Supalonely

Album: Stella & Steve (2019)
Charted: 18 39
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, Benee (birth name Stella Rose Bennett) kicked off her music career by posting covers to SoundCloud. She began making her own music in her final year of high school.

    Benee first made waves in her home country with her debut EP Fire on Marzz, released on June 28, 2019. The EP peaked at #13 on the New Zealand Albums Chart and spawned the Gold-certified hit single "Glitter." Benee also won four New Zealand Music Awards, including Best Solo Artist. This infectious song is from her second EP Stella & Steve.
  • Benee created the song after going through a breakup. The singer explained to I.D. she wanted "to play around with the theme of being sad about a guy because that was how I was feeling."

    Benee added that the self-deprecating tune is poking fun at the feeling of being miserable. She explained: "Sometimes when you're sad you're just like, ugh, get over it! I think when I listen to music like 'Supalonely' where it's making fun of the feeling of being sad, in a way it kind of makes me feel good in a very weird way."
  • New York singer-songwriter Gus Dapperton supplies a twist at the end with his verse. He said: "I loved the beat and Benee's vocals! The concept was highly relatable to me on the other side of the spectrum, as being someone who likes to go out more often than not. It was natural and awfully fun to write to."

    Dapperton is best known for his song "Of Lacking Spectacle," which appeared on the 13 Reasons Why Season 2 soundtrack in 2018.
  • Benee and Gus Dapperton co-wrote the song with Benee's producer, Josh Fountain, and Canadian singer-songwriter Jenna Andrews. Fountain and Dapperton produced the track.

    It was the first session Benee had had in LA. She told Genius she'd literally broken up with her boyfriend five days before leaving for the City of Angels. Stuck in LA knowing only her producer and manager, she was feeling lonely. The general vibe the track was "to get in there and try my hardest not to make a really sad song."
  • "Supalonely" is quite sweary, but a clean version is also available on some streaming sites, such as Deezer.
  • The song gained popularity in March 2020 after spawning a viral dance challenge on the online video-sharing platform TikTok. Celebrities including J-Lo and Madison Beer joined TikTokers the world over with their versions of the "Supalonely" dance.

    It all started two months after the single's December debut when TikTok user Zoi Lerma uploaded the clip of her choreography - a blend of flailing limbs and L-is-for-loser hand gestures against the sunny backdrop of her Los Angeles backyard. By the following month, the groove made its way from TikTok to YouTube and more than 10 million videos were made across the platforms. One of the most famous was by supermodel Emily Ratajkowski, who famously showed off her lack of rhythm - along with her famous figure - with an off-beat attempt at the groove on TikTok. Just a few days later, the tune entered the Hot 100 at #88, giving both Benee and Dapperton their first appearances on the chart.
  • This has a deceptively upbeat production for a song about the post-breakup blues, but the sunny vibe reminds us not to take Benee's words so seriously. The singer, who calls herself a f--ked up loser in the song, admits she's mocking her heartache with the self-deprecating lyrics to make herself feel better. "I just take the piss out of myself for being sad," she explained.
  • If you think you hear Benee singing "guess I'm a critter," you're not alone - but you're still wrong. She's saying she's a quitter for giving up on her relationship.
  • Benee made her TV debut when she and Gus Daaperton performed this song on the June 8, 2020 episode of The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.

Comments: 1

  • Songbird from GermanyMore song facts (Benee Interview): "Supalonely" Official Lyrics & Meaning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Jqekjr_ehI
see more comments

Editor's Picks

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.

Rosanne Cash

Rosanne CashSongwriter Interviews

Rosanne talks about the journey that inspired her songs on her album The River & the Thread, including a stop at the Tallahatchie Bridge.

Charles Fox

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.

Music Video Director David Hogan

Music Video Director David HoganSong Writing

David talks about videos he made for Prince, Alabama, Big & Rich, Sheryl Crow, DMB, Melissa Etheridge and Sisters of Mercy.

Tommy James

Tommy JamesSongwriter Interviews

"Mony Mony," "Crimson and Clover," "Draggin' The Line"... the hits kept coming for Tommy James, and in a plot line fit for a movie, his record company was controlled by the mafia.

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple PilotsSongwriter Interviews

Stone Temple Pilots bass player Robert DeLeo names the songs that have most connected with fans and tells the stories behind tracks from their Tiny Music album.