INTERVIEW: BØRNS On Musical Beginnings & Journey To Debut Album | Artist Stories

For Garrett Borns -- better known as BØRNS -- music has always been a part of life. From growing up in Grand Haven, Michigan, to moving to New York, to finally ending up in Los Angeles where he would later release his EP Candy and debut album Dopamine, he's had a long journey up until this exciting point in his career. 

BØRNS recently shared his story with iHeartRadio through our Artist Stories series, where we got a first-hand look at his musical journey. We learned about his beginnings in Michigan and his upbringing, what led him to move to Los Angeles and New York, and got to hear about his songwriting process for his hit single "Electric Love." 

Before Garrett became BØRNS, he grew up in Grand Haven, Michigan -- which is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. As described by BØRNS, his hometown has a lot of "nice little places to sit and just ponder ... or eat a corn dog." But corn dogs and Lake Michigan aside, the singer/songwriter described the parents his music listened to as "the soundtrack to [his] beachy lifestyle." This included artists like The Turtles, The Zombies, and The Beach Boys -- music was always on anywhere he went.

BØRNS grew up learning to play the piano, and recalled playing a lot of Billy Joel, while many of his good friends were also involved in music, whether it was production or playing in a jazz band. In fact, one summer he attended a school for the arts, knowing music was a passion of his. 

Check out more of what BØRNS had to say about growing up in Grand Haven below:

Following his move to LA, it wasn't easy to get his music career off the ground, and described going to parties and writing sessions just to meet people for two years. Finally, BØRNS met producer Tommy English, and the two hit it off after discovering they had a lot in common. After recording a few demos and posting them online, he gained some fans and interest in his music, and ultimately signed with a management company, who also publishes him.

After the release of his EP Candy in 2014, BØRNS recalls a moment between himself and Mumford & Sons' Marcus Mumford. Marcus went to see one of BØRNS' very intimate shows. 

"Me and my band played this pretty intimate show, and Marcus was there from Mumford & Sons, and he came up to me after the show and said he was really into the set. It was really inspiring to him. And then, like, a year-and-a-half later, we were playing in Denmark together."

Learn more about how BØRNS' professional music career got started, and about recording his hit single "Electric Love" below: