(USATODAY) Long Island-bred singer/songwriter Matthew Koma, who performed at USA TODAY's 30th anniversary party Thursday night, got his first publishing deal at 16. At 25, he's collaborating with leading pop and electronic dance music artists: Ryan Tedder and Sebastian Ingrosso (of Swedish House Mafia) on the Beatport chart-topping hit Calling(Lose My Mind); Zedd on Spectrum; and LMFAO's Redfoo and Carly Rae Jepsen on her new single, This Kiss. He'll promote his own EP, Parachute, on tour with Owl City this fall, after earlier gigs with LMFAO and Far East Movement.
Chip off the old rock: Growing up, Koma idolized Elvis Costello but had another role model closer to home: dad Gerald Bair, a singer/songwriter. "Music was always a huge part of our lives. The first time I got onstage, it was with him, at the Red Lion" in New York's West Village. "I was 4. I wore ripped jeans and a dungaree jacket. I was going through my Soul Asylum phase."
Learning on the job:"I'll work with... DJs and they'll ask me to just use a line or two that I've written, to keep it simple. That can be as effective as telling a whole story, if you can create an emotional connection."
Brush with the Boss: Producer Ron Aniello asked Koma to help remix a single -- for Springsteen. "I've been to more than 30 Bruce Springsteen shows," Koma says. "But I had to treat it like any other project, or I would have lost it." The verdict on their new mix ofRocky Ground: "Ron said Bruce loved it. A few weeks after that, I was driving around and heard it on the radio. Wow. That's something no one can ever take away from me."
Wish list: Which artists would he like to team with in the future? "Kanye West is just brilliant. He's constantly twisting the rules. I'd also pick this band from Stockholm called First Aid Kit. They're two sisters (Johanna and Klara Soderberg) who write these beautiful alt-country songs."
Call him private: On the subject of whether he's dating Call Me Maybe singer Jepsen, Koma simply says, "I like to keep that stuff personal. It's better to keep it to yourself, so that it's all yours." He does enthuse about their creative chemistry: "She's incredibly talented, and we worked on some really rad songs for her new record." (Jepsen's albumKiss arrives Tuesday).
The future: He's working on his first full album, Propaganda, for 2013. But he has no plans to stop joining forces with other acts as a writer and producer. "I can put on another hat and really learn from it. I love having that outlet."
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