Matthew Bair (born June 2, 1987),[1][2] known professionally as Matthew Koma, is an American singer. Songs written by Koma include "Spectrum" and Grammy Award-winner "Clarity", both performed by Zedd. Koma has collaborated with Hardwell, Zedd, Miriam Bryant, Sebastian Ingrosso, Alesso, Afrojack, Tiësto, Vicetone and Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic.
He was born on 2 June 1987. Koma was born in Brooklyn and raised in Seaford, New York, on Long Island.[3][2] His father, Gerald D. Bair, was a singer/songwriter and Koma first performed on stage with his father when he was four years old.[4] Koma wrote his first song when he was nine years old and credits Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen for his inspiration at a young age.[5] Koma attended Seaford High School.[6]
Koma signed to record on Jimmy Iovine's Interscope Records in June 2011, after Iovine watched an acoustic performance of the record "She".[1] In May 2012, Koma released his first EP, Parachute, in which he wrote, produced and co-produced all four tracks with collaborators Twice as Nice, Alex da Kid, Sam Watters, Louis Biancaniello, and Ari Levine.[7] Koma provided the main vocals for the 2012 song "End of Pretend" by Black Cards,[8] and he co-produced a remix of the Bruce Springsteen song "Rocky Ground" with Ron Aniello, which Springsteen released on his album Wrecking Ball.[9]
In 2012, Koma joined the Sorry for Party Rocking Tour with LMFAO and Far East Movement,[10] He later toured with Owl City.[4]
In 2013, Koma toured Europe supporting Ellie Goulding alongside Charli XCX.[11], and he released released the single "Dare You" with DJ Hardwell.[12]
In March 2014, Showtek's "Cannonball (Earthquake)", featuring Koma, was released.[13] Also in 2014, Koma appeared on RAC's debut album, featuring on the single "Cheap Sunglasses,[14] and was featured on Audien's single "Serotonin".[15] Afrojack's 2014 album Forget the World featured two songs written and sung by Koma, "Keep our Love Alive" and "Illuminate".[16]
In January 2015, Koma was featured in Kia Motors' online video series Rediscovered, where he recorded a cover of The Miracles' "The Tracks of My Tears" before Smokey Robinson made a surprise visit in the studio.[17] Koma collaborated with The Knocks on "I Wish (My Taylor Swift)", which was released as a single in September 2015 and later appeared on the Knocks' 2016 album, 55.[18]
In 2016, he worked with Britney Spears on her album Glory producing the song “Swimming in the Stars”, which was released in 2020.[19]
In 2017, Koma produced several tracks for Shania Twain's fifth studio album Now, including the lead single "Life's About to Get Good".[20] He also appeared on the 2017 Downes Braide Association album Skyscraper Souls.[21]
In 2018, Kona premiered "On the 5", both single and video under his new project, Winnetka Bowling League via RCA Records.[22]
In August 2020, he co-wrote and co-produced the single "Change Your Mind" by Keith Urban.[23]
Koma dated Carly Rae Jepsen from 2012 until 2015, after they met while working on her album Kiss.[24]
In May 9, 2019, he got engaged to Hilary Duff who was his girlfriend of two years, and they were married on December 21, 2019 at their home in Los Angeles.[25][26] They have three daughters.[26] He is also a stepfather to Duff's son from her previous marriage to ice hockey player Mike Comrie.[27]
In May 2017, he released "Dear Ana", a song about his anorexia and confessed that the disease almost killed him.[28]