Catrina Burns (born 6 June 2000), known professionally as Cat Burns, is a British-Jamaican & Nigerian singer-songwriter who gained prominence with her 2020 single "Go". The song's popularity increased in 2022 through TikTok, eventually reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart. Described by Sony Music as a blend of gospel and pop influences with guitar-led indie music,[1] Burns has garnered attention for her music.

Cat Burns
Birth nameCatrina Burns
Born (2000-06-06) 6 June 2000 (age 23)
Streatham, London, England
GenresIndie pop
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
Years active2016–present
Labels
Websitewww.catburns.com

Notably, she has been nominated three times for the Brit Awards. Starting with her debut single "Fallen Out of Love" in 2017, Burns has continued to release music and attract a following in the music community.[2] She is set to release her debut album, Early Twenties, in 2024.

Early life edit

Burns is a London-born artist. Both her parents migrated from Liberia during the civil war.

Career edit

Burns recorded her debut EP Adolescent at the age of sixteen while studying at BRIT School. She collaborated with a fellow student who had access to a recording studio in their garden shed. The songs they created formed the basis of the EP, which Burns self-released on 1 October 2016. Despite her efforts to secure a record deal afterward, she faced challenges as the music industry seemed uncertain about how to handle her unique style as an artist.[3]

Subsequently, Burns released her second EP Naïve on 15 May 2019.[4]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom, Burns garnered widespread attention by sharing covers and original songs on TikTok. Her song "Go" went viral, leading to a record deal with Since 93, a subsidiary of RCA Records.[5] Originally released in 2020, "Go" later reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, second to Harry Styles' "As It Was".[6][7] In 2022, she supported Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander on the UK leg of his Night Call Tour and also accompanied Ed Sheeran on selected dates of his Mathematics Tour.[8][9] Burns performed "Go" and "People Pleaser" on Jools' Annual Hootenanny 2022, following her earlier debut on Later... with Jools Holland in May.[10][11]

On 9 March 2023, Burns released "Home for My Heart", a single featuring rapper ArrDee, with the renowned actor and writer Kwame Kwei-Armah credited as a lyricist on the track.[12][13][14][15] The song reached number 35 on the UK singles chart on 17 March 2023.[16] Burns subsequently released the follow-up single "Live More & Love More" on 31 March 2023.[17]

Artistry edit

In a 2019 interview with Gal-dem, Burns cited Kirk Franklin, Anne-Marie, Destiny's Child and Marvin Sapp as musical influences.[18] She has also mentioned Kim Burrell, Donnie McClurkin, Tracy Chapman, India Arie, Tori Kelly, Lily Allen, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder as notable influences from her childhood.[19] Discussing her sound, Burns stated "I would say it's just pop with a cooler edge to it because obviously I'm influenced by so many different things. At first, I wanted it to be...because I loved Ed Sheeran so much, I wanted it to be singer-songwriter-y and guitar-y and then as I found my own sound and what I wanted to make it was mainly just pop but I sing in my accent so it has that Britishness to it but I am just talking about relatable things and things that have happened to me or other people".[20]

Personal life edit

Burns is queer. In an interview with Gay Times, she explained that she initially struggled to reconcile her sexuality with her ethnicity, stating "If you're a Black woman, I want you to feel heard and seen. We are vulnerable people who are capable of having lots of emotions. And, being a Black queer woman adds a layer to that."[21] Burns chronicled her experience with coming out to her family in her song "Free".[22]

Burns has ADHD and noted in an interview that she had often found this helpful in her creative process, explaining "Both the chords and words come at the same time, but the concept comes first and I've found that that system has always worked for me! Helps the process of writing the song become a lot quicker which is great for my ADHD brain!".[23]

In April 2023, Burns was diagnosed as autistic, which she announced on social media.[24][25]

Discography edit

Studio albums edit

List of studio albums with selected details
Title Details
Early Twenties
  • Release date: 12 July 2024
  • Label: Since 93/RCA
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming

Extended plays edit

List of extended plays with selected details
Title Details
Adolescent
  • Released: 1 October 2016
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
Naive
  • Released: 15 May 2019
  • Label: Since 93/RCA
  • Formants: Digital download, streaming
Emotionally Unavailable
  • Released: 20 May 2022
  • Label: Since 93/RCA
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming

Singles edit

Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
UK
[26]
AUS
[27]
AUT
[28]
IRE
[29]
NZ
[30]
POL
[31]
SWI
[28]
WW
[32]
"Fallen Out of Love"
(featuring Horus Beats)
2017 Non-album singles
"Trust Issues"
"Sober" 2018 Naive
"Cheater" 2019
"Fuckboy"
"I Don't Blame You" Non-album singles
"Fool in Love" 2020
"Go" 2 97 60 9 3 21 198 Emotionally Unavailable and Early Twenties
"Into You" 2021 Non-album singles
"It's Over"
"Free"
"Ghosting" 2022 Emotionally Unavailable and Early Twenties
"People Pleaser" 76 86 7 Early Twenties
"Sleep at Night"
"Home for My Heart"
(with ArrDee)
2023 35 83 [A] Non-album single
"Live More & Love More" 74 85
[37]
Early Twenties
"You Don't Love Me Anymore"
"Know That You're Not Alone"
"Wasted Youth"
(with Goddard.)
2024 58 [B]
"Alone" [C]
"End Game" To be released
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

As featured artist edit

List of singles as featured artist, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
"Perfect"
(Sam Smith featuring Cat Burns and Jessie Reyez)[40]
2023 Non-album single

Tours edit

Supporting edit

Awards and nominations edit

Award Year Nominee(s) Category Result Ref.
BBC Radio 1 2023 Cat Burns Sound of 2023 Fourth [41]
Brit Awards 2023 Rising Star Nominated [42]
British Pop/R&B Act Nominated [43]
"Go" Song of the Year Nominated
British LGBT Awards 2023 Cat Burns Music Artist Nominated [44]
MTV Europe Music Awards 2022 Best UK & Ireland Act Nominated [45]
Music Week Awards 2023 Artist Marketing Campaign Won [46]

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Home for My Heart" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 23 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[36]
  2. ^ "Wasted Youth" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 17 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[38]
  3. ^ "Alone" did not enter the UK Singles Chart but debuted and peaked at number 74 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart Top 100 on 29 March 2024.[39]

References edit

  1. ^ "Cat Burns". Sony Music. 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Brit Awards 2023: Harry Styles and Wet Leg lead the nominations with Stormzy, The 1975 and Fred Again not far behind". Sky News. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Sound Of 2023: Cat Burns went from busking to a platinum record". BBC News. 2 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Rising pop star Cat Burns releases new EP 'Naive'". Celeb Mix. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Cat Burns: The Social Media Star Whose Songs Are About to Become Your 2022 Soundtrack". PopSugar. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  6. ^ "Can Cat Burns' breakthrough hit Go challenge Harry Styles for Number 1 this week?". Official Charts Company. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Cat Burns: "I didn't know if I'd ever make it, but everything's turned around"". Official Charts Company. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Years & Years on Instagram: "i am so excited to announce 🌙✨ @catburns, @l.devine, @queerhouseparty and @eddyluna__ will be joining us on the Night Call tour !!! I'm so happy with this beautifully and excellently queer line up! 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 i love these people very much - make sure you get tickets and come see us all !!! Link in bio"".
  9. ^ "i cannot believe i'm saying this but i'm gonna be supporting ed sheeran on his europe tour😳… he's one of my biggest inspirations and incase you thought i was fibbing swipe to watch me busking singing his songs… not me having a full circle moment😭. anyway yeah i'm too shocked and excited to say anything else except WTFFFF this is gonna be a MAD SUMMEr WTF is life😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭".
  10. ^ "Jools Holland's Annual Hootenanny - Meet the line-up and find out how to watch on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer". BBC News. 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Later... with Jools Holland: Series 60, Episode 1". BBC iPlayer. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  12. ^ "ArrDee talks teaming up with Cat Burns for surprising new single Home For My Heart: "This year is about proving my integrity, credibility and longevity". Official Charts. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  13. ^ "ArrDee, Cat Burns - Home For My Heart". YouTube. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  14. ^ Williams, Sophie (10 March 2023). "Check out ArrDee and Cat Burns' collaborative new single 'Home For My Heart'". NME. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  15. ^ "Home For My Heart, ArrDee Cat Burns". Apple Music. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  16. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 - 17 March 2023 - 23 March 2023". Official Charts. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  17. ^ "Cat Burns - Live More & Love More". Spotify. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Cat Burns is the 18-year-old crafting relatable, catchy pop for Gen Z". Gal-dem. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  19. ^ "Cat Burns: A Social Media Star on the Rise". Notion. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  20. ^ "INTRODUCING: CAT BURNS". The F-Word. 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  21. ^ Clark, Conor (17 June 2022). "Cat Burns: "There's a demand for Black women in stripped-back pop music and it shows"". Gay Times. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  22. ^ Williams, Sophie (2 February 2022). "Cat Burns: uplifting songwriter that wants to "help Black queer artists" tell their story". NME. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  23. ^ Merela, Marvin (14 January 2023). "Cat Burns Is A Brilliant Songstress Delivering Cathartic Chords & Choruses [Interview]". New Wave Mag. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  24. ^ "Login • Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 13 July 2023. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  25. ^ "@catburns". Twitter. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  26. ^ "Cat Burns | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  27. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 20 June 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1685. Australian Recording Industry Association. 20 June 2022. p. 4.
  28. ^ a b "Cat Burns – Go". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  29. ^ "Discography Cat Burns". irish-charts.com. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  30. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  31. ^ Peak chart positions for singles in Poland:
  32. ^ "Billboard Global 200: Week of June 25, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  33. ^ "British certifications – Cat Burns". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 February 2023. Type Cat Burns in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  34. ^ "GOLD & PLATINUM". IFPI Austria. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  35. ^ "OFFICIAL TOP 40 SINGLES". NZ Top 40. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  36. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  37. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  38. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  39. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart on 29/3/2024 29 March 2024 - 4 April 2024". Official Charts. 29 March 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  40. ^ "Sam Smith Shares New Coke Studio Version Of 'Perfect' Ft. Cat Burns And Jessie Reyez". U Discover Music. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  41. ^ Savage, Mark (5 January 2023). "Girl group Flo win the BBC Sound Of 2023". BBC News. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  42. ^ Grein, Paul (8 December 2022). "FLO Wins Brit Awards' Rising Star Award". Billboard. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  43. ^ Smith, Carl (12 January 2023). "BRIT Awards 2023 nominations REVEALED". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  44. ^ https://britishlgbtawards.com/top-10-music-artists-2023/
  45. ^ Szalai, Georg (12 October 2022). "Harry Styles Leads Nominations for MTV EMAs". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  46. ^ https://www.musicweek.com/media/read/music-week-awards-2023-all-the-winners-at-our-biggest-ever-industry-celebration/087944

External links edit