Benson Boone (Photo provided by AEG Presents)

Benson Boone (Photo provided by AEG Presents)

Taylor Swift taps Monroe High grad Benson Boone to open London show

Boone, 21, has become a global pop star since his “American Idol” stint in 2021. “Beautiful Things” is the biggest song in the world.

MONROE — Benson Boone will swoon the Swifties.

The 2020 Monroe High School graduate is the opening act for Taylor Swift at the June 23 concert of her mega-successful Eras Tour in London.

“I chose artists whose music I love listening to, and I can’t wait for them to add an extra jolt of excitement to our shows at Wembley Stadium in June,” Swift said in an Instagram post.

Boone, 21, is a burgeoning global pop star in his own right.

He currently is on his sold-out “Fireworks & Rollerblades” world tour, which included an expensive stop in Seattle on May 3 at Showbox SoDo. For the Swift one-night gig, he will already be across the pond, finishing up his European circuit in Italy on June 20, with two weeks off before playing at Lollapalooza in Chicago and then in Australia and New Zealand.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The “Fireworks & Rollerblades” tour is named after his debut album. He told grammy.com it is a metaphor for his life: “I feel like things have taken off for me like a firework tied to a rollerblade, all very quickly.”

Three years ago, Boone was a contestant on “American Idol,” an 18-year-old newbie who scored a “yes” from all three judges, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.

On the show, Perry remarked: “They’re gonna swoon over Benson Boone.”

“Benson Ka-boom,” Richie said.

Bryan told him, “You’re not cocky, you’re humble. You’re still in diapers, you’re a toddler when it comes to this world.”

Boone got the golden ticket to advance to Hollywood, but withdrew from the show and gave up a good shot at winning to pursue a singing career on his own with his song “Ghost Town.”

“Ghost Town” has about 375 million streams on Spotify. His recent song “Beautiful Things” has over 800 million.

According to a billboard.com post in April: “Boone’s ‘Beautiful Things’ is the biggest song in the world, as it rebounds for a sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200. It also holds atop the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for a seventh total week at the summit.”

In a Daily Herald interview when he was on “American Idol” in 2021, Boone said he didn’t know he could sing until he was a junior in high school, when a friend asked him to play piano in a battle of the bands.

“When we got to the competition, something in my voice just clicked and I actually sang for the first time in my life and it felt amazing, seeing people cheering,” he said.

At Wembley, he’ll have 90,000 fans cheering.

In high school, he took sixth place in the state as a diver and made the Sports pages. He was in a 2017 Herald story about his family’s volunteer service. The family now lives in Utah.

He started a Benson Boone Scholarship Fund with the Monroe Public Schools Foundation, offering an annual award of $1,000.

“Benson loved growing up in Monroe, exploring outdoors, and connecting with friends and neighbors,” his mom, Kerry, wrote in an email for a March 2024 Herald story. “He had amazing teachers and coaches throughout his school experience who encouraged and taught him. He loves staying connected to his roots in Monroe.”

His fan base is strong in Snohomish County, where news of his Taylor Swift gig created a buzz on social media.

“That is so huge,” said Lindsey Schwartz, a hair stylist and an admin for the “You Had Me at Monroe” Facebook group. “I don’t know him, but I love his music and am so excited for him.”

She likes that he gives back to his community. A client whose hair she’s been cutting since age 2 received a Benson Boone scholarship.

“We have a couple people who have come out of Monroe and hit the big time. Benson seems to be the youngest one who has captured our town,” she said. “We had a woman from Monroe who won an Oscar.”

Blye Pagon Faust, a 1993 graduate of Monroe High School, was a producer on the 2016 Academy Award-winning film “Spotlight.”

Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @reporterbrown.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Aaron Weinstock uses an x-ray machine toy inside the Imagine Children Museum on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Imagine Children’s Museum $250k grant reinstated following federal court order

The federal grant supports a program that brings free science lessons to children throughout rural Snohomish County.

Snohomish County 911 Executive Director Kurt Mills talks about the improvements made in the new call center space during a tour of the building on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New 911 center in Everett built to survive disaster

The $67.5 million facility brings all emergency staff under one roof with seismic upgrades, wellness features and space to expand.

Everett
Five arrested in connection with Everett toddler’s 2024 overdose death

More than a year after 13-month-old died, Everett police make arrests in overdose case.

Madison Family Shelter Family Support Specialist Dan Blizard talks about one of the pallet homes on Monday, May 19, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Madison Family Shelter reopens after hiatus

The Pallet shelter village, formerly Faith Family Village, provides housing for up to eight families for 90 days.

Helion's 6th fusion prototype, Trenta, on display on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Helion celebrates smoother path to fusion energy site approval

Helion CEO applauds legislation signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson expected to streamline site selection process.

Everett Historic Theater owner Curtis Shriner inside the theater on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Historic Everett Theatre sale on horizon, future uncertain

With expected new ownership, events for July and August will be canceled. The schedule for the fall and beyond is unclear.

The age of bridge 503 that spans Swamp Creek can be seen in its timber supports and metal pipes on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Lynnwood, Washington. The bridge is set to be replaced by the county in 2025. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Snohomish County report: 10 bridges set for repairs, replacement

An annual report the county released Thursday details the condition of local bridges and future maintenance they may require.

Traffic moves north and south along the southbound side of the Highway 529 after the northbound lanes were closed due to a tunnel on Tuesday, July 2, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Southbound 529 to close near Marysville for four days for bridge work

WSDOT said the 24-hour-a-day closure is necessary to allow contractors to perform work on the aging Steamboat Slough Bridge.

The Edmonds City Council gathers to discuss annexing into South County Fire on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Community group presents vision for Edmonds’ fiscal future

Members from Keep Edmonds Vibrant suggested the council focus on revenue generation and a levy lid lift to address its budget crisis.

People listen as the Marysville School Board votes to close an elementary and a middle school in the 2025-26 school year while reconfiguring the district’s elementary schools to a K-6 model on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Marysville schools audit shows some improvement

Even though the district still faces serious financial problems, the findings are a positive change over last year, auditors said.

The Washington state Capitol on April 18. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)
‘I’m pretty upset’: WA lawmaker wants to override governor’s veto of his bill

State lawmakers delivered 423 bills to Gov. Bob Ferguson this year and… Continue reading

Ellis Johnson, 16, left, and brother Garrett Johnson, 13, take a breather after trying to find enough water to skim board on without sinking into the sand during opening day of Jetty Island on Friday, July 5, 2019 in Everett, Wash. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Epic ways to spice up your summer

Your ultimate guide to adventure, fun and reader-approved favorites!

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.