Cat Burns Drops Raw Ballad “End Game” Ahead of Debut LP

Cat Burns released her new single "End Game" on April 26, 2024. The track arrives via Since '93/RCA Records and serves as a preview of her debut album, Early Twenties. It follows her double-platinum breakthrough hit "Go."

The Release

"End Game" is an acoustic ballad built around Burns' voice and guitar. The production comes from Jordan Riley, a longtime collaborator of the singer. The arrangement stays stripped back for most of its runtime, letting the lyrics carry the emotional weight.

The song deals with the end of a relationship that has run its course. Burns sings about boundaries, accountability, and the slow acceptance that two people can outgrow each other. One line sums up the mood: "I shouldn't have to tell you a thousand times how to love me."

That plainspoken style has become a trademark for Burns. She writes about mental health, identity, and young adulthood without dressing the topics up. "End Game" continues that approach with a quiet, direct kind of sadness.

Libby Burke Wilde directed the music video. It features a cameo from BAFTA-nominated actor Sam Bottomley. The visual is part of a larger episodic short film project tied to the themes of Early Twenties.

About Cat Burns

Burns is a singer-songwriter from Streatham, South London. She was born on June 6, 2000, and attended the BRIT School in Croydon, the same institution that produced Adele and Amy Winehouse. Gospel music shaped her childhood and still informs her vocal style.

She released her first single, "Fallen Out of Love," in 2017. Her career took off years later when "Go" went viral on TikTok in 2022. The track peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and earned double-platinum status.

Since then, Burns has signed with RCA Records, opened for Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, and earned three BRIT Award nominations. Her debut album, Early Twenties, arrived in July 2024 and reached the UK Top 10. It also picked up a Mercury Prize nomination. She followed it with a second album, How to Be Human, in October 2025.

Industry Context

Burns built her audience on TikTok before most labels knew what to do with the platform. Her rise showed that a guitar, a voice, and a phone camera could still break an artist in the streaming era. "End Game" lands in that same lane, favoring restraint over production tricks.

The single also arrives at a strong moment for British R&B and pop crossovers. Artists like Raye and Mahalia have pushed the sound further into the mainstream in recent years. Burns sits comfortably in that group while keeping her own voice front and center.

The episodic video project adds another layer. Music videos increasingly double as short films, and Burns is using that format to connect her album's themes into one narrative. That kind of world-building matters more than ever now. Singles rarely stand alone, and "End Game" works as both a song and a piece of a bigger story.

Stream It

"End Game" is available now on all major streaming platforms. Fans of honest, guitar-led R&B should give it a listen.

Take a few minutes today to stream "End Game" and hear one of the UK's most compelling young songwriters at her most vulnerable. Add it to your playlist and sit with the lyrics. It rewards close listening.

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