Matthew James Burns

If you want to understand modern pop’s protean nature, you don’t have to look much further than Matthew James Burns, better known just as BURNS. Pop as a genre is amorphous, ever-changing, and exceptionally difficult to pin down to one genre, and so is he.

BURNS is a songwriter, DJ, producer–not to mention a gifted guitarist, keyboardist, and drummer–who moves easily between pop, dance music, and hip-hop. Lately he’s been staking out space in the increasingly important and popular place where the borders between those genres have started to disintegrate.

That space has gotten a little wider since the release of Britney Spears’s G-Eazy-featuring “Make Me.” Propelled by BURNS’s sensuous slow-motion beat (which he played guitar and keys on), a hook (which he co-wrote) that instantly embeds itself in the listener’s brain, and one of Spears’s all-time most evocative vocal performances, the track reached the top of the iTunes charts within just hours of its surprise release.

Born in Stafford, UK on Halloween in 1985, BURNS took up music at twelve–first the guitar, then keyboards, then production after discovering first the UK dance music scene that was flourishing in the ‘90s, then falling madly in love with Daft Punk, a group he credits more than any other with inspiring him to devote his life to music.

BURNS was an omnivorous, eclectic listener and avid reader of liner notes from an early age–his mom was a big fan of ‘70s disco and his dad loved Fleetwood Mac, both of which would become important influences when he started creating his own music. Starting with his Prince-sampling white-label vinyl single “Make Love”–which Annie Mac played on Radio 1–he’s brought that range to a run of successful, genre-smashing tracks. His 2012 breakthrough single “Lies” combines classically-inflected soul with big-room breakdowns, and not only established him as a top-level EDM producer but managed to cross over onto the UK pop charts. More recently, 2016’s “Beauty Queen” connected old-school Detroit techno to new-school strip-club sounds.

His way of doing things differently is what made him a favorite of some of the world’s biggest DJs, who have all found spots on their set lists for his tracks, and helped him carve out a touring schedule that includes residencies in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Atlanta, and performances at high-profile festivals like Lollapalooza, Creamfields, Tomorrowland, Stereosonic Festival, and Made In America. It’s also what’s attracted a growing number of pop artists looking to benefit from his singular vision–he’s produced tracks for Britney, Ellie Goulding, and Pitbull, co-wrote “Doing It” with Charli XCX, and remixed Rihanna, Lana Del Rey and Bishop Briggs.

With a resume like that it’s no wonder so many major artists are approaching him to collaborate. Most people in BURNS’s position would be more than happy enough with that amount of work behind the boards, but production’s only part of what he does, and he’s determined to show the world his full multifaceted potential as a musician. Keep an eye out for more BURNS production credits on chart-busting hits, but also keep an eye out for more music (including the most recent single “WAVE” featuring rapper Elvis Brown) with his own name at the top.