Did you know pop sensation BENEE, aka Stella Bennett, once had to choose between water polo and music in high school? Bic Runga does. It’s one of many interesting facts that come to light when the pair — Runga navigating a rainy Auckland winter as BENEE basks in the warm LA sun — connect to discuss the ups and downs of their illustrious careers.
This dream Aotearoa pairing unites two generations: Runga, a Nineties icon who shaped the sound of Kiwi pop with hit albums like Drive and Beautiful Collision, and BENEE, who recently collaborated with K-pop group NewJeans on the hit single “How Sweet”. BENEE is quick to profess admiration for Runga’s long career, which has paved the way for many NZ artists.
Both have the talent to fill stages worldwide and agree on the key ingredients for success: hard work, self-belief, and staying true to yourself — lessons they both learned from their days playing sports. Their conversation touches on songwriting, Aotearoa’s unique sound, and the homesickness that can come from being far from home.
Runga, now on the APRA Board, shares industry insights, while BENEE, who’s recently supported US megastar Olivia Rodrigo on her Australian tour, focuses on her creative vision and supporting local talent through her label, Olive Records. Together, they show how top-tier artists can stay grounded amid busy careers.
BENEE. Photo credit: Liam Fawell
Runga: Hey Stella! Do people call you BENEE?
BENEE: Hey! They sometimes call me BENEE.
Runga: Is that wrong? Does it annoy you?
BENEE: You can call me Stella. How are you, darl?
Runga: I’m good! I’ve got a question for you, Stella. My daughters are really into NewJeans, and I’m so stoked that you wrote a song with them. You’re an awesome pop artist in your own right, but you also run a record label and write for massive artists. How did you get so creative and brilliant?
BENEE: That’s coming from a legend, a literal icon!
Runga: It’s a dumb question.
BENEE: No, it’s not dumb! That’s so cool your daughters like NewJeans.
Runga: They love you too! How did that collaboration come about? Did you just get in a room with them, or did you know them personally?
BENEE: No, I actually don’t know them personally. There are so many ways to make music nowadays with collaborations. Using technology and working remotely; it’s really limitless. I was working with a writer in LA, Oscar Scheller, and we were manifesting a song for NewJeans at the time. Funnily enough, there was a call for NewJeans needing a song, and it ended up being a mix of three people’s songs merged into one. We only wrote the bridge! It’s wild how you can use whatever’s going on to serve any artist looking for something cool.
Runga: That’s awesome! It’s quite different from my time. I remember going into songwriting rooms and feeling really uncomfortable. I’m fascinated that you use the word “manifest”. Did you really mean that?
BENEE: Yeah, it’s weird. If you can put your mind to something and want it a lot, or really love something, it changes the effort you put into it. You know what I mean?
Runga: Definitely! Sometimes I look around at my life, and I think, “This is a great dream.” Manifesting things is all about putting your mind to them. I’m also curious about the similarities between sports and music, especially since I saw you were quite a serious competitive water polo player for New Zealand.
BENEE: Not quite for New Zealand [laughs].
Bic Runga. Photo credit: Robin Laananen
Runga: What did you learn from being an athlete? Do you apply any of that now?
BENEE: Definitely! The industry is so competitive. Do you play sports?
Runga: I used to. The competitive aspect made me anxious, but the visualisation and skill-building are similar to music.
BENEE: It seems to be a theme. A lot of artists I know played sports at a high level. Would you call sports creative? Maybe, but it’s active. Teamwork is huge in music — having your team of managers and everything. It’s like you have a game plan for the year. It feels like a sport.
Runga: That’s so insightful and says a lot about your excellence at such a young age. Performing under pressure is another thing — there’s so much nervousness to control when you’re on stage. The more pressure, the more focused you have to be.
BENEE: A hundred per cent.
Runga: You’ve probably learned that through sports.
BENEE: Yeah, I felt worse under pressure in sports — I’d get so anxious I’d miss a shot. But performing is a different feeling. Sure, you have nerves, but once you’re on stage, you switch gears and want the audience to have the best time.
Runga: You’re such a great performer. It looks like you’re really present on stage. Is that true?
BENEE: It’s surreal performing in front of so many people. You can’t freeze; you just have to do it, even if you’re running on pure nerves. I’ve learned I can be funny or goofy on stage — that’s what people love, the rawness of an artist’s character.
Runga: It’s about using everything in the moment — rolling with it. My dad was in the army, so he taught me to stay calm, even when it’s hard. I know what it feels like to be anxious, but you just have to push through that crazy feeling. It’s always there.
BENEE: Totally.
Runga: Can you tell me about your record label? It’s so cool, you’re only 24 and you’re a tycoon as well as a creative.
BENEE: Olive Records came from the idea of using my audience to help local and smaller artists. If you’re supporting a bigger artist on tour, you’re in front of crowds that might not know you. We first signed Muroki, from Raglan, and then There’s a Tuesday — both are going on to bigger things now. It’s still evolving, and I’ll help other artists I connect with along the way by sharing my resources.
Runga: There are so many artists out there, and it’s hard to get noticed. It’s great that you’re bringing them in with you.
BENEE: It needs to be normalised, supporting each other. That’s how any artist breaks through. SZA was a Drake feature, you know? Unless they break through completely on their own, most have people cheerleading for them.
Runga: The most meaningful help I’ve had in music has come from other artists. Just having them understand what you’re going through is huge. It seems like “luxury problems”, but it’s not. Being a musician can feel like a curse, sometimes.
BENEE: It’s such a unique experience. It’s hard to relate to others without them thinking you’re whining about nothing.
Runga: Especially if you’re “famous” — people wonder what you’re complaining about.
BENEE: Right? “Oh, nothing, just everyone hates me….” Even just relating to hate is insane and weird. Artists have a deeper understanding of each other… but it’s a great job!
Runga: Absolutely.
BENEE: We’re lucky to come from the New Zealand music scene. It’s so unique. I feel like the world looks to Aotearoa for tastemaking — Lorde, Kimbra, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Dave Dobbyn, and so many incredible smaller artists. Maybe it’s our isolation and nature that creates such unique music. You can’t escape that influence.
Runga: For our size, we punch above our weight in quality songwriting. I think our isolation lets us cherry-pick influences from the UK and the US, allowing us to really aspire to something from the safety of New Zealand. It’s like Ireland — our songwriters are storytellers, outside the mould and free. I remember a journalist saying you can tell a New Zealand songwriter because when you think it’s going to go right, it goes left. Our songwriting is complex, earthy, and the combination of isolation and nature is beautiful.
BENEE: Exactly! It’s like the artists from Iceland or Sweden.
Runga: Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA, Max Martin — they have this pristine pop quality.
BENEE: Yeah, the Swedes and pop are fascinating. At Stockholm airport, they have giant posters of famous Swedish people, and most are musicians.
Runga: Oh, wow. Have you met Max Martin?
BENEE: I’ve actually worked with him. He has a studio in LA and started his own label, signing producers who work for him. I worked with two Swedish girls and made a song called “Green Honda”, which has that very Swedish sound.
Runga: Did you work with those Swedish girls on that, or Max?
BENEE: Not with Max, he’s a big dog. He’s really nice as well. I didn’t know it was him when we met.
Runga: Unreal.
BENEE. Photo credit: Liam Fawell
BENEE: I worked with this guy, and his dad was the drummer of ABBA. The Swedes are everywhere!
I miss working with Josh Fountain. Have you met him?
Runga: He seems lovely. There’s a real continuity with you and him, right? You still collaborate sometimes?
BENEE: I love that man. Sometimes you want to hold onto the sound you started with. I work with incredible artists and producers, but sometimes it feels like I’m missing my sound. Maybe you can only capture that with someone who understands where you came from. There’s also a great producer named Leroy Clampitt, who just released a single with me. In the studio, I told him I wanted to capture that New Zealand summer festival vibe — the kind of organic realness we grew up with. You can’t really explain that to anyone.
Runga: We have amazing producers in New Zealand, and what you’re doing is important — bringing your original people up to create something original.
BENEE: Honestly, I love it here in America, but I really miss home. The culture and care for the natural world and each other is so kind. Working with those people is so nice. It’s easy to get sidetracked in LA, where you run the risk of sounding very generic.
Runga: Yeah, it can feel fake.
BENEE: You think, “That’s not even me!” What’s important to you when making music?
Runga: I’m not great at co-writing. I’m pretty insular and almost reclusive. When I’ve tried to write with people, I just feel awkward. I think I could write for others, but when it comes to other people writing for me, it’s tough to sing someone else’s lyrics. I remember Lorde saying the same — imagine someone having the audacity to give her lyrics, you know.
The best songs I’ve written came naturally. They just linger in your mind, gnawing at you until you act on them. When I got into the writing circuit in LA, I felt like I let myself down. It was as if the magic was broken. Now, I’m focusing on being myself again — writing honestly, rather than cynically.
BENEE: I get that. A lot of huge American stars have songs written for them, which feels fucking weird. You either don’t mind people writing your lyrics, or you do. For us, we care. It feels weird unless someone is there to help massage things out of your head. It just doesn’t sit right to have someone else speaking for you when it’s your experience.
Runga: Exactly! It’s like they treat you as a canary they can hand a song to. This is my self-expression — it feels like a trespass. Why are you getting into my personal space? It’s private.
BENEE: Right. It’s like speed dating with different artists and writers. Sometimes it takes you so far from yourself that you end up wondering, “What am I even writing about?” The worst is when someone’s humming melodies at you constantly in a session. It can really send you spiralling.
Runga: That’s funny.
BENEE: It really tests you. You just gotta, like, find yourself after being uncomfortable.
Runga: You’ve got a movie [Head South] coming out, too? What the hell, that’s amazing.
BENEE: Thank you. Yeah, I’m feeling blessed — too blessed to be stressed. It feels great to support my creative lifestyle in any way I can. It kind of blows my mind all the time. I’m like, “How am I even here right now?” I have friends trying to break into music, and it’s tough. It feels like I’ve been given a crazy opportunity, and I often think about what the odds are.
Runga: Well, it’s because you’re genuinely talented. But how are you finding life? Are you happy? Is everything okay?
BENEE: Yeah, I’m happy. Life throws curveballs, but I’m in a great place mentally. How about you? What’s going on?
Runga: I’m enjoying a different phase right now, like being on the APRA Board. My mum never really understood what I did. So now she’s proud of me in my middle age. I’m learning a lot about the behind-the-scenes of the music industry, which has been really fun. I also wrote some songs with my partner [Kody Nielson], who’s in Unknown Mortal Orchestra with his brother. I usually don’t write with others, but I made an exception for them because they’re family, and I love them.
BENEE: That’s awesome!
Runga: I’m so proud of everything they’ve accomplished. Their song “Hunnybee” just went gold. I even sent Ruban [Nielson, Unknown Mortal Orchestra frontman] some songs to help me finish, and he sent back some amazing ideas that took it up another notch. He’s a great songwriter.
It’s really good to see you happy. What you’re going to achieve in the next 20 years is going to be off the charts!
BENEE: You too! Take care
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