Let’s Revisit Benson Boone’s 'American Idol' Audition From Before He Became a Grammy-Nominated Star

Fireworks & Rollerblades singer Benson Boone's American Idol audition was a truly eye-opening and inspiring moment on the show. Obviously, his voice is incredible and he’s clearly talented, but what stood out above all else was his lack of musical background — he basically didn't have any.

When Benson auditioned for Season 19 (which aired in 2021), he had only been singing for a year, yet there he was, standing on the audition stage trying to claim his spot in the competition.

What Benson’s audition taught us is that any one of us might have a hidden talent we don’t even know about, so it's worth doing some self-exploration! He went from a humble, soft-spoken contestant to a Grammy-nominated artist in just a few short years. Given how far he’s come, it’s only right to revisit his audition and compare that to where he is now.

When Benson first stepped out on the American Idol audition stage in 2021, he didn’t exactly seem sure of himself. Here was this 18-year-old college student from Monroe, Wash. with no prior singing experience who had somehow discovered he could sing.

After telling the judges he started singing just a year ago, Katy Perry shockingly questioned, "A year ago?" To which Benson replied, "Yeah, I didn’t know I could sing before a year ago, so ... I don’t know where it came from." Katy then asked if he had ever sung "Happy Birthday," and while Benson said he had, he claimed he just "sang it bad with my friends." Perhaps the saying "You won’t know unless you try" works well in this scenario.

But after Benson sang "Punchline" by Aidan Martin as his audition song and played a little piano, the judges were floored. Lionel Richie called it "natural talent," while Luke Bryan categorized it as a "true gift" while encouraging him to "just start having fun with your voice."

But it was Katy’s words that really resonated, as she saw his raw talent and foresaw his future. "They’re gonna swoon over Benson Boone," Katy slyly said, adding, "I see you winning American Idol if you want."

While Benson did make it through the audition round, he ultimately dropped out of the American Idol competition. He wanted to pursue his musical career but didn’t want to be known only for winning American Idol, saying, "I just didn’t want that label on me," the singer revealed in 2022 while on the Zach Sang Show.

Simply put, after realizing his level of talent, he decided to build his career on his own terms.

Since leaving American Idol, Benson went on to release a number of hit tracks, including "Beautiful Things," which garnered over 493 million views in just one year on YouTube. Other hits like "Slow It Down" and "Sugar Sweet" have helped propel his career even further.

In fact, Benson has been doing so well that he was nominated for his first Grammy at the 2025 Grammy Awards for "Best New Artist" alongside big names like Teddy Swims and Chappell Roan, with Chappell ultimately taking home the award.