blackbear

Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and producer Blackbear crafts a distinctive fusion of pop, emo, R&B, and hip-hop. Throughout the 2010s he first earned recognition as a behind-the-scenes songwriter, contributing material to Justin Bieber, G-Eazy, Machine Gun Kelly, and additional artists. Building on that foundation, he established his own recording career through the full-length projects Digital Druglord, which reached number 14 on the Billboard 200 in 2017, Anonymous, a Top 20 entry on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop chart in 2019, and Everything Means Nothing, which landed at number 15 on the Billboard 200 in 2020. In addition to multiple EPs such as the 2021 release Misery Lake, he has maintained an active collaborative presence, issuing tracks alongside Mod Sun, Mike Posner, Kane Brown, and others. In 2022 he rejoined forces with Machine Gun Kelly on the song “GFY,” the opening cut from his sixth studio album, the emo-punk-infused In Loving Memory.

Born Matthew Tyler Musto in Palm Coast, Florida, in 1990, Blackbear launched his musical path as the vocalist for the high-school punk outfit Polaroid. After the band secured a deal with Leakmob Records, he left school at age 16 to devote himself fully to the group. He soon departed Polaroid and began uploading his own folky, electronic-tinged material online. Manager Tabari Francis noticed the tracks and guided a stylistic pivot, arranging a relocation to Atlanta where Musto began writing with singer Ne-Yo. He also partnered with Tyler Carter and self-released several EPs, among them 2011’s Year of the Blackbear. His profile rose sharply after co-writing Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend,” a 2012 single that peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and propelled the album Believe to the top of the Billboard 200. Capitalizing on the momentum, Blackbear concentrated on his solo output, delivering the Foreplay EP and the Sex mixtape—the latter featuring fellow “Boyfriend” co-writer Mike Posner along with James Blake and Maejor Ali. He also guested on Machine Gun Kelly’s Lace Up. The Afterglow EP appeared in 2014.

A notable step forward arrived in 2015 with the independently issued full-length Deadroses, which registered on Billboard’s Uncharted chart for emerging artists. The set contained the singles “IDFC” and “90210,” the latter featuring rapper G-Eazy. An acoustic companion EP titled Dead followed, after which Musto released his second studio album, Help, still in 2015. The EPs Drink Bleach and Cashmere Noose surfaced in 2016, coinciding with the debut single “STFU” from his alternative hip-hop duo Mansionz alongside Mike Posner. Two further Mansionz singles preceded the project’s self-titled debut LP in March 2017.

Digital Druglord, Blackbear’s third full-length, arrived the following month. Afterward he disclosed that much of the record had been written during a hospital stay for pancreatitis resulting from drug and alcohol abuse. Once recovered, he entered a distribution agreement with Interscope Records. The mixtape Cybersex closed out the year and entered the Top 50. In 2018 he appeared on Mike Shinoda’s “About You” and DVBBS’s “IDWK,” then issued the solo single “The 1.” The expansive 18-track album Anonymous followed in April 2019, reaching number 36 on the Billboard 200; several months later the single “Hot Girl Bummer” climbed into the Top 15 in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Everything Means Nothing, his fifth studio album, emerged in September 2020 and included production contributions from Blackbear himself, FRND, Aaron Harmon, Jordan Reyes, and Marshmello, plus guest spots from Lauv and Trevor Daniel; it peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200. After featuring on tracks by Mod Sun and Mike Posner, Blackbear released his own 2021 single “u love u” featuring Tate McRae and joined Kane Brown on the single “Memory.” The Misery Lake EP arrived in August 2021.

In May 2022 he reunited with Machine Gun Kelly for “GFY,” the lead track from sixth studio album In Loving Memory. Issued that August, the record emphasized Blackbear’s punk and emo foundations through heavier guitar textures and appearances by members of the Used, Bayside, and New Found Glory. It registered on the Billboard 200 and reached number 16 on the Top Alternative Albums chart.