Benny Blanco’s ethnicity, race, parents, and nationality confirmed

Benny Blanco‘s romantic side is back in the news with his newly announced engagement to Selena Gomez. And now that fans know they’re in it for the long haul, they want to know about Benny’s past, career, and relationship timeline.

The American producer, songwriter, and author has a surprisingly storied career, with incredible talent obvious from the outset. Here are the most interesting tidbits about Gomez’s future husband, real name is Benjamin Joseph Levin.

Benny Blanco’s Jewish ethnicity

Blanco is Jewish, and his family’s culture had a big impact on his identity. As a child, Blanco attended Camp Airy, a Jewish summer camp in Thurmont, Maryland, where he would perform and host a radio show under the stage name “Ebba Ebba.” He said these experiences molded him as a performer.

The “Kibitz and Complain” chapter in his Open Wide cookbook highlights Jewish recipes. Additionally, Blanco wrote about the Jewish delis he’d visit with his dad as well as his grandmother’s secretiveness about her Matzah ball soup ingredients. The producer has also been spotted wearing a Star of David necklace several times.

Benny Blanco’s race and nationality

Blanco was born on March 8, 1988, in Reston, Virginia, U.S. He was raised there and is an American citizen. According to Magnum X, Blanco has Eastern European and Puerto Rican roots through his parents. His Puerto Rican ties shine through in his genre-blending records, and he has collaborated with several Latin music artists.

Benny Blanco’s parents

Blanco was born to parents Andrew and Sandra Levin, who work in the “intimate apparel business” and at an assisted living facility, respectively. His parents didn’t have any connection to the music industry, but Blanco stated in a New York Times interview they were supportive nonetheless — if not slightly skeptical. Sandra has Puerto Rican and Jewish heritage, and Andrew has Eastern European and Jewish.

They had Blanco in 1988, and though they don’t have a musical background, they were essential to their son’s creative journey. He told Augustman in 2021, “Ever since I was a baby I was into music. I would always bang on the pots and pans. My mom and dad were very into music, so they played me music very early on and my brother was also really into music so he would take me to records stores.”

How he got into music and what artists he’s worked with

Blanco was an aspiring rapper until, in his words, he realized “no one cares what a chubby Jewish kid from Virginia thinks.” After that epiphany, he switched to creating beats. He spent his time spamming artists on MySpace from his school library, and traveling to New York on the weekends to try and land meetings with bigwigs.

He left high school in 2006 and fell into a musical duo with the rapper Spank Rock. He caught the attention of the now-infamous record producer Dr. Luke, who enlisted Blanco into a four-year pop music boot camp.

In the same New York Times profile, Blanco estimated “like 75 percent” of his success comes from being a chill dude. “What I can do is meet an artist, know what type of song I think we should make, and be their therapist, make everyone feel comfortable.”

He has collaborated with Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Ed Sheeran and many more. The list also includes Gomez, who he first encountered professionally before becoming her friend and eventual partner. They first worked together on her Revival album in 2015. Now, they’ll (hopefully) be working together for the rest of their lives, just in different ways.