00:00 I was like at a press conference,
00:01 everybody had their phones,
00:02 we were playing the same clip,
00:03 and it was like SZA sitting down saying,
00:05 "The D4 emo music guy."
00:07 I was like, "That's me, that's me,
00:08 "he's talking about me."
00:09 It was so fire.
00:11 Hey everybody, I'm David,
00:12 and you're watching Billboard News.
00:14 (upbeat music)
00:16 - Hey, I'm Lindsay Havens for Billboard News,
00:22 and we are here with genre-agnostic, I'm gonna say,
00:25 singer-songwriter David.
00:27 - Hello. - It's so good to have you here.
00:28 - Thank you for having me.
00:29 ♪ I gave her a long eight, ten days ♪
00:34 ♪ I used to say that our love ain't real ♪
00:39 ♪ In the back of my mind ♪
00:42 ♪ You died ♪
00:45 - You have been on quite the run this year.
00:47 - Quite the sprint.
00:49 - The sprint, that's a better word.
00:50 So if you think about it, just a few years ago,
00:53 I'm picturing you recording vocals
00:54 in your sister's walk-in closet,
00:56 and this year alone, sold-out tour, two EPs.
01:00 If you had to describe what 2023 has been like for you,
01:03 how could you put it into words?
01:04 - Absolutely blessed rollercoaster.
01:06 - Yeah. - Like,
01:07 front row seat on a rollercoaster, honestly,
01:09 and it goes this way, it goes that way,
01:11 it goes every which way.
01:12 It's honestly just been a wild ride,
01:14 let's just, let's not explain it.
01:15 - Has there been one moment
01:17 that has surprised you the most?
01:19 - SZA tour, honestly.
01:20 - Yeah. - Honestly, it was like
01:22 months and months of seeing her to this moment,
01:26 and I was just completely star-struck.
01:28 It wasn't even real to me when I heard the news.
01:31 - How did you find out?
01:32 - My manager called me.
01:33 - Okay. - He was like,
01:34 "Yo, I think we got it."
01:35 I was like, "Wait, what?"
01:37 And then I instantly, I went and I was like,
01:39 posted, I was like, "What is the caption?
01:40 "What do I caption this?"
01:41 I posted a flyer with the caption,
01:43 and the fans went crazy.
01:45 I was like, "Oh my goodness, this is a moment."
01:47 ♪ 'Cause every time the sun comes up ♪
01:51 ♪ I start feeling worthless ♪
01:54 - Let's talk about your music.
01:55 Two EPs this year, which is crazy.
01:58 So, debut, "Petals to Thorns."
02:00 How did you celebrate the release of that?
02:02 - I was streaming.
02:03 (laughing)
02:04 I streamed it.
02:05 Yeah, I'm super big in gaming,
02:06 super big in streaming and all that.
02:08 So I was like, "Let me get on Discord.
02:10 "Let me invite 100 people in Discord
02:12 "and get on video call,
02:13 "and let's all listen to it together."
02:15 And I listened to it with my gaming friends
02:17 and fans of the music,
02:18 and I celebrated it as a community.
02:20 It's the first project I ever put out,
02:22 first body of work.
02:23 I wanted it to feel very special,
02:24 and it was a collaborative effort.
02:26 Team, the listeners, the Fortnite, everything.
02:30 It just came full circle.
02:31 ♪ I use your picture as a band-aid ♪
02:34 ♪ To cover every single hurt and place ♪
02:37 - So then the second EP came out, "The Lost Petals,"
02:40 which sonically feels like in the same realm
02:43 as your debut EP.
02:43 So what made you wanna stick with that for a minute?
02:46 - Originally, the idea was to leave the songs
02:51 off of the first project so it didn't feel too much.
02:54 So "The Lost Petals" is basically the songs
02:55 that didn't make it on the first project.
02:57 So that's why I feel it's like a continuation.
02:59 I feel like the bridge was a cliffhanger,
03:01 and I just finished that story with this,
03:03 and now we're changing the chapter,
03:05 moving on to the next chapter
03:07 of this whole story, book, or whatever.
03:10 I'm writing it as I go.
03:11 - Yeah, you kinda have to,
03:13 as fast as it's happening for you.
03:14 - Who knows what's gonna come next, to be honest.
03:16 I don't even know what's gonna come next.
03:17 - What would you want to come next?
03:19 - I wanted it to be a movie.
03:20 This was like, you know, a cartoon.
03:23 Maybe we'll TV show first, then we'll go movie.
03:25 Super cinematic.
03:26 ♪ You're here with me ♪
03:29 - Do you think that there will be more EPs
03:34 before we get hit with a debut album?
03:36 Have those conversations happened?
03:38 - Who even knows?
03:39 It depends, I mean, I have so much music.
03:41 There's so many opportunities to just put it all out.
03:45 And being genre-less, like you just stated,
03:48 there's areas for everything.
03:49 There's things for every fan, every listener.
03:52 So it just depends on what they want.
03:53 I just, you know, I feed the fans.
03:55 So if they ask for it, I'll give it, yeah.
03:57 - And I mean, it's amazing, like you said,
03:58 starting in the gaming world,
03:59 like you have such a direct relationship with them
04:02 that if they want something, you'll know.
04:03 - Exactly, exactly, don't tell me, exactly.
04:05 - Have you, on your own shows,
04:06 looked out into the crowd and seen people crying?
04:08 - Yes.
04:09 - What's that like for you?
04:10 - It's usually like the first four people
04:11 in the front row every time, which is really strange.
04:14 - Those are the people that get there early.
04:16 - Yeah, it's been consistent, and it's like,
04:17 oh my goodness, I try my best to sing to them
04:20 and make it the best experience that they can
04:22 because some of those kids, it's their first concert.
04:24 And I'm surprised that it's my concert
04:25 that they're going to first.
04:27 So I try to make everybody feel as important
04:29 as they need to be, and it's insane.
04:31 - The other thing that I love is you bring out your sister.
04:33 - I do.
04:34 - Which is very moving.
04:36 - Say thank you for being here with me.
04:37 - Thank you for being here.
04:40 - Do you think that she, has she told you
04:41 if she wants to follow in your footsteps?
04:43 - She has. - To be a performer?
04:44 - Yeah, she said she wants to call herself David, too.
04:47 She said that's her artist name.
04:49 And I-- - What did you say to that?
04:50 - I said, okay, 'cause I don't want to get
04:53 my studio taken away.
04:54 I need her closet, so I'm not gonna--
04:55 - That's true. - Whatever I can do
04:56 to make her happy, I'm gonna keep her happy.
04:57 - Keep her happy. - Exactly.
04:58 - And then when you think about going forward
05:00 into your career, what is the bucket list item
05:02 that is top of mind for you?
05:04 - I want to make the best music possible.
05:06 I just want to keep growing as an artist.
05:08 I want to tell great stories.
05:10 I feel like that's the art that's kind of lost
05:12 in music right now, especially with new artists
05:14 and stuff like that.
05:15 I want to just tell a great story that people
05:17 of every background can kind of latch onto and relate to.
05:21 - Yeah. - And just have my music
05:22 connect to so many people.
05:24 It doesn't matter what genre it is,
05:25 where you come from, who you are.
05:27 Like, something will touch you.
05:29 - Thank you so much for coming by today.
05:30 - Thanks. - And we'll catch you
05:31 on tour with SZA. - Yes.
05:32 - Can't wait. - Can't wait.
05:34 (upbeat music)
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