When New Zealand-born singer BENEE stepped out onto the stage in a Wednesday Addams-esque, quirky and eccentric, black and white outfit, the crowd roared with excitement. I was both buzzing with anticipation for the amazing performance I was about to witness and very happy to see that the show was starting promptly at 7:45 p.m., which meant I would likely be home in my pajamas by 10 p.m. — a very ideal Friday night, if you ask me.
I stood on the venue’s balcony, peering above people’s shoulders towards the stage. I had wedged myself towards the front since the opener, BAYLI, finished her performance. BAYLI, an R&B and hyperpop singer known for songs like “sushi for breakfast” and “Passenger Princess,” successfully prepped the audience for BENEE, bringing the energy as a one-woman show. She danced and jumped around the stage, accompanied only by a large stereo blasting dancefloor music as she sang her iconic lyrics and yelled at the crowd to “get ready.” Although I was left slightly confused by her dress that read, in big block letters, “Live However You Like, Nobody Cares A Damn,” I was left with a couple of new songs added to my playlists.
Opening with three new songs from her new album, “Ur an Angel I’m Just Particles”, BENEE did not fall short of immediately creating a vibrant energy throughout the 9:30 Club. The crowd became even more lively, screams and excited gasps flowing through the venue when her band began playing the beats to two of her 2019 hits, “Wishful Thinking” and “Soaked,” in which her uniquely rich voice hit every note perfectly. As I listened, I noticed with awe how her voice sounded better than it did in the recordings, a difficult feat to accomplish as a performer. Halfway through the show, her band, except for her guitarist, exited the stage, and the crew brought out two barstools. Suddenly, the energetic show became much more intimate, and BENEE serenaded us with a slow and acoustic version of “Doesn’t Matter.” Despite the constant, and honestly disrespectful, chatter from concertgoers in the venue, a tear dripped down my cheek as she sang, “What is my mind, what is it like to unwind?”
With crowd favorites like “Supalonely,” “Green Honda,” and a cover of Joji’s song, “Afterthought,” BENEE lit up the crowd with her infectious energy and quirky personality. Before performing her new song, “Princess,” she whipped out a small crown and several hair clips and adorned them atop young audience members’ heads before affectionately declaring us all her “pretty princesses” in her strong Kiwi accent. She expressed her excitement to be in the nation’s capital and told us all a small anecdote from her time biking in the city earlier in the day, observing the budding cherry blossoms and the pretty neighborhoods. At one point, she randomly took an exaggerated sip of her water and loudly repeated, “Gosh, I JUST LOVE WATER,” as we all laughed with her. Clearly, BENEE is not only the artist you always want to listen to in your headphones, but also the one you wish you could sit down to lunch with on any random day. At the end of her performance, we all left a little closer, a little happier, and definitely not feeling “supalonely” by any means.