STARDOM THEORY - D4VD STARDOM

 d4vd

The 17 year old American singer-songwriter David Anthony Burke, better known by his stage name d4vd, was a video game enthusiast who became obsessed with Fortnite since he was 12 years old. During this time, he frequently made gameplay videos with well-known songs playing in the background, but after being reported twice for copyright infringement, he decided to create his own original music to accompany his clips. “I’ve been writing poems forever, but vocalizing? I didn’t even think I had a good enough voice,” he says.

David began releasing music on streaming platforms in November 2021, releasing rap and indie songs, often experimenting with genres like RnB and Rock, along with a drill mixtape named "The Hoodstar Diary." Armed with just his phone, a pair of Apple earbuds and a social music making platform BandLab, David recorded his tracks in the small space of his sister's closet, which was a much cheaper alternative to studio time. Despite some success on his SoundCloud, it was the track 'Romantic Homicide' that changed everything for the young musician which was released via Darkroom/Interscope Records. 'Romantic Homicide' peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100, racked up over 220 million streams on Spotify alone but the song initially drew buzz thanks to a viral hit on TikTok where the song has been used in more than 245,000 clips. With the massive success, he released his first ever music video on September 7, 2022 on Youtube, which was inspired by his love for the Film noir-genre and Anime.

Traditionally, distribution happens through record labels and the deals they make with various music outlets. Like the popular pop star Charlie Puth, who initially launched his career on Youtube, but chose to establish a mainstream music career. The artist established a modest financial portfolio by releasing records on major labels, writing songs, talent of perfect pitch and collaborating with big stars.

Since David is a new and emerging artist, he does not have any other businesses. Though he has independently released the love-soaked track 'Here With Me" this July with positive feedback from fans but still not as groundbreaking as his first hit song.