Ep. 209: d4vd | The Kid Hacking Pop Music From His Phone

And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan

And The Writer Is

Unknown, Music Interviews, Songwriting, Music, Songwriters, Education, Interviews, Music Creation, Artists

4.9 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 5 May 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today’s guest is a genre-shifting phenomenon who’s redefining what it means to break through in music today. With a sound that fuses indie, alt-pop, R&B, and emo influences, he’s crafted a raw, emotionally charged catalog that’s connected with a generation—and he did it all from his sister’s closet on a phone. In just a few years, his music has racked up billions of streams, topping global charts and earning him a fiercely loyal fanbase. But beyond the numbers, he’s an artist who leads with vulnerability, reshaping how young creators think about art, success, and authenticity. He’s not just making songs—he’s shifting culture, and sharing how at the same time.

And the writer is… D4vd!

0:00 Trailer Hook — Billion Streams Surprise

1:32 Intro — From Phone to Playlist

3:15 Growing Up — Early Life and Music Influences

8:45 First Uploads — BandLab, YouTube, and Finding His Sound

13:20 Going Viral — The Moment Everything Changed

17:50 Pressure and Expectations — How He Handled the Blow-Up

20:42 My Process — How I Make Music on a Phone

23:10 Behind the Hits — How ‘Here With Me’ + ‘Romantic Homicide’ Happened

26:17 What SZA Told Me That Changed Everything

34:08 Advice for Young Artists — Make Music Nobody Wants

36:09 Beyond Music — Directing, Acting, Manga Dreams

43:35 Disrupting the Industry — Freaking Out the Business

44:40 Validation Moment — Sitting Where Legends Sit

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You have two songs over a billion streams.
0:02.0	They did with four tracks on your phone.
0:04.0	It was the craziest thing because it wasn't even supposed to happen.
0:06.0	What was the original plan?
0:08.0	I was gonna try to be like a professional gamer.
0:10.0	I was making a good amount of money off YouTube.
0:12.0	It was like you have to have a trending song in your video or it won't go.
0:15.0	I treated Fortnite like it was a movie, like I was soundtracking, like a TV show or something. I make a montage and I make a song for it.
0:21.2	How does somebody make a song from nothing except for a phone?
0:25.2	I'm going to show you how I made romantic homicide. Do you feel the pressure to repeat that success?
0:30.2	I remember 2023 was really tough. Stuff that was going viral in 2022 wasn't going viral anymore.
0:35.2	People are growing out of things every single day.
0:38.4	And then I went on tour with Siza.
0:40.2	And that didn't change my whole thing.
0:41.0	I sat down with her.
0:43.9	What she loved about my music was everything that I hated about my music.
0:49.2	What do you tell a 17-year-old now who wants to be David when they grow up?
0:50.4	How did they do it?
0:52.1	I mean... Welcome to And The Writer is. I am your host, Ross Golan. There are millions of singers and thousands of artists, but only 40 songs per genre at a time. This podcast aims to shed a light on those creators who make those songs.
1:14.0	I produced this with my friend Joe London, in association with Mega House music group.
1:18.8	Special shoutout, Charlotte Isidore, Jad, and Michael White.
1:23.6	And you can follow us at And The Writer Is on all your socials.
	...

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