d4vd's cinematic journey is swiftly taking him from cult bedroom pop fave to global sensation.

Words: Ali Shutler.
Photos: Nick Walker.

d4vd's life is a movie. This time last year, he only had a handful of songs to his name and had never even been to a gig, let alone played one. Now, he's just wrapped up a celebrated arena tour supporting SZA and played headline shows across Europe, North America and Australia. He's also released ambitious debut EP 'Petals To Thorns' alongside sprawling companion record 'The Lost Petals'. By the time the 2023 is out, he'll have released 'Call Me Revenge' with 21 Savage for Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and 'The Line' with The Kid LAROI, performed at Tyler, The Creator's Camp Flog Gnaw festival and played shows in the likes of Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and South Korea.

He isn't using a few days off between shows to chill out, though. "I'm in LA right now, writing," he admits. "I'm feeling motivated. I want to get back on the creative grind. I'm feeling like it's time to put my foot back on the gas."

d4vd's journey so far has rarely dipped below breakneck. Growing up, he wanted to be a professional streamer, but after his gaming videos kept getting taken down from YouTube for using copyrighted music, his mum suggested he make his own. Armed with a phone and the headphones that came with them, he started creating gloomy bedroom pop, adding lyrics to help capture people's attention. It worked better than he could have ever imagined, with people demanding less Fortnite compilations and more brooding anthems.

A string of singles followed before 'Romantic Homicide' swiftly blew up (800 million streams and counting). From there, the success came in thick and fast with d4vd using every one as a learning experience.

He describes supporting SZA as a dream and still isn't sure how best to put the experience into words, but d4vd always felt like he deserved to be up on those massive stages. "There were no nerves, and her fans were so receptive. They rocked with my music so much, it almost felt like a double headline show," he explains. "I was taking notes on stage design and how she changes songs to fit the live arena," he continues, believing it'll be a case of when, not if, he'll be playing arenas on his own.

"Playing shows has been beautiful," says d4vd. "It lets you be passionate about your own work. It lets you know what kind of music you need to be making because you can see which ones connect with people. It does feel like I'm building a community," he continues. "It's more of a family than a fanbase."

Rather than chasing numbers by releasing songs for people to listen to, d4vd cares more about each track truly connecting. "It's always amazing to see people react to your music in real-time. They're not just connecting with me at gigs; they're connecting with a room full of like-minded people who are all sharing an experience. They're also connecting with themselves."

For the first time, d4vd's writing music after seeing that connection firsthand. "It's about finding a balance between making music you love and what your fans will love. It's easy to get caught up in the noise, but it's so important not to lose the magic that people gravitated towards in the first place."

Despite describing himself as an analytical guy obsessed with data, d4vd still doesn't know exactly why his music is connecting as widely and passionately as it is. "Music is a universal language, though, and I feel like what I make describes what a lot of my generation is going through right now. There's loneliness and a sense of not being able to fit in anywhere. There's so much FOMO going on, and my music is FOMO central," he explains, pointing to tracks like 'Romantic Homicide' and 'Don't Forget About Me'. "It's super Gen-Z, but with a touch of nostalgia. It feels old but new at the same time."

Throughout his supercharged journey from bedroom amateur to global star, d4vd has been transparent about how much he's learning in real-time. He's entirely self-taught using readily available software, and he didn't go to hundreds of gigs growing up. Rather than hiding these shortcomings, he's celebrated that DIY attitude without it hindering his ambitions.

"My mom keeps telling me that not many people can do what I did, but I don't agree with that at all," says d4vd. "The reason I make the music that I do, in the way that I do, is because I want you to feel like you could have made it. I want to try and inspire people."

"There's no such thing as making a hit. You just make music that connects to people," he continues. "You have to want to do it, though. Most people don't."

As well as taking him around the world and onto the front page of Spotify, making music has helped d4vd in "so many ways," he says. "It's the only real outlet I have. Sometimes I don't know what I'm feeling until I make a song," he adds, comparing his music to a diary.

Debut EP 'Petals To Thorns' explored the ups and downs of a relationship, with 'The Lost Petals' acting as a five-track epilogue. "I wanted to show people that it's okay to be sad, but it's not okay to be sad forever. You don't have to force yourself to be happy," he explains. "Whatever you're feeling, you're feeling for a reason, and not everything has an explanation. I still don't know why I was sad when I made 'Romantic Homicide'; it was just a collection of feelings that built up over time, but it's important to know that feeling isn't going to last," he adds.

"I think 'The Lost Petals' has served its purpose," d4vd continues, wanting his records to feel more like eras. "I think it's time to move on from that, and I think it's time to make some happy music now."

d4vd isn't lacking inspiration, either. He's currently sat on 175 unreleased songs, including two finished EPs. "I love making music, but releasing it is the hardest thing for me," he explains. Rather than dropping standalone singles, though, d4vd is more interested in large cinematic projects. "It's all about the worldbuilding. You have to put ideas behind the songs."

"As well as a place to express myself, music is also a way to express my love of film," he continues, with a multi-character lore around 'Petals To Thorns' that includes d4vd playing his own antagonist. "Everything has to be a staircase," he says. "Just dropping a single every 30 days is more like an escalator because an escalator cycles back on itself and doesn't really go anywhere. But a staircase is constantly going up."

"I'm deliberately making the different aesthetics of the different eras pretty obvious, so it's going to be cool to see where the worldbuilding goes next," he adds, still undecided about what his next move will be beyond heading forward.

"I'm in a weird place right now where I have so much super raw music," says d4vd. "The stuff that connected this year won't connect next year. You can't stick to one thing either; you have to be open-minded. I'm trying to stay out of my own head," he admits. "I just need to embrace whatever comes next and not force anything."

Rather than chasing trends, d4vd has always just done his own thing. "I let trends chase me," he says with a grin, knowing he needs to make music he likes first and foremost. "No regrets, that's the motto." This year, he's collaborated with the likes of Holly Humberstone, 21 Savage, The Kid LAROI and Laufey. Rather than clout, he's more interested in artistic conversations.

"I'm trying to be really precious about where I share my voice. I only want to do things I'm passionate about. I'm really excited about a couple more things in the works, but features have to make sense for me and for the audience."

d4vd still isn't sure, but he thinks he might skip the finished EPs. "I'm working on an album right now," he starts. "It's album season. I feel like when I dropped 'Petals For Thorns', the response was 'Okay, this is d4vd', which is cool to have that artist's voice, but with the album, I want there to be so many questions. I want a shock factor. I don't want it just to be accepted; I want people to question it."

He goes on to describe what he's working on as "super different" and is currently trying to figure out just how far he can push it. "Some of it feels great; some of it feels like it'll be part of something in the future. It's evolving very quickly," he says. d4vd isn't worried about the audience keeping up, though. "I feel like my listeners are supportive of anything, as long as it's not trash. It's all about your people," he adds. "You can't promote the right music to the wrong people."

Sticking to Hollywood rules, d4vd wants the sequel to 2023 to be the same, but bigger. "I want this year, times two," he says. "I just want to keep that ball rolling."

Taken from the December 2023 / January 2024 issue of Dork.