaking into the industry.
The singer attended the 2025 Grammy Awards on February 2, where he was nominated for Best New Artist (he eventually lost to Chappell Roan). When Benson spoke with Entertainment Tonight, the conversation turned to how his career initially began with a stint on the hit competition series American Idol back in 2021. When asked about how far he's come since those days, Benson got nostalgic about not being able to predict how his life would've turned out from that moment.
"You know what? When I was doing American Idol, I didn't even know if I wanted to do music for the rest of my life," he stated in a clip posted on Instagram. "I didn't know if this was gonna be my career. So, I think it was when I quit American Idol that I was like, 'OK, I'm gonna do this.' I do think my perspective has changed a lot and I think if you're passionate about something, if you love something, you should just chase it."
When Benson's interview began to circulate online, fans had to comment about his unexpected TV past.
"It’s still so crazy to me how Benson Boone dropped out of American Idol and he’s so big now," one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "Benson Boone left American Idol cause he felt he could do better alone and AI would hold him back … look at him, nominated, on this Grammy stage!! 🥹👏👏," another noted. "So Benson Boone drops out of American Idol and now he’s at the Grammys," a different follower added.
So, how did Benson's time on American Idol turn out? He initially auditioned for Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry back in 2021, performing a cover of Aidan Martin's song "Punchline." At the time, he'd only begun singing the year prior... and Katy essentially predicted his eventual success in music.
"I'm gonna tell you something that you may not believe," she told Benson at the time. "But if you believe it, it might happen. I see American Idol and I see you. I see you winning American Idol, if you want to."
Despite receiving three yeses from the judges, Benson's time on American Idol was short. While he made it through Hollywood Week and earned a place in the Top 24, his audition was the only instance folks saw him on the show. He eventually dropped out of the competition to focus on his career... which led him to posting original music on TikTok.
Benson eventually caught the eye of Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds, who signed him to his Night Street Records imprint (under Warner Records) in 2021. His first single "Ghost Town" debuted in October of that year, and it later went Platinum in the U.S. by selling over 1 million records. After releasing his album Fireworks & Rollerblades in April 2024, he later was one of three opening acts for the June 2024 London stop on Taylor Swift's The Eras tour.
When speaking out about his decision to quit American Idol on The Zach Sang Show in June 2022, Benson explained it came from wanting to carve his own way into the music industry — without being associated with something else entirely.
"The reason I quit American Idol is because I wanted to do music," he stated at the time. "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."
Looks like Benson made the right decision, given the success he's received and will continue to achieve in the future.
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