d4vd, born David Burke, emerged as a visionary artist only one year after he began writing and recording heart-piercing tracks alone in his sister's closet in Houston, Texas. d4vd developed his eclectic taste in rap and indie music from internet wormholes and fan-made Fortnite videos on YouTube, which he also started creating as a homeschooled teenager. As an avid player who has amassed over fifty thousand subscribers on his gaming channel, he noticed that the songs in his game montages were getting copyright strikes, and his mother suggested that he write original music as a solution. This motivated d4vd to start recording his own tracks after discovering an easy-to-use music-making app called BandLab. He’s released a smattering of singles touching everything from indie-alternative to pop to R&B, and the 18-year-old scored a breakout hit in the summer of 2022 with the now RIAA Multi-Platinum certified melancholic indie rock song “Romantic Homicide.” Recorded entirely on an iPhone, the track reached No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to d4vd signing to Darkroom/Interscope before graduating high school. His slow-building beachy ballad, “Here With Me” followed, breaking into the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2023 and now RIAA Platinum Certified. d4vd’s debut EP Petals To Thorns established him as a genre-defying newcomer and one of the best new emerging acts, corroborated by his recent Billboard 21 Under 21 and Variety Young Hollywood honors. His intuitive command of lyricism stems from his years of scribbling raps and poems in his journal since childhood and his versatile interests shine in his music, drawing primarily from manga and anime. Following on the heels of his spring headline ‘The Root of it All’ debut tour, which sold out immediately upon going on sale, and a successful run of sold-out European tour dates, d4vd brought his ‘Petals To Thorns’ tour to larger stages in the US than ever before. Amid his European run, d4vd put on a show-stopping performance at the Valentino Men’s SS24 Fashion Week show in Milan. He recently followed up his debut EP with The Lost Petals EP – a collection of five songs that fit into the world of Petals To Thorns and serve as a continuation of that project before d4vd moves into his next phase of music. d4vd recently joined R&B powerhouse SZA on the second leg of her North American S.O.S. tour.

Bryant Barnes' versatile vocal range and unfussy songcraft make him a perfect fit for young audiences glued to their social feeds for the latest catchy sound. His debut EP Vanity amassed millions of streams thanks to minimalist cuts like “Give Me a Sign” and “I’d Rather Pretend.”

Barnes, a native of Cypress, Texas (just outside of Houston), was drawn to music at an early age, studying piano and cello into his teens while building a reputation as a basketball player -- a dream that unfortunately ended after he tore his ACL. With his hoop dreams shattered before graduating high school in 2021, Barnes took the odd step of offering musical solace wherever he could find a public piano, and recording the results for social media. Soon, videos of him performing stripped-down versions of everything from cuts by Mac Miller and XXXTentacion to selections from Hans Zimmer's score to Interstellar, started going viral.

Before long, major labels started taking interest in his musical approach. Mercury issued his debut single “Adore You” in the fall of 2023, driven by an acoustic guitar, laid-back rhythm, and Barnes' unique voice, sliding between thick mid-ranges and fluttering falsetto. 2024 single “Don’t Want a Love Song” fared even better with audiences, and the piano-driven “I’d Rather Pretend” became his biggest single yet, pulling streams in the tens of millions and becoming an oft-shared tune on social video apps. These tracks helped his debut EP, Vanity, debut at number 13 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart.

- From Allmusic.com