The L.A.-based star and West Michigan native who plays a sold-out Grand Rapids concert next week talks to Local Spins about the ’70s influences on ‘Blue Madonna’ and being back home again.
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Buoyed by the industry buzz surrounding his sophomore album, “Blue Madonna,” released just a week ago, Grand Haven-bred pop star Børns quickly sold out 18 of 21 concerts – from Seattle to Toronto to New York – on his winter North American tour.
But there’s also little question that the singer and multi-instrumentalist who first made his mark in West Michigan as teenager Garrett Borns is most pumped up about playing his first official “hometown” show in years when he plays Grand Rapids’ 20 Monroe Live on Jan. 28, a show that’s been sold out for months.
“I’m very excited. It’s definitely about time,” he conceded in a recent telephone interview with Local Spins. “I’m really excited for the venue, too; I’ve heard good things about it. I’m stoked to come back and play for friends and family and all those homies of West Michigan.”
Those friends, relatives and homies have watched from afar as Børns has built an enthused international audience while touring across the globe with his psychedelic pop and electro-soul music, making a splash with hit singles such as “Electric Love” and “10,000 Emerald Pools” from his 2015 Interscope Records debut album, “Dopamine.”
And while he’s played a couple of Michigan shows (including a 2016 appearance at Detroit’s MoPop Festival), the upcoming 20 Monroe Live concert represents his first West Michigan performance since his rise to pop prominence and his move to Los Angeles back in 2013.
BUILDING UP HIS ‘COLD TOLERANCE,’ READY FOR A ‘FULL PRODUCTION’ LIVE SHOW
Of course, Børns has made regular visits during that time period, recently spending time in northern Michigan with his family over the holidays.
“It was really nice to build my cold tolerance up again,” said the Grand Haven High School graduate who’s quite familiar with Michigan winters. “It’s been a little while and I think it was 9 degrees when I was there. And there was lots of snow.”
These days, Børns is engulfed in a blizzard of fan and media attention for his latest album, including the title track and single, “God Save Our Young Blood,” which both feature guest star Lana Del Ray, another much-buzzed-about singer (attracting notice from Rolling Stone magazine). Listen to “God Save Our Young Blood” and watch the video for “Faded Heart” below.
Børns’ experience touring behind “Dopamine” (including a sold-out show in New York City covered by Local Spins) helped hone and expand his singing and writing for “Blue Madonna.”
“We toured a long time on ‘Dopamine,’ and it was a big learning experience for me on the road, and this time around, I feel I have even more to bring to the live show. I think it’s perfect timing,” he said of 2018’s “full production” tour and album release.
“By playing so many shows and touring so much on ‘Dopamine’ I really got a sense of how to use my voice as an instrument and add a lot more depth to it in a way. I experimented more with my voice on this album and just the writing styles. I was experimenting with a lot of different creative processes and I got a lot of different, unique songs. Every song has its own unique DNA and character.”
PUTTING TOGETHER THE MUSICAL PUZZLE PIECES WITH ’70s ARTISTS AS ‘CO-WRITERS’
It’s also clear that this 26-year-old artist has come a long way since recording his first EP with Grand Haven producer and engineer Bill Chrysler more than six years ago after singing with the high school choir and playing talent shows.
“The instincts I don’t think will ever change. I’m still very much a kid that grew up playing in Lake Michigan,” he said.
“I think a big thing was just growing on the road and feeling my head space expand from that, just doing a lot of research and digging into some of my favorite records from George Harrison, Elton John and The Beach Boys, and trying to get into different head spaces for the record. I feel like a lot of those ’70s artists and David Bowie and those guys are almost co-writers on the album. I was trying to get into their head space and trying to embody them on this album.”
Officially, Børns and Tommy English (Schleiter) co-wrote all of the songs on the album with additional collaborators on the tracks “We Don’t Care” and “Second Night of Summer.”
“I write a lot on my own, but then when I go into the studio, that’s when the songs’ puzzle pieces come together,” he said, calling his stylistic direction “pretty scatter-brained. I just need to be entertained, so my mind can’t stay on one genre, I suppose. At the end of the day, I’m always just trying to make a good song.”
As such, Børns said he just wants to “try to do the album justice and really make it come alive in the live show and, hopefully, inspire audiences” while keeping “an open ear and open mind and see what happens.”
Those shows featuring Borns and a four-piece band, he added, will boast “some nice lights and, hopefully, we’ll bring a cinematic feel” to concerts that have sold out pretty much everywhere. Canadian pop/electro/jazz singer Charlotte Cardin and indie-pop’s Mikky Ekko open the show.
“I’m super grateful that the shows are selling well. That’s all I can wish for,” Børns said. “I’m really excited to play this new album.”
And, as always, he’s eager to get back to his home state with its familiar landmarks and familiar faces.
“It’s always very grounding and spiritual in a way being back in Michigan,” he said. “It’s always good to reestablish your roots.”
LISTEN: Børns (w/ Lana Del Rey), “God Save Our Young Blood”
VIDEO: Børns, “Faded Heart”
MORE LOCAL SPINS STORIES ABOUT BØRNS
Borns takes ‘windy and wild’ ride to pop glory; Mo Pop Fest, U.S. and European tours on tap
A star is Borns: Grand Haven-bred pop singer electrifies New York fans, CMJ and beyond
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