Børns

Biography

Garrett Clark Borns (born January 7, 1992), better known by his stage name Børns (stylized in all caps), is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.
Born and raised in Grand Haven, Michigan, Børns began performing in his youth. In 2012, he released his debut album, A Dream Between, through REZidual Records. His first major label release was the Candy EP (2014), through Geffen and Interscope. The EP peaked at number two on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. The Dopamine tour followed, preceding his debut studio album Dopamine×Dopamine16 October 2015 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks110,000 Emerald Pools2:552Dug My Heart3:103Electric Love3:394American Money4:225The Emotion3:456Holy Ghost4:177Past Lives4:358Clouds3:119Dopamine3:4510Overnight Sensation3:1911Fool3:39 in 2015. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number 24 in the US and generating numerous singles include the platinum-certified, "Electric Love". Børns then embarked on tours with artists including Charli XCX, Bleachers, and Halsey, as a supporting act, along with a set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2016. His second album, Blue Madonna×Blue Madonna12 January 2018 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1God Save Our Young Blood4:202Faded Heart3:343Sweet Dreams3:204We Don’t Care3:335Man3:576Iceberg3:307Second Night of Summer3:248I Don’t Want U Back3:519Tension (interlude)1:3410Supernatural3:4511Blue Madonna2:1812Bye‐Bye Darling5:00, was released on January 12, 2018. The record spawned several singles, including "God Save Our Young Blood" with Lana Del Rey, which charted on the US rock chart. To further promote the LP, he headlined the MoneyMan Tour (2017–18) and supported Del Rey on her LA to the Moon Tour. Børns released his third EP titled Suddenly×Suddenly28 July 2023 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Suddenly4:242Sad Face4:113Wait2:384Junk!3:205Beautiful Glamorous Miserable Illusion2:076Just In Case I Love You2:55 in July 2023.

Early life and education

Borns was born in Michigan and grew up in Grand Haven.
At the age of 10, he was paid to perform as a magician known as "Garrett the Great" at parties. At the age of 13, a seventh-grade student at White Pines Middle School, he received a Gold Key Award in the National Scholastic Art Awards along with an $8,000 college scholarship to the Kendall College of Art and Design (a part of Ferris State University) in Grand Rapids for his drawings and visual art. At the age of 14, he studied at Michigan's Interlochen Center for the Arts' summer program.
Børns has also associated with filmmaking during his adolescence. He attended Grand Haven High School and went on to both take classes in classical piano at Grand Rapids Community College and study jazz at Muskegon Community College.

2012–14: A Dream Between and Candy EPs

During his time in high school, Børns briefly performed in a cover band known as "Brown Chicken Brown Trout". The group performed at the Waterfront Film Festival in 2010.
In 2012, Børns performed with a guitarist and a drummer in The Garrett Borns Trio. Børns and his fellow band members collaborated on the early EP A Dream Between., featuring several of Børns' earliest tracks, one of which was his single "Mitten". The album was recorded in the private studio of Bill Chrysler.
Børns, managed by filmmaker Jeff Joanisse, was later signed to REZidual Records under the name Garrett Borns and took part in a TEDx event, performing a variety of music on his ukulele and showcasing his films from Paris. In 2013, Børns took a vacation from New York City, where he was living, to Los Angeles. Within weeks of relocating, Børns co-wrote his single "10,000 Emerald Pools" with producer Jack Kennedy.

2015–2017: Dopamine and touring

On November 10, 2014, Børns released his debut single, "10,000 Emerald Pools", on Interscope Records and also his debut EP, Candy×Candy10 November 2014 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Electric Love3:38210,000 Emerald Pools2:553Past Lives4:314Seeing Stars3:09. He made several television appearances and performed "10,000 Emerald Pools" on a number of talk shows, including Conan and Le Before du Grand Journal in France on March 5, 2015. He toured in support of MisterWives on MisterWives' Our Own House Tour. On June 24, 2015, he played a headlining show at the Electrowerkz in London. In July and August, Børns accompanied Charli XCX and Bleachers on their "Charli and Jack Do America Tour" and performed at Lollapalooza on July 31, 2015. He also appeared at Life Is Beautiful festival and the Austin City Limits Music Festival in October. At many concerts, Børns also performs songs entitled "Broke" and "Let You Down", which were never released on an album nor deemed as singles.
On May 6, 2015, Børns' Vevo channel on YouTube released a music video accompanying his new single "Electric Love", placing as his most viewed song to date with well over 100 million views. On August 17, 2015, Børns' debut studio album, Dopamine×Dopamine16 October 2015 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks110,000 Emerald Pools2:552Dug My Heart3:103Electric Love3:394American Money4:225The Emotion3:456Holy Ghost4:177Past Lives4:358Clouds3:119Dopamine3:4510Overnight Sensation3:1911Fool3:39, featuring "Electric Love" and its cover art were revealed, while the release date for Dopamine was confirmed as October 16, 2015. On September 15, 2015, Børns' performance at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City was filmed by the American Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) for its Front and Center concert series airing nationwide in February 2016. Børns performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2016. He also appeared as a featured artist in "Fool's Gold" by Dagny for her EP Ultraviolet.

2017–2023: Blue Madonna and hiatus

On July 28, 2017, Børns released the single "Faded Heart×Faded Heart28 July 2017 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Faded Heart3:35" through Interscope, which was featured on the FIFA 18 Soundtrack, and in the movie Flatliners (2017). Then on September 29, 2017, Børns released his next single, "Sweet Dreams×Sweet Dreams29 September 2017 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Sweet Dreams3:19". Two promotional videos, "The Search for the Lost Sounds" and "The Faded Heart Sessions", were released on his YouTube channel along with the singles. After releasing his third single, "I Don't Want U Back", Børns released another promotional short entitled "Money Man Tour". The fourth and final single is "God Save Our Young Blood" featuring Lana Del Rey, who also provided background vocals for the song "Blue Madonna×Blue Madonna12 January 2018 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1God Save Our Young Blood4:202Faded Heart3:343Sweet Dreams3:204We Don’t Care3:335Man3:576Iceberg3:307Second Night of Summer3:248I Don’t Want U Back3:519Tension (interlude)1:3410Supernatural3:4511Blue Madonna2:1812Bye‐Bye Darling5:00", and whose sister provided photography for the album covers.
Børns' second album, Blue Madonna, was officially released on January 12, 2018.
Following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, Børns went on an indefinite hiatus in September 2018; his sole appearance since then came in September 2020, when his cover of the T. Rex song "Dawn Storm" appeared on the tribute album AngelHeaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T.Rex.

2023–present: Suddenly and Honeybee EPs

On July 10, 2023, Børns announced his third EP titled Suddenly×Suddenly28 July 2023 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Suddenly4:242Sad Face4:113Wait2:384Junk!3:205Beautiful Glamorous Miserable Illusion2:076Just In Case I Love You2:55, which was released on July 28.
On October 25, 2024, Børns released "Letting Myself Go×Letting Myself Go25 October 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Letting Myself Go3:42" as a single. The song "Grateful For×Grateful For6 December 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Grateful For3:40" was released on December 7 as the second single for Børns' EP Honeybee×Honeybee17 January 2025 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Honeybee4:212Blue Corvette3:393Grateful For3:404Breakfast of Bohemians3:025Taylor2:306Back to the Way We Was3:207Letting Myself Go3:42, released on January 17, 2025.

Personal life

After Børns wore a Gucci-inspired outfit on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Gucci took notice of the singer, and the two have since formed a partnership. Børns is a participant in a "gender-bender" movement, by flaunting nail polish and crop-tops on social media and during performances. He admits that his androgynous vocals and appearance have led many to mistake him for a woman at first listen.
Børns met his close friend Zella Day in Los Angeles, and the two have collaborated on numerous projects. Day made appearances in videos on Børns' Vevo channel, and in turn has included him in videos of her own, in her DayxDay series, for example. The two were previously roommates.
Before the release of his first album Dopamine×Dopamine16 October 2015 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks110,000 Emerald Pools2:552Dug My Heart3:103Electric Love3:394American Money4:225The Emotion3:456Holy Ghost4:177Past Lives4:358Clouds3:119Dopamine3:4510Overnight Sensation3:1911Fool3:39, Børns moved to Los Angeles, where he still resided as of January 2018. Børns is vegetarian like other members of his family.

Allegations of sexual misconduct

In September 2018, Børns was accused of sexual misconduct by several young women, leading to a Washington D.C. music festival named All Things Go Fall Classic dropping him from its lineup. The allegations against Børns included manipulation, grooming, and sexual aggression toward underaged fans, with the youngest accuser detailing her account of the alleged abuse which began when she was 16 years old. Børns released a statement calling the allegations "disturbing and false", also saying that "All of the relationships I have had were legal and consensual. They ended abruptly and that obviously caused hurt feelings, but for anyone to suggest anything beyond that is irresponsible." The young women took to Twitter to recount their alleged experiences of being manipulated by him.
In February 2024, Børns, now an independent artist, released a second statement regarding the allegations, acknowledging and apologizing for having "brief relationships" with fans while on tour and denying all allegations of grooming; he emphasized that the relationships were consensual and "the accusations implying otherwise are extremely damaging and false, and I've lived with the effect of them for years."