By Phoebe Piserchio; Editor-in-Chief

This year’s graduation for the Mills Class of 2024 welcomes 21-year-old singer-songwriter Benson Boone to the stage as he is set to perform two of his songs for the class. This is the first time in Mills history where a well-known artist has ever performed at graduation, and the entire community is welcoming him with open arms. 

Discovering his talent through a Battle of the Bands competition at his high school, Boone began officially focusing on singing after dropping out of college. He started his career on TikTok and shared his music in 2021, before auditioning for season 19 of American Idol. The singer was accepted to move on in the competition, but he ended up withdrawing to focus on his career. Subsequently, his TikTok following skyrocketed to 1.7 million followers, amounting to a newfound fame like never before. Eventually, he signed with Dan Reynolds’ record label: Night Street Records. His most successful single since then has been “Beautiful Things” which he is set to sing at graduation. 

We can thank Principal Duszynski for putting together this arrangement. Interestingly, Boone happens to be connected to her through a familial link; he is her brother-in-law’s uncle’s neighbor’s step brother. Principal Duszynski has hinted that Boone may be planning more than we think, with rumors circling of a possible album announcement.

Mr. Gregoric, our music director, is thrilled to incorporate him into the ensemble of graduation.

“I have been listening to Benson a lot lately. He’s great, I’m a huge fan,” Gregoric told us with enthusiasm. When asked about his favorite songs by Boone, he responded with “Ghost Town” and “Beautiful Things.” He also plans on bringing multiple shirts for Boone to sign, quickly adding “for my niece.” 

Boone has sent the school calendars and bookmarks to give students a preview of his music before he performs. The Thunderbolt has put one of the two in a select few of the papers; if you’re lucky, you might have received one!