Latest news with #BeautifulThings
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Benson Boone reviews are in: Critics flip off ‘American Heart'
Benson Boone scored one of 2024's most undeniable hits with "Beautiful Things," but 2025 brings the backflipping belter's sophomore album, American Heart. And to say that critics are not head over heels for the record would be putting it lightly. Currently sitting at a 43 on Metacritic, American Heart is being knocked as lacking specificity or the kind of edge present in Boone's many apparent influences. More from GoldDerby Why Simone Ashley is walking the 'F1' carpet - even though she was cut from the Brad Pitt movie The Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt 'Interview With the Vampire' feud rumors, explained Mel Brooks loves 'Hidden Figures'?! Julianne Moore's a 'Superbad' fan?! Stars reveal their most surprising NYT movie picks "So I don't fault the wholesome pop star son of Mormon parents for not writing songs about the rot at the heart of America, or for not biting the heads off bats on stage," Pitchfork's Jeremy D. Larson writes. "But it's really hard to consider a teetotaling showman with a voice straight out of The Voice and not think: What makes any of this actually special? Sure, he can sing, but there's very little flair, camp, sass, or insouciance to his voice to give it dimension and character. Boone's words come out in one impressively earnest register, like his forefather Ed Sheeran, and the long line of buskers before him. There's nothing here that says Boone is ready to enter the pantheon of the real showmen, no more than the thousands of other guys singing, dancing, and backflipping for you on Instagram Reels." "But Boone's musical and visual allusions to the songs and stage demeanor of Neon Trees' Tyler Glenn, [Shawn] Mendes, [Sam] Smith, and [Harry] Styles, and older inspirations like Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, and Elton John never gets as combative, as up against sociopolitical odds, as the assumed or implicit queerness in their music and fashion," write Vulture's Craig Jenkins. "His art is currently most arresting as a feat of athleticism; there's little consternation in its vision of Americana, though the flag-draped cover art and synth-y heartland rock bits seek unsubtle Springsteen-ness." And even by the standard of his own output, namely "Beautiful Things," Boone's second album after 2024's Fireworks & Rollerblades apparently comes as a letdown. "Despite the Freddie Mercury-referencing deep-V jumpsuits he's wearing these days, his latest deflates under the weight of all its glam-pop and '70s and '80s pastiche," Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos writes. "At times swaggerless and too pristine in his attempts to corner the market of retro-pop stardom, Boone loses the youthful edge of his debut and the rawness that made his biggest hit soar so high. On American Heart, songs like 'Man in Me' and 'Mystical Magical' are the worst offenders of his retromania, the latter too cloying and unconvincing in its whimsy." Boone has been outspoken about his detractors, who he sees as disliking him without a valid reason. But even if his brand of pop was never meant to land with critics, some take issue with American Heart when considered alongside its contemporaries. "So it's no fun to report that American Heart, his second album, is mostly not very much fun," writes Variety's Chris Willman. "There are scattered attempts to bring in some of the cheekiness and cockiness that is a part of his performing image. But mostly it seems that, as a recording artist, anyway, Boone really does want to remain in the realm of the Teddy Swims-es or even Alex Warrens of the world, with material that is mawkish before it's at all rock-ish, or raucous. His chops are unassailable, and that goes more than a little way toward elevating earthbound material. He's got what it takes to be ready, Freddie, but for the most part here, we're talking about a bohemian naps-ody." By the same token, every critique lobbed by critics could be exactly what Boone was going for. In which case, American Heart undoubtedly succeeds. "It would be easy to say he's landed on his face, but it's not even that: the boy wonder's stuck the landing he was aiming for," NME's Jordan Bassett writes. "This is bombastic, overproduced pop-rock with an attention-seeking, theatrical bent and broad brushstroke lyrics everyone can relate to. Boone summer 2025 looms on the horizon. Take cover." Best of GoldDerby Billboard 200: Chart-topping albums of 2025 Billboard Hot 100: Every No. 1 song of 2025 The B-52s' Kate Pierson talks Rock Hall snub, influencing John Lennon, and fears a solo album would be a 'betrayal' to her band Click here to read the full article.
Forbes
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Benson Boone Doubles His Career Top 10s As His New Album Arrives
Benson Boone's 'Sorry I'm Here for Someone Else' hits No. 7 on the Radio Songs chart, marking his ... More second career top 10 radio smash. SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - MARCH 29: Benson Boone performs live on stage during day two of Lollapalooza Brazil at Autodromo de Interlagos on March 29, 2025 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by) A little more than a year after he delivered his debut album Fireworks & Rollerblades, Benson Boone has returned with his sophomore follow-up. American Heart arrived on Friday (June 20), after months of promotion from the singer-songwriter. Boone previewed the full-length with multiple singles throughout 2025. While not all of them became big hits in the United States, most gained real traction and found a home on the airwaves. As fans rush to hear the latest project from the Grammy-nominated star, Boone doubles his total number of wins on one of Billboard's most competitive rankings. "Sorry I'm Here for Someone Else" Hits a New High This week, "Sorry I'm Here for Someone Else" enters the top 10 on the Radio Songs chart for the first time, in its fifteenth frame on Billboard's list of the most successful tracks across all radio formats in the United States. The single lifts from No. 11 to No. 7, hitting a new peak in the process. It's only Boone's second top 10 on the Radio Songs chart, following the incredible success of "Beautiful Things," which turned him from an exciting new name in pop to a proper star. That track peaked at No. 2 last May — and somehow, it's still present. This week, "Beautiful Things" trails "Sorry I'm Here for Someone Else" by only a few spots, as it steps up a single rung to No. 15, sixty-eight frames into its time on the Radio Songs roster. 'Slow It Down' Also Reached the Same Chart Throughout his career, Boone has collected only a trio of wins on the Radio Songs tally — and now, all but one have cracked the top 10. "Slow It Down," a later single from Fireworks & Rollerblades, debuted in June 2024 and peaked at No. 27 by the end of the summer. Benson Boone Scores Multiple Radio Hits "Sorry I'm Here for Someone Else" lives on four of Billboard's radio-focused rankings, and reaches new highs on three of them. In addition to the general all-genre Radio Songs chart, Boone's track also climbs to never-before-seen peaks on both the Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay tallies. It might even become a champion on the latter list in the coming weeks, as it currently appears in the runner-up spot. At the same time, the track jumps to No. 20 on the Adult Contemporary chart, missing its all-time best showing by just one position.
Miami Herald
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Crumbl announces its newest celebrity collaboration cookie
Crumbl Cookies is a business that grew so fast, it leaves people wondering what it did to achieve such explosive success. Originally founded in 2017 in Utah by Sawyer Hemsley and Jason McGowan with the intention of creating the world's best chocolate chip cookie, today Crumbl sells one million desserts a day and has 1,071 locations nationwide. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Crumbl attributes a lot of its success to both a robust social media presence and its formula of limited weekly drops of new flavors, which one founder says is an idea they got from another industry. Related: Costco adds new food item members already love "In the fashion industry, they really came up with the idea of these drops," McGowan said in a CNBC interview, "and it's an idea we use in our business. It creates that hype, excitement. And it also creates scarcity, because you can only have that cookie for that week." Crumbl also started doing celebrity and film collaborations in December 2023, starting with a partnership to commemorate the launch of the "Willy Wonka" film with its Wonka's Wildly Wonderful Red Velvety Cookie. It teamed up with singer Olivia Rodrigo next to promote her album "Guts." This was excellent timing for the brand, as Rodrigo's popularity was at an all-time high. Now Crumbl has another celebrity collaboration on the way, and it's safe to say fans of the brand are probably going to love it. On June 19, Crumbl shared via its Instagram account that it would drop a new cookie next week in partnership with Benson Boone, the pop-rock sensation and "Beautiful Things" singer who just released the new album "American Heart." The company describes its Moonbeam Ice Cream Cookie, which will be on sale at Crumbl stores only from June 23-28, as "a mystical, magical chilled chocolate cookie packed with cookies and cream pieces, crowned with vibrant moonbeam ice cream-inspired lemon, berry, and marshmallow toppings, finished with a sweet white drizzle and a final sprinkle of cookies and cream." Comments on the complicated-sounding new treat were mixed, with some fans thrilled and eager to try it, and others not so much. "I'm gonna backflip in the store when I get my paws on this," Instagram user eggtyler said. "I'M DEFINITELY GETTING THIS! Love Benson Boone! Seeing him in September!" Instagram user tfnice18 said. However, some Crumbl employees seemed less than enthused about the new collaboration. Related: General Mills quietly discontinues three cereals fans loved "Great. No one asked for another celebrity partnership, especially not the employees," said Instagram user sammy_slocum. Several commenters also asked for Crumbl's take on another viral food sensation that's been sweeping TikTok lately. "Give us a release date for the Dubai chocolate cheesecake and the Dubai chocolate brownie," Instagram user itstheavarose said. While Crumbl's viral popularity has softened a bit since it first exploded a few years back, the brand still has plenty of pull. The privately owned company has more than 10 million followers on TikTok alone, and fans still regularly flock to its stores to try out new flavors or search online for the weekly menu. In a Reddit thread hosted by a franchise owner who offered to answer questions about what it's like to run a Crumbl, Reddit user FromCustomertoFP revealed how much it cost to invest. "It depends on many factors, but it is between $500K to $1M," the user wrote. "Equipment is the biggest chunk of the initial investment. Crumbl is not a cheap franchise to get into." While the franchise owner did not answer when asked if the investment was profitable, they did share some thoughts on Crumbl's growth. "Let's say a Crumbl franchise is a good investment if 1. You can afford it, and 2. You put it in a good location. The last point sounds easy, but it's not. In my opinion Crumbl expanded too much and in some areas allowed stores to be too close, and that is hurting some owners. I think Crumbl stores should be no less than 45 mins. apart from each other," they wrote. Related: Taco Bell adds new beverages to hop on viral fast-food trend The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
UPI
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Listen: Benson Boone releases album, 'Mr. Electric Blue' music video
1 of 5 | Benson Boone released the album "American Heart" and a music video for "Mr. Electric Blue" on Friday. File Photo by James Atoa/UPI | License Photo June 20 (UPI) -- Benson Boone is back with new music. The singer, 22, released a music video for his single "Mr. Electric Blue" Friday. The song appears on Boone's second studio album American Heart, also released Friday. The video begins as Boone walks into his agent's (Jack LaFrantz) office, wearing a shirt that reads "One Hit Wonder," a seemingly tongue-in-cheek reference to his hit song "Beautiful Things." "We need something new. We need a new gimmick, maybe good songwriting," the agent says. "You know I can't do that," Benson replies. The agent says that Boone owes him $10 million, and the video shows Boone walking dogs, cleaning a pool and washing a car to try and earn the money. Other tracks on his new album include "Man in Me," "Mystical Magical," "Reminds Me of You," "Momma Song," "I Wanna be the One You Call," "Wanted Man," "Take Me Home" and "Young American Heart."
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Who is Benson Boone and why is Katy Perry worried about him?
If you do not know Benson Boone by now, where have you even been? The 22-year-old singer behind the chart-topper Beautiful Things is the new sad-boy icon of this generation. He shot to fame via TikTok, amassing a loyal fanbase and heart-melting streaming numbers. But plot twist—his big break almost came from American Idol. The audition that could have changed everything In 2021, Boone auditioned for American Idol and absolutely floored judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie with his soulful piano performance. Katy even told him she saw a winner in him. But instead of riding the wave, Benson bounced. After reaching the Top 24, he bailed from the show before most even noticed. Katy Perry was secretly glad he quit Turns out, Katy Perry had no hard feelings. In fact, she thought quitting was genius. According to Benson, the two reconnected at an awards show two months ago where she gushed over his success but also voiced genuine concern for him. She told him straight-up that leaving the show was 'the best thing' he ever did. Why was Katy Perry worried? Katy was not just throwing compliments. She expressed serious worry about how fast Benson's fame was rising. From online hate to clingy opportunists, she knows how nasty the industry can get. Benson said she was just 'checking in' and made it clear she was looking out for him—like a true pop queen mentor. From college kid to Grammy nominee Benson confessed that back in 2021, he had no clue if music was even his thing. During COVID, Idol producers reached out after seeing a few of his videos online. He went for it just for fun. Flash forward—he is performing at Coachella, nominated at the Grammys, and dropping his debut album American Heart on June 20. The mentor-friendship we did not see coming Despite the Idol exit, there is no beef between Benson and the show. He clarified that Katy's comment was not shade, just honesty. She simply understood. Now, their unlikely mentor-mentee bond is giving us major wholesome energy in an industry known for anything but.
