Matt Berninger

Matt Berninger

Matt Berninger is an American singer-songwriter from Cincinnati, Ohio, known as the lead singer of the indie rock band The National. Born in 1971, he also works in the duo EL VY, which he forms with Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls and Menomena. His recording work is associated with indie rock and Book Records.

Career

Berninger starts out in graphic design studies at the University of Cincinnati, where he meets Scott Devendorf in 1991. Before focusing on music, he works in advertising. He later leaves that career to help build The National. He is known for a distinctive baritone voice.

In 2014, he forms EL VY with Brent Knopf. The project releases Return to the Moon in 2015. Berninger then releases his debut solo album, Serpentine Prison, in 2020.

Personal life and collaborations

Berninger attends St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, graduating in 1989. He is married to Carin Besser, a former fiction editor for The New Yorker. Besser contributes to The National’s songwriting, including “Brainy” and “Ada” from Boxer, and provides backing vocals. With Hope Hall and Andreas Burgess, she also helps direct the video for “Bloodbuzz Ohio”.

Berninger and Besser have a daughter, Isla. He has said that “Afraid of Everyone” reflects anxiety about becoming a new father. He also has two siblings, Tom and Rachel; Tom directs Mistaken for Strangers, a film about The National.

Other work and appearances

Berninger appears in Between Two Ferns: The Movie in 2019, and he and Phoebe Bridgers contribute “Walking on a String” to its soundtrack. He is also the subject of the “Evie” episode of the fictional podcast Dirty Diana, produced by Demi Moore.

A portrait of Berninger by British artist Joe Simpson is exhibited in the UK, including at the Royal Albert Hall.