Ben J. Pierce (born February 19, 1999), also known as Miss Benny, is an American singer,

YouTuber A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006. Influence Influent ...

and actor.

Early life

Ben J. Pierce was born in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, Texas on February 19, 1999. They lived as a

closeted ''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and other (LGBTQ+) people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and human ...

teenager before coming out. As Pierce began posting on YouTube, they found an outlet with other similar individuals in the online community. They befriended fellow YouTube artists

Troye Sivan Troye Sivan Mellet ( ; born 5 June 1995) is an Australian singer-songwriter, actor and YouTuber. After gaining popularity as a singer on YouTube and in Australian talent competitions, Sivan signed with EMI Australia in 2013 and released his thi ...

and

Tyler Oakley Mathew Tyler Oakley (born March 22, 1989) is an American YouTuber, actor, activist and author. Much of Oakley's activism has been dedicated to LGBT youth, LGBT rights, as well as social issues including health care, education, and the preventio ...

Career

Pierce began posting on YouTube using various channels when they were 11 years old in 2010 as a way to feel less isolated and lonely. In 2012, they began posting under the YouTube channel, KidPOV. They began posting under their own name in 2016. They frequently discuss gender and identity. Pierce has done makeup tutorials and collaborated with other media personalities including Tyler Oakley and

James Charles James Charles Dickinson (born May 23, 1999) is an American beauty YouTuber and makeup artist. While working as a local makeup artist in his hometown of Bethlehem, New York, Charles started a YouTube channel, where he posts makeup tutorials. ...

. Their YouTube channel also includes humorous skits. In 2014, Pierce released the song "Little Game". They wrote the lyrics and directed and produced the music video with assistance from Tumi Mphahlele. The song and video rebuff forcing children into traditional

gender role A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cent ...

s. In 2016, Pierce was cast as Smiley in season 2 of

go90 go90 was an American Internet television service and mobile app owned and operated by Verizon Communications. The service was positioned as a mobile-oriented "social entertainment platform" targeted primarily towards millennials, featuring a mi ...

's ''Guidance''. Pierce also produces music under the name Miss Benny. Pierce released the single "Boys Will Be Boys" in 2016. The song's music video was filmed and edited by YouTuber and filmmaker Chase vs Everything. Kalama Epstein is featured in the music video. The song is about

toxic masculinity Toxic masculinity is a set of certain male behaviors associated with harm to society and men themselves. Traditional stereotypes of men as socially dominant, along with related traits such as misogyny and homophobia, can be considered "toxic" d ...

and

heteronormativity Heteronormativity is the concept that heterosexuality is the preferred or normal mode of sexual orientation. It assumes the gender binary (i.e., that there are only two distinct, opposite genders) and that sexual and marital relations are most ...

. It features melodic tones, smooth vocals, and drum beats. Nic Kelly of ''Project U'' had a positive review of the song, describing its style as somewhere between

Odesza Odesza (; stylized as ODESZA) is an American electronic music duo originating from Bellingham, Washington. It consists of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, known individually as Catacombkid and BeachesBeaches. They formed in 2012, shortly bef ...

and Drumaq. In 2017, Pierce released the single "Never Apart". They directed the video which was shot by Chase vs Everything. The video earned praise from ''Project U'' which described it as having a "90s vibe." Kelley of ''Project U'' describes the song as an dark R&B track similar to Leland and

Tom Aspaul Thomas Paul Frederick Dutton, known professionally as Tom Aspaul is a British singer and songwriter from Wolverhampton. He released his debut album, '' Black Country Disco'' in 2020 to critical acclaim. His songwriting credits include Kylie M ...

. In 2017, Pierce was managed by Lisa Filipelli of Flip Management. In 2018, Pierce appeared in the sitcom '' Fuller House'' as Casey, the shows first openly gay character. They were cast in the series ''Reverie''. In 2019, they were cast as the lead for

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

pilot ''Glamorous'' playing Marco, an "ambitious and creative gender-nonconforming teenager who uses makeup and fashion to let his queer self bloom." Pierce is the voice of Angel in ''

Craig of the Creek ''Craig of the Creek'' is an American animated television series created by Matt Burnett and Ben Levin for Cartoon Network. The show's pilot episode debuted directly on the official app on December 1, 2017. The series premiered online on February ...

'' since season 4.

Artistry

Pierce names Bob Mizer as one of their aesthetic influences. They strive to create music that is glittery synth-pop, bubbly, and "very gay and very

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

." Pierce listens to pop musicians

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery ...

and

Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...

. They also listen to rap and hip hop. Pierce often goes by the nickname Miss Benny to portray a masculine but still feminine image.

Personal life

Pierce lives in Los Angeles, California . Pierce identifies as gay, queer, and non-binary. They use they/them, she/her, and he/him pronouns. They have 3 older siblings who assist in aspects of video production including crafting props and design hair and makeup.

Discography

Singles

* "Little Game" (2014) * "Boys Will Be Boys" (2016) * "Never Apart" (2017) * "Rendezvous" (2019) * "Every Boy" (2019) * "That's My Man" (2019) * "One Damn Good Mistake" (2019)

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, Ben J. Living people 1999 births 21st-century American singers American male singer-songwriters LGBT people from Texas Musicians from Dallas LGBT YouTubers YouTubers from Texas Beauty and makeup YouTubers Music YouTubers American child singers Singer-songwriters from Texas American gay musicians Queer musicians Non-binary musicians American gay actors Queer actors 21st-century American LGBT people YouTube channels launched in 2011 American LGBT singers