Appleby

Appleby is the primary alias of Justin LaRoy Burns, a Chicago-based singer and songwriter who specializes in relaxed and sensitive ballads that defy easy genre classification. As a youngster, Burns was deeply focused on tennis but ultimately gravitated toward music after he experienced burnout at the age of 17. Within a span of only a few months in 2011, he started to record songs, and under the name Van Go released a five-track mixtape entitled City of Change. A couple years later, he switched tacks, adopted his mother’s birth name, and gained traction with SoundCloud uploads — beginning with the hushed, atmospheric “Spit on Me” — that led to a series of major industry connections, including contact with Amir Abbassy and Russell Simmons. “Bitter Boy,” a vindictive breakup ballad, put him on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart in 2015. The following year, Appleby issued the breezy singles “Castles” and “How Many” and was featured on “Free Room,” a house-flavored highlight on Ravyn Lenae’s Moon Shoes EP. He returned in 2018 with “Pages” and “Lady Sunshine,” singles more in line with the adult album alternative radio format. ~ Andy Kellman