He turned to the guitar when he was 13, and began writing songs that, in his words, bridged soul and pop, putting him in the same musical generation and in the same loose musical direction as artists like Jason Mraz and Bruno Mars.

By the time he moved to New York City to attend N.Y.U. on a full scholarship for musical theater and acting, Burnette had already assembled a catalog of some 80 original songs. He began playing gigs wherever he could, and his sharp, funky, and fresh songwriting caught the attention of industry execs. He also recorded a demo set in his dorm room with the help of an audio engineering student, a demo that found its way to Ric Aliberte, who became Burnette's manager and secured him a publishing deal with Sony/ATV in Sweden. Burnette continued to play gigs, hone his songwriting, and collaborated with several first-tier songwriters and producers. Initially, he signed with Warner Bros., which was set to release his mixtape The Couch Surfing Chronicles in 2014. However, the EP -- spearheaded by the radio single "Thanks for Nothing" -- was scrapped and he left the label. He went on to tour with John Mayer and James Bay, and also penned hits for MKTO, Jake Miller, and Charlie Puth. His first official EP, Made of Dreams, was released in late 2015. ~ Steve Leggett