Benny Blanco facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Benny Blanco
Blanco in 2018
Background information
Birth name	Benjamin Joseph Levin
Born	(1988-03-08) March 8, 1988 (age 37) Reston, Virginia, U.S.
Genres	Pop
Occupations	Record producer songwriter record executive author
Years active	2007–present
Labels	Mad Love Interscope Friends Keep Secrets A&M

Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as benny blanco, is an American music producer, songwriter, and record executive. He is famous for creating hit songs for many popular artists.

Benny Blanco has won several awards, including the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has also received five BMI Songwriter of the Year Awards and was named iHeartRadio Producer of the Year in 2017. He has been nominated for 11 Grammy Awards.

He has worked on songs and albums that have sold over 500 million copies! Some of the famous artists he has produced or co-written for include Ed Sheeran, BTS, Justin Bieber, Halsey, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Rihanna, Selena Gomez, and many more.

In 2018, Benny Blanco released his first song as a lead artist, "Eastside", with Halsey and Khalid. This song became a huge hit, reaching number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. and topping the charts in several other countries. He then released his first album, Friends Keep Secrets, in December 2018. A special deluxe version, Friends Keep Secrets 2, came out in 2021. This album included the popular song "Lonely" with Justin Bieber.

Benny Blanco also started two record labels, Mad Love Records and Friends Keep Secrets, under Interscope Records. Through these labels, he signed artists like Tory Lanez and Jessie Ware. Later, he joined A&M Records, another part of Interscope.

Early Life and Music Start

Benjamin Joseph Levin was born in Reston, Virginia. He started making hip-hop music in his bedroom, creating beats and recording his own singing. His love for music began early, around age six, when he listened to artists like Nas and All-4-One on cassette tapes. These early experiences helped shape his music style.

He got his stage name, Benny Blanco, from a character in the movie Carlito’s Way. It was a playful reference to him being a white rapper. As a child, he even hosted a radio show at Camp Airy called "Ebba Ebba". Later, he got to work with producer Disco D, which helped him learn more about the music industry.

Music Career Highlights

Blanco in 2015

From 2007, Benny Blanco was guided by the songwriter and producer Dr. Luke. During this time, he helped create many big hits. These included Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream", Kesha's "TiK ToK", and Taio Cruz's "Dynamite".

In 2008, he helped write and produce Britney Spears' song "Circus". This song was very successful, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and selling millions of copies worldwide.

By 2011, Benny Blanco started creating hits on his own, without Dr. Luke. These included Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger", Gym Class Heroes' "Stereo Hearts", and 3OH!3's "Don't Trust Me". He also worked on Maroon 5's album Overexposed and its lead song "Payphone" with Wiz Khalifa.

In 2013, Benny Blanco received the Hal David Starlight Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony. This award honors young artists who have already made a big impact in music.

Since then, Benny Blanco has had 29 songs reach number one on the charts. He has achieved great success with artists like BTS, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, and Camila Cabello. In 2017, he was named Producer of the Year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.

His Own Music Projects

Blanco in 2008

In 2007, Benny Blanco worked with Baltimore rappers Spank Rock to release an EP (a short album) called Spank Rock and Benny Blanco Are...Bangers & Cash. This project got a lot of attention and helped him connect with future music partners.

In July 2018, he released his first song as a solo artist, "Eastside", featuring Halsey and Khalid. The song was a huge hit, reaching the top 10 in many countries around the world. Later that year, he released more singles like "I Found You" with Calvin Harris and "Roses" with Juice Wrld and Brendon Urie. These songs were part of his first album, Friends Keep Secrets.

In 2019, he released "I Found You / Nilda's Story" with Calvin Harris and Miguel. This song helped support a fund for people seeking asylum in the United States. He also released "I Can't Get Enough" with Tainy, Selena Gomez, and J Balvin, and "Graduation" with Juice Wrld.

In October 2020, Benny Blanco released "Lonely" with Justin Bieber, which became another popular hit. A deluxe version of his album, Friends Keep Secrets 2, was released in March 2021. In 2022, he released "Bad Decisions" with BTS members Jin, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, and Snoop Dogg. In 2023, a song called "Lace It" with Juice WRLD and Eminem was released after Juice WRLD's passing.

Media Appearances

Benny Blanco has also appeared in media outside of music. In 2020, he and chef Matty Matheson started a cooking show on YouTube called Matty and Benny Eat Out America. He also played a fictional version of himself in the TV series Dave with Lil Dicky. In 2021, they launched another cooking show called Stupid F*cking Cooking Show.

Books

Benny Blanco wrote his first book, Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends, which was published in April 2024. The book became a bestseller and includes his own recipes, along with tips and dishes from friends like Matty Matheson and Lil Dicky. It's a guide to entertaining and cooking for friends.

Record Labels

In 2014, Benny Blanco started two record labels, Mad Love Records and Friends Keep Secrets, which were part of Interscope Records. These labels helped launch the careers of artists like Cashmere Cat and Jessie Ware. By 2024, these labels had closed, and Benny Blanco began working with a new version of the A&M Records label, also under Interscope.

Personal Life

Benny Blanco has been in a relationship with singer and actress Selena Gomez since June 2023. They announced their engagement in December 2024.

Discography

Albums

Reissues

Singles

Awards and Nominations

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Benny Blanco para niños