What do non-fans really know about Benson Boone? That he is inexplicably linked to something called “moonbeam ice cream?” That he has an affinity for backflipping? That he once opened for Taylor Swift during her epic Eras Tour? Perhaps. But what the internet is now learning about Mr. Boone is that he can SING.
This week, Boone has become the center of attention for his talent as a performer, rather than endless discourse about his glittery one-piece suit from the 2025 Grammys. During the Columbus, Ohio, stop of his American Heart World Tour on August 25, Boone sang a cover of Adele’s 2015 song, “When We Were Young.” Videos of the performance emerged online and immediately sent those who were unfamiliar with Boone’s singing skills into a tizzy.
The 23-year-old flawlessly sang the song in the same key as Adele, hitting every note with perfection and raw emotion. One video of the performance shared by a fan on TikTok has amassed more than 9.4 million views as of August 31. The comments were flooded with people who said he “actually” sounds like Adele, while others said, “Mr benson boone i wasn’t aware of your game.”
“Did he just kelly clarkson adele,” one user wrote. “Benson Boone delete your entire discography and start over with this type of music,” another said.
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It seems that singing covers has become a tradition on this tour, as videos have since shown Boone singing songs like “Shallow,” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, and “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars. Much like Kelly Clarkson does on her daytime talk shown segment, “Kellyoke,” Boone is taking some beloved songs and making them his own.
Benson Boone has received his fair share of hate online since he emerged on the pop music scene in the last year. He made a splash at the 2025 Grammys when he performed his hit song, “Beautiful Things,” and was nominated for Best New Artist. But the online reception for Boone has been back and forth. Most of the time, he’s been the butt of the joke or a meme. But on TikTok, he’s decided to laugh about it. On June 25, Boone shared a video saying that it was his birthday and to “stop the hate for a day and let me relax.” After going viral for his Adele cover, Boone shared a TikTok joking about people no longer hating him, while making the joke, “you got boonbeamed.
