In 2022, David Burke started to make music in his sister’s closet in a nondescript Houston home. One year later, he has an ARIA-Platinum single, has been honoured by Billboard, and just released his hugely-anticipated debut EP.
David Burke is 18-years-old.
Going by d4vd, the teenage sensation is shaping up to be one of Gen Z’s most formidable talents, which his first EP, Petals to Thorns, confirms.
The fledgling artist’s precocity is perhaps best felt in the genre-defying nature of the collection: there are woozy slow jams and grungy anthems, sharp indie cuts and hip alt-R&B.
There is, of course, “Romantic Homicide”, a seismic song that blew up on TikTok and gave d4vd his first chart hit. There’s also the tender “Don’t Forget About Me’, and d4vd unveiled a live performance video for the song shot in Sydney last week (watch below).
And befitting someone of his generation, d4vd made Petals to Thorns a multimedia release when he made an anime video for his breakthrough hit “Romantic Homicide”, creating an alter ego for the clip.
“I’ve been working on a way to bridge the gaps in my artistry with elements of cinema,” he said. “The character you see here today is named “IT4MI” which means pain in Japanese. Inspired by manga and anime he is the main antagonist of my entire project. He wears a blindfold for the sole purpose of not being held accountable for the pain he causes”
The release of his new EP builds on d4vd’s stellar 2023 so far. His youthful promise caught the attention of Zane Lowe, who named him one of the 23 Artists To Watch In 2023, and Amazon Music, which named him a hero artist for Artists to Watch 2023.
After embarking on his debut headlining tour in his home country in February, which sold out within minutes of going on sale, he headed to Australia for the first time, performing in Sydney and Melbourne in April.
d4vd’s Petals to Thorns is out now via Darkroom/Interscope.
