Benny Blanco is an American songwriter, record producer, recording artist, and author whose work has helped shape some of the biggest pop songs of the past two decades. Born Benjamin Joseph Levin on March 8, 1988, in Reston, Virginia, he is of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage and has spoken openly about the importance of Jewish food, family customs, and shared celebrations in his life.
Interest in Benny Blanco’s ethnicity has grown alongside his wider public profile. For years, he was best known within the music industry as the producer behind hits for artists such as Rihanna, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5, Kesha, and Halsey. His cookbook, television appearances, solo music, and relationship with Selena Gomez later introduced his personality and family background to a much broader audience.
Blanco’s professional surname sometimes causes confusion because “Blanco” is a Spanish word and a surname found in many Hispanic communities. It is a stage name rather than his birth surname, and there is no reliable public evidence that he is Latino or Hispanic. The clearest supported description of his background is Ashkenazi Jewish American.
Benny Blanco’s Ethnicity and Jewish Heritage
Benny Blanco identifies as Jewish, with an Ashkenazi Jewish cultural and family background. Ashkenazi Jews trace much of their historic community development to Central and Eastern Europe, although Blanco has not publicly provided a detailed family genealogy identifying specific ancestral countries.
Jewish identity can refer to religion, ancestry, culture, or a combination of all three. Blanco’s public comments have usually focused on cultural and family traditions rather than detailed statements about religious doctrine or formal observance. He has described food as one of the strongest ways he connects with his Jewish identity.
That connection became especially visible through his 2024 book, Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends. The book includes Jewish and Ashkenazi-inspired dishes tied to his upbringing, including kugel, latkes, pastrami, and matzah ball soup. He has also shared memories of eating at Jewish delicatessens with his father and enjoying recipes associated with his mother and grandmother.
Blanco has attended public Passover gatherings and has taken part in Jewish celebrations with friends and family. These appearances support what he has said about his heritage, but they do not establish a particular Jewish denomination. Whether he identifies as Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, secular, or through another tradition has not been publicly confirmed.
Is Benny Blanco Hispanic or Latino?
There is no credible public evidence that Benny Blanco is Hispanic or Latino. The assumption usually comes from his stage surname, which sounds Spanish, rather than from verified information about his parents or ancestry.
His full birth name is Benjamin Joseph Levin. He adopted Benny Blanco as his professional name while building his career in music. The name has often been linked to the character Benny Blanco from the 1993 crime film Carlito’s Way, though Blanco has not treated the name as a statement about his ethnic origins.
A stage name can create a strong public identity without reflecting a performer’s family background. In Blanco’s case, his own interviews and family stories point to an Ashkenazi Jewish American upbringing. Claims that he is Puerto Rican, Mexican, Dominican, Filipino, or Italian have not been supported by direct statements or dependable biographical records.
Early Life and Family
Benjamin Joseph Levin was born on March 8, 1988, in Reston, Virginia. He grew up in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region and was raised in a Jewish household by his parents, Andrew and Sandra Levin. He also has an older brother named Jeremy.
His family encouraged his early interest in music. Blanco has recalled listening to records at home and being introduced to different artists through his brother, who took him to record stores. Those experiences helped him develop broad musical tastes rather than focusing on one genre.
As a child, he began experimenting with music and recording his own material. He reportedly made an early song after winning access to a recording session when he was about nine years old. By his teenage years, he was making beats, sending out demos, and looking for ways to reach people inside the professional music business.
Blanco also attended Camp Airy, a Jewish summer camp in Maryland. His time there included performing and working with a camp radio station, giving him an early setting in which to test his confidence as an entertainer. The camp experience connected his Jewish upbringing with the creative interests that later became his career.
Details about Blanco’s formal education are limited. Public accounts focus far more on his self-directed musical development, travel between Virginia and New York, and willingness to contact producers than on a university degree or specialized music school. No college qualification has been widely confirmed.
First Steps in the Music Industry
Blanco’s early route into music required persistence. As a teenager, he traveled from Virginia to New York to meet producers, submit music, and seek opportunities. Reports about this period describe long bus journeys, limited money, and nights spent wherever he could find a safe place to stay.
One of his early mentors was the producer Disco D, whose real name was David Shayman. Working around professional producers gave Blanco practical experience in beat-making, arrangement, collaboration, and the business of turning musical ideas into commercial records.
He later became connected with producer and songwriter Dr. Luke. That relationship placed him within a major pop-production system during the late 2000s, when tightly structured hooks and electronic production were dominating radio. Blanco developed skills as both a songwriter and a producer, allowing him to shape lyrics, melodies, rhythms, and final recordings.
His rise was unusually fast once his songs began receiving major-label releases. By his early twenties, his credits included work associated with Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Kesha, and 3OH!3. The young producer who had traveled by bus from Virginia was soon working inside some of the most commercially successful recording sessions in pop music.
Career Breakthrough and Major Songs
Blanco’s breakthrough came through a run of chart successes that established him as one of the industry’s most dependable hitmakers. His early credits included Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl,” Britney Spears’s “Circus,” and Kesha’s “TiK ToK.” These songs reached large international audiences and helped define the sound of late-2000s pop.
His career continued through collaborations with a wide range of performers. Blanco contributed to songs by Rihanna, Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd, SZA, Halsey, Wiz Khalifa, Juice WRLD, and many others. His ability to work across pop, hip-hop, R&B, and electronic music allowed him to remain active as production trends changed.
Among his best-known credits are Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger,” Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” Ed Sheeran’s “Don’t,” Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself,” and Major Lazer’s “Cold Water.” The exact division of creative work varies from song to song because modern hits often involve several writers and producers. Blanco’s importance lies in his repeated presence within teams that turned initial ideas into widely recognized records.
In 2013, the Songwriters Hall of Fame gave him the Hal David Starlight Award, which honors young songwriters who have already made a strong impact. The recognition confirmed that his reputation extended beyond record sales and chart placements. He was being acknowledged as a writer whose melodies and structures had influenced mainstream popular music.
Becoming a Recording Artist
After years of helping other singers build hits, Blanco began releasing music under his own name. His 2018 debut single, “Eastside,” featured Halsey and Khalid. The song became an international success and introduced Blanco to listeners as a credited lead artist rather than only a name found in liner notes.
His debut album, Friends Keep Secrets, followed in 2018. A later expanded edition included additional collaborations, reinforcing his preference for building records around relationships with singers and musicians rather than presenting himself as a traditional solo vocalist.
Blanco’s releases as an artist have included “I Found You” with Calvin Harris, “Roses” with Juice WRLD and Brendon Urie, “Lonely” with Justin Bieber, and “Real Shit” with Juice WRLD. His role often sits between producer, curator, songwriter, and performer. That flexible identity reflects how he has worked throughout his career.
In 2025, he released the collaborative album I Said I Love You First with Selena Gomez. The project drew attention because it blended music with the couple’s personal relationship, using songs to trace emotional stages in their story. It also increased interest in Blanco’s family, faith, personality, and life outside the studio.
Cookbook and Public Personality
Blanco’s public image changed as he appeared more frequently in videos, interviews, cooking programs, and social media posts. Audiences began to see a humorous and informal personality that differed from the polished image often associated with major pop production.
His cookbook, Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends, was released in 2024. Rather than positioning him as a formally trained chef, the book presents cooking as a way to host people, build friendships, and create memorable gatherings. It contains personal stories, recipes, and contributions connected to his family and celebrity friends.
Jewish food forms a meaningful part of the book. Blanco has described dishes such as kugel and matzah ball soup through family memories rather than treating them as abstract cultural symbols. This has made the cookbook one of the clearest public sources for understanding his Ashkenazi Jewish identity.
His interest in food has also supported television and online appearances in which he cooks with artists, chefs, and friends. The shift from private producer to visible entertainer helped humanize a career that had previously been understood mainly through chart statistics and famous collaborators.
Selena Gomez, Marriage, and Private Life
Benny Blanco and Selena Gomez had known each other professionally before confirming a romantic relationship. Blanco worked on music connected to Gomez, including “Same Old Love” and their 2021 collaboration “I Can’t Get Enough,” which also featured J Balvin and Tainy.
Gomez publicly confirmed their relationship in December 2023. The couple later appeared together at events, shared personal moments online, and discussed their relationship in interviews. Their engagement was announced in December 2024.
They married in California in September 2025. Their relationship has often been described as interfaith because Blanco is Jewish and Gomez has publicly spoken about her Christian faith. Before the wedding, the couple discussed including Jewish traditions such as the hora while respecting both of their backgrounds.
There has been no confirmed announcement that Gomez converted to Judaism. Participation in Jewish holidays or wedding customs does not establish conversion. The couple have instead presented their different faith traditions as parts of a shared family life.
Blanco has no publicly confirmed children as of 2026. He and Gomez have spoken warmly about family and their hopes for the future, but private plans should not be reported as established events.
Net Worth and Income Sources
Benny Blanco’s exact net worth is not publicly confirmed. Celebrity finance websites publish estimates, but those figures are not supported by a complete public record of his contracts, publishing rights, property, taxes, investments, or business expenses.
His wealth is likely drawn from several major income streams. These include songwriting royalties, production fees, record sales, streaming income, publishing interests, solo releases, licensing, television work, and book sales. Songs that remain popular for many years can continue generating royalties through radio, streaming, films, advertising, and public performance.
Blanco has also been involved in record-label and publishing ventures. His Friends Keep Secrets identity has functioned as both a creative brand and a label-related platform for releases. The value of those arrangements remains private, making any precise personal fortune speculative.
The safest conclusion is that he has built substantial wealth through a long and commercially successful music career. A reliable exact number cannot be confirmed from public information.
Recent Work and Current Status
Blanco’s 2024 cookbook expanded his work beyond music and gave him a new platform as a host and food personality. That same period brought major attention to his relationship with Gomez and renewed interest in his childhood and Jewish family traditions.
The 2025 release of I Said I Love You First placed the couple’s story at the center of a full musical project. Their marriage later that year strengthened Blanco’s position as a mainstream celebrity, though he continued to work primarily as a songwriter, producer, and creative collaborator.
By 2026, Blanco remained active across music, food, interviews, and entertainment media. His career now combines behind-the-scenes credibility with an increasingly public identity. He is no longer known only as the person who produced other stars’ songs; he has become a recognizable artist and media figure in his own right.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Benny Blanco’s ethnicity?
Benny Blanco is an Ashkenazi Jewish American. He has spoken publicly about his Jewish identity, family traditions, and the Ashkenazi foods that shaped his upbringing.
What is Benny Blanco’s real name?
His birth name is Benjamin Joseph Levin. Benny Blanco is the professional name he adopted for his career as a songwriter, producer, and recording artist.
Is Benny Blanco Hispanic?
There is no reliable public evidence that Benny Blanco is Hispanic or Latino. The confusion comes mainly from his Spanish-language stage surname, “Blanco,” which does not reflect his confirmed family heritage.
How old is Benny Blanco?
Benny Blanco was born on March 8, 1988. He turned 38 years old in March 2026.
Where was Benny Blanco born?
He was born in Reston, Virginia, in the United States. He grew up in the Washington, D.C., region and traveled frequently to New York while trying to enter the music industry.
Is Benny Blanco married to Selena Gomez?
Yes. Benny Blanco and Selena Gomez announced their engagement in December 2024 and married in California in September 2025.
What is Benny Blanco’s net worth?
His exact net worth is not publicly confirmed. He has earned income from songwriting, production, royalties, recordings, publishing, business projects, and his cookbook, but precise online estimates should be treated cautiously.
Conclusion
Benny Blanco’s ethnicity is best described as Ashkenazi Jewish American. His heritage is supported by his own public statements, his family stories, and the Jewish food traditions he has included in his work.
His stage name has encouraged inaccurate assumptions about Latino ancestry, but his birth name and documented upbringing tell a different story. Blanco’s identity developed through a Jewish family in Virginia, where music, humor, food, and community became lasting parts of his personality.
His career shows how a largely unseen songwriter can become one of pop music’s most influential creative figures. After years of shaping other artists’ records, Blanco has built a public identity through his own songs, cooking, friendships, and marriage to Selena Gomez.
The interest in his background is understandable, but ethnicity is only one part of his story. Blanco’s lasting reputation rests on his ability to bring people together, whether through a chorus heard around the world or a meal shared around a crowded table.
