Genre-defying breakout artist d4vd (pronounced David) just visited the Philippines, where he performed songs from his new album “Withered” and his most beloved hits like “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me.” The young American singer-songwriter received a hearty, jam-packed audience of over five thousand people at SM Mall of Asia’s Sky Amphitheater, which made for the perfect sentimental moment with the windy rooftop and the iconic Manila sunset. The show was held on May 16, 2025.
Ahead of his live performance, UMG Philippines invited a select few media outlets to dv4d’s exclusive press conference. Anime Corner had the honor of being a part of it, and we got the amazing opportunity to sit down with him and personally chat about his musical and creative experiences as an evolving artist, which I am more than excited to share with you.
Parts of this article have been lightly edited for clarity.
A Dive Into D4VD’s Origin Story
After some delicious French Toast for breakfast, d4vd was excited to start off his first day in the beautiful city of Manila. The Philippines was where “Here With Me” received some of the most streams online, so it is also right to say that we felt just as excited to finally see d4vd here. Filipino fans everywhere were already lining up early, feeling enthusiastic in welcoming the musician who had shared such emotional and relatable music with us.
It all began when d4vd started writing and recording heart-piercing tracks in his sister’s closet in Houston, Texas. Then, he noticed that the songs in his game montages were getting copyright strikes, so his mother suggested that he write original music. A year later, he emerged as the confident singer and songwriter that he is today. At the media conference, d4vd shared with us how gaming has shaped his creative process:
“On both aspects of the videogame and music pipeline, it feels like when I was on camera for my music videos, for Fortnite videos, I was always connected with my fanbase back then. I was receptive to taking advice, criticism, and as part of my gaming journey. And my approach to music was that I made music for music video montages so as not to get a copyright strike from YouTube.
It kind of allowed me to approach music in a way like scoring for a movie or TV show. A lot of that has that kind of cinematic feel to it that you can apply the lyrics to a production or to any situation.”
He also shared that despite his new and busy schedule, video gaming (Fortnite, particularly) has never left his life. He also teased about new music coming soon and that he was actually recording in his hotel. When asked who he’d possibly like to collaborate with in the future, he answered Sza, Pink Pantheress, and Keshi. Everyone in the room nodded and agreed that it would be absolutely perfect.
Since d4vd is in the Philippines, his viral TikTok moment was also discussed. When asked what it was like to meet Niana Guerrero, a Filipino TikTok star who created the dance choreography for “Feel It,” he expressed how it was a full-circle moment.
“It was awesome. I feel like that needed to happen because now I need to learn how to dance. It was such a full circle moment because she did the dance to “Feel It,” which went super viral on TikTok last year, and then for her to come do it at Coachella was such a crazy moment. Big event, crazy audience. It was beautiful.”
Inspirations from Music, Anime, and Flowers
D4vd’s music blends various genres, with elements of alternative, indie, rock, R&B, and pop, all of which lead to the development of his own memorable sound. Apparently, this stems from the music of his childhood.
“Actually, as a kid, all I would listen to was gospel and classical music. A lot of my influences are subconsciously Mozart, Beethoven, and piano-based serenades. I kind of included all those melodies and approaches to all my songs.
I’m exploring a lot of jazz right now, a lot of EDM, and pop. “Feel It” is one of my favorite songs that I’m going back to that mindset and finding ways to innovate that sound and keep it me, but make it fresh.”
He also shared that he has a lot of love for J-rock, K-pop, and other cultures and music. He mentioned that he loves the fact that he is able to translate that in his own way, including making his verses or bridges in an unorthodox way. For instance, “Romantic Homicidal” is described as having no hook or chorus, while “Here With Me” is like it was made in reverse.
Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun. D4vd’s command of lyricism comes from years spent scribbling raps, poems, and lyrics in his journal — all formed by his varied interests, including his love and appreciation for manga and anime. When asked which shows he enjoys and takes inspiration from, he shared that he has too many favorite titles.
“A lot! Right now, it’s Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, Death Note, and there’s this 12-episode series on Netflix called Erased. My all-time favorite, though, is Dragon Ball Z because that was the first anime I ever watched. I love Goku, he’s my favorite character of all time.”
If you haven’t seen it yet, a lot of d4vd’s music videos are heavily inspired by anime. At the conference, d4vd continued to share the creative process behind it and his plans beyond “Withered.”
“My approach to music videos is to always try to make it like a TV show… episodic, everything is connected, and not just random. It’s because my music is also very episodic, and it feels like you’re taking a journey through a story, so I’m trying to keep that same approach to my music videos.
The story that I want to tell after “Withered” is finding a new flower. So, from “Petal to Thorns,” from my first EP, to “Withered,” which is my debut album, it’s kind of about this rose that has grown and withered away in the album. So like the flower that is going to grow after the rose, I’m trying to figure out a new way to make it visually beautiful, do another story… and birth into another era of d4vd.
I love flowers because their life cycle is just like humans; we grow, experience new things, and have our beauty, but then it also fades away. It doesn’t last forever, and that’s the beauty of it — that it goes away.”
Lastly, when asked if he could give his younger self any advice, the singer said that he would not change a single thing.
“Honestly, all the mistakes I made and the artistic flaws that I’ve had, all the process of me building a great album has been important and kind of “needed” for that process. I wouldn’t give myself any other advice other than… don’t change anything. Because if I did, “Withered” wouldn’t be an album, there would be no progression, evolution, or maturity. I’d keep everything the same.”
Throughout his performance, d4vd charmed his Filipino fans with acoustic renditions of songs from his new album, “Withered,” and his classic hit songs, including his debut single “Romantic Homicide.” The show ended with an intimate and heartwarming performance of “Here With Me,” where the singer invited his younger sister, Emily, on stage. To conclude the magical night, d4vd gave his thanks for the overwhelming reception and said that he wished to return to the Philippines soon so he could perform in a bigger venue with a full band.
We’d like to thank d4vd for coming to the Philippines and for taking the time to speak to us! Follow him on his Instagram, X (Twitter), TikTok, YouTube, and official website.
d4vd’s world tour also coincides with the release of his debut album, Withered, a fifteen-track opus that takes the listener through the natural evolution and lifespan of the rose, an omnipresent visual in d4vd’s creative output thus far, and is intended to be listened to sequentially like chapters in a book as the demise of a relationship unfolds. It is an album crackling with love found, love lost, love created, and love destroyed through every chorus and every melodic line. Withered was released on April 25, 2025 and is available to stream on Spotify.
In case you missed it, Anime Corner previously had the opportunity to interview d4vid, where he shared hisit’s influenced his music. He also appeared the next day to perform at FanFes 2025 at One Ayala, Makati, where he cosplayed as Sasuke Uchiha.
Feature Photo via SM Mall of Asia Official
Special thanks as well to UMG Philippines and Cosplay.ph for their invitation to this wonderful event.
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