The Untold Truth Behind Benson Boone’s Rise – And The Quiet Power Of His Family’s Loyalty

Benson Boone comes from a close-knit family of seven.

The singer was raised in Monroe, Wash. by his parents Kerry and Nate Boone. The couple also share four daughters together: Kaylee, Natalee, Emma and Claire.

Benson’s family has been an important part of his support system during his rise to fame. He made it to the top 24 on season 19 of American Idol before dropping out and finding success with the release of his hit singles “In the Stars” and “Beautiful Things” in January 2024.

During an interview with 102.7 KIISFM in March 2024, Benson opened up about how much he values his family’s support.

“Truly, I would actually be nowhere without my parents,” he said. “I have four sisters, so there’s five kids, and they have done an exceptional job at raising all of us and raising all of us well.”

Here’s everything to know about Benson Boone’s family, including his two parents and four sisters.

Benson’s dad works with computers, while his mom volunteers with local organizations

Benson’s dad Nate is “a square-jawed dude who works in computers,” according to the singer’s March 2025 Rolling Stone cover story. He currently works as an engagement manager at Launch Consulting Group and previously spent nearly two decades at Microsoft, according to his LinkedIn.

Kerry, meanwhile, volunteers with a number of local Washington organizations, according to a 2017 Seattle’s Child post. She was the co-chair of the Monroe Community Coalition, an organization dedicated to preventing children and teens from experiencing the negative impacts of alcohol and drugs.

She also worked on justserve.org, a website that matches volunteers with local volunteer opportunities, and her school district’s parent advisory committee.

Kerry has been open about how her Mormon faith inspires her philanthropy.

“My faith drives everything that I do and my perspective of what life is about,” Kerry told HeraldNet in 2017. “To me there is nothing more important than strengthening my family and serving other people. That’s what brings joy.”

Benson was raised in the Mormon church

Benson grew up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He even attended Brigham Young University-Idaho for a semester before dropping out to pursue American Idol, per HeraldNet.

However, Benson has since developed his own beliefs. During his Rolling Stone interview, the singer opened up about how he doesn’t want to be boxed into one religion.

“I have my own opinions. Some are from this religion, some are from this religion, some are from no religion,” he said. “Growing up, a lot of people at church would talk about these experiences that they’ve had and these personal revelations and feelings and voices.”

Benson explained that he never experienced something “as physically present as they did” and was “always confused and frustrated” because he wasn’t “feeling what everyone else was feeling.”

The singer added that his parents are supportive of him developing his own beliefs. “My parents definitely have their own views, but when it comes to religion and God, they want me to figure it out on my own,” he said. “And whatever I come to, and whatever I feel is right, that’s what they want for me.”

His sisters are also musicians

Benson isn’t the only musician in his family — his sisters also share some of his talent. The singer learned to play piano by listening to his sisters’ piano lessons when they were kids and later teaching himself the songs, per a 2023 interview with The Line of Best Fit.

Claire is also a singer and has joined Benson onstage on several occasions. In April 2024, they performed his song “To Love Someone” during the Utah stop of his Fireworks and Rollerblades World Tour.

“Salt lake was amazing i had the BEST time!! thank you @bensonboone i love you so much❤️,” Claire wrote alongside photos from the performance.

Benson’s parents have supported his music career

When Benson decided to drop out of American Idol, his parents were behind his choice. During a June 2022 appearance on The Zach Sang Show, the singer said his parents’ belief in him is a big reason why he tried to make it in music on his own.

“I really have great parents, and I think they played a big part in this,” he said. “I talked to my mom while I was on American Idol, and when I told them I wanted to quit, they don’t know anything about music, and so they were very confused at like why I would want to quit.”

Benson explained to his parents that he didn’t want to be known as “the American Idol kid,” but still wanted to pursue a music career. “They just believed in me, and I think it was because they believed in me that I really thought I could do it,” he said.

Benson has a close relationship with his sisters

Despite Benson’s busy schedule, he has a close bond with all four of his sisters. They often attend his shows, including when he opened for Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium in 2024.

In June of that year, Kaylee posted a sweet birthday tribute to her brother, sharing photos of the two going skydiving.

“Happy taylor swift birthday to my slayest brother, Bongo,” she wrote. “Bens, I love you billions & I am so proud of who you are & everything you are working towards. So grateful to have you as my brother & bestie. 🤍🤍.”

Benson’s sisters have even inspired his music. In March 2024, Benson told 104.3 MYfm that it “definitely changes you” when you’re “surrounded by girls 24/7.”

“I feel like I’m definitely more emotional and aware of other people’s emotions and my emotions,” he said. “It helps my songwriting and what I do because I want to be vulnerable with my music, and so they just kind of have helped me a lot with who I am and what I pay attention to.”

Benson has written songs for his family

Benson has written songs for a number of his family members. In his 2025 Rolling Stone interview, the singer shared that his upcoming sophomore album will feature tracks inspired by his parents.

“Mr. Electric Blue” is a song about “hero-worshipping” his dad, while a ballad called “The Mama Song” is about missing his mom.

He also penned a song for his older sister, Kaylee, called “Little Runaway,” which was featured on his 2023 EP Pulse. During an appearance on The Zach Sang Show in May 2023, Benson revealed the song was “very personal” to his relationship with Kaylee and her struggles with mental health.

“The meaning behind ‘Little Runaway’ is that we don’t always know how to help people,” he said. “A lot of people go through their own battles and struggles that you can’t even begin to understand because you’re not them.”

Benson added, “Obviously, I want to help Kaylee, and I want to, you know, do what I can to support her, but sometimes it’s hard for me to know what to do. So, all I can really do is be there for her, and that’s what ‘Little Runaway’ is about, is like letting her know that I’m there, and if she needs me, I will be here for whatever she needs.”

Kerry helps keep him grounded

During his 2025 Rolling Stone interview, Benson shared that the success of “Beautiful Things” taught him that it’s “incredibly easy to get carried away.”

“I said something really snappy to my mom,” he said. “I hung up the phone. I was like, ‘What am I doing? I just snapped at my mother, the sweetest angel of a woman.’ And I felt so bad and I called her like 20 minutes later and I was like, ‘I’m so sorry. I don’t know what has gotten into me.’ ”

Kerry encouraged him to make a list of what he’s grateful for and the lessons he had learned over the last year, which helped him put his life into perspective. “If this is a bigger year than last year, I want to be ready to keep the fabric of who I am,” he said.