benno! passes Taylor Swift and Harry Styles in the Spotify Top 50. The newcomer celebrates his greatest success with “Love you anyway”. But who is he?
The 19 year old rapper benno! is currently causing a stir. With his current song “Love you anyway” he was able to reach the top of a chart list that also includes big names.
On January 23rd, the musician released his current song “Love you anyway”. The single has now reached number one on the Spotify Top 50 list for Germany. The newcomer visibly proudly posts this in his Instagram story. He also appeared emotional in a follow-up story and thanked his fans: “I love you more than anything. You are the best family there is. The feeling I’m feeling right now can’t be put into words.”
It is noteworthy that the list on the streaming platform also includes big international names. For example, the young artist pushed Taylor Swift out of the top three on the list with her single “The Fate of Ophelia”. In addition, Zara Larsson, who recently went viral, lost a place with “Lush Life”. Harry Styles’ new single “Aperture” was also able to benno! leave behind. But who exactly is he?
Success suits him well
Despite the fact that he hasn’t been part of the world of German rap for long, the chart-topper already has a handful of successes to his name. benno! is not only high up in the Spotify charts, but also in the official German charts. He has already been able to rank here with several songs – two of which were even in the top 20. Firstly, with his song “Your Mann Freestyle”, which was released on February 20, 2025. The single stayed in the charts for 14 weeks, peaking at number 18 for one week, which is the song’s highest placement.
He also released the song “Rede” together with Zah1de on November 14, 2025. This was able to settle at number 20 for a week as well.
benno! in focus: 7 facts about the newcomer
Given his recent successes, the question naturally arises: Who is the 19-year-old?
1. North Rhine-Westphalia sends greetings
benno! was born in 2007 in the small town of Löhne (NRW). This is also where he grew up and took his first musical steps. The press release about him says: “Born in 2007 as the son of a Briton and an East Westphalian mother, Benno! – real name Ben Joseph Burrows – grew up in the small town of Löhne near Bielefeld. His childhood is characterized by support and trust, above all by his brother, who is almost ten years older than him, who is now his manager.”
2. Music from the children’s room
He taught himself how to produce and mix. At the age of 16, he started producing music in his room. He released his first song “Tokyo” in 2023 and shortly afterwards his debut album “1of1” in 2024 on all common streaming platforms.
3. Work instead of partying
The rapper seems to be very focused on his passion and work. He puts other things aside, he told “WDR” in an interview. “If people ask me if I want to go to parties or something, I politely say no and prefer to be up here [in seinem Zimmer] And do it because it’s my passion, you could say.”
4. On the road to success
The musician achieved his first successes in 2025 with the aforementioned chart placements of “Dein Mann Freestyle” and “Rede”, and he is currently causing a sensation with “Love you anyways”.
5. First tour is coming up – with lots of live dates everywhere
His first tour is also scheduled for 2026. On May 7th he will perform in Hanover at the Musikzentrum, a day later at the Berliner Säälchen, and immediately afterwards he will be performing at Uebel & Gefährlich in Hamburg. On May 14th it’s benno! then in Das Bett in Frankfurt am Main on stage, the following day in Wizemann in Stuttgart. His tour will then take him to Munich, where he will perform at the Backstage Hall on May 22nd, and for the finale he has chosen Cologne’s Gloria Theater as the venue on May 24th.
Tickets for the “LUV NEEDS HATE TOUR 2026” cost around 30 euros.
6. Recognition from the scene
He has already received recognition from the scene for his work. For example, the German rap great Luciano commented on his Instagram posts and celebrated him – like so many others. Shirin David also likes Benno’s skills! – see here more on that.
7. UK Inspiration
Benno has his musical role models! but mainly found in the UK. This is what the press release says about him: “Early on, Benno! senses that the boundaries of his surroundings are too narrow for him. While others join the voluntary fire department, he thinks cosmopolitanly. Urban fashion, US trap underground, British rap scene – inspired by Skepta and JME, he teaches himself to rap and record with the help of YouTube tutorials and free beats in his childhood room and in the attic of his parents’ house.”
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