D4vd
American singer-songwriter (born 2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Anthony Burke (born March 28, 2005), known professionally as D4vd,[a] is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New York City and raised in Houston, Texas, Burke began composing music in 2021 for his Fortnite gameplay montages. He first achieved commercial success with his 2022 singles "Romantic Homicide" and "Here with Me", both of which earned multiple platinum certifications. In 2023, he released the EPs Petals to Thorns and The Lost Petals; the former charted in six territories. In 2025, he released his debut studio album, Withered, which peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard 200.
March 28, 2005
D4vd | |
|---|---|
Burke in 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | David Anthony Burke March 28, 2005 New York City, U.S. |
| Origin | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Works | |
| Years active | 2021–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | d4vd |
| Criminal information | |
Criminal status | Detained pending trial |
| Criminal charge | |
Date apprehended | April 16, 2026 |
| Imprisoned at | L.A. County Men's Central Jail, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Signature | |
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In September 2025, the dismembered body of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was discovered inside a vehicle registered to Burke. Following the identification, his ongoing tour and a planned deluxe reissue of Withered were cancelled. He was arrested on April 16, 2026, on suspicion of murdering Rivas and is being held without bail. On April 20, Burke was charged with first-degree murder of Rivas with special circumstances, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14, and mutilating a body. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Early life
David Anthony Burke was born on March 28, 2005,[2] in Queens, New York City,[3] the son of Dawud Burke.[4] His family later moved to Houston, Texas.[5] After seventh grade, he was homeschooled.[6][7] Until he was 13, he solely listened to gospel music. As a child, he played the piano and sang in a church choir.[6][8] He is a Christian, stating in an interview with Astrophe Magazine, "I get my personal power from God for sure. Heavy believer in the Christian faith."[9]
Career
2021–2022: Early career and rise to prominence
Burke began his music career by uploading Fortnite gaming montages.[3][6][10] To avoid copyright issues, he started creating original music,[11][12] blending lo-fi pop, R&B, and indie rock.[13] He released his music to SoundCloud, including songs such as "You and I",[14] "Take Me to the Sun",[14] and "Runaway".[15] He chose the stage name "d4vd" partially to increase his search engine optimization.[16] He released the single "Romantic Homicide" on July 20, 2022, following TikTok snippets of it going viral.[6][17][18]
"Romantic Homicide" charted at No. 3 on the Hot Alternative Songs chart and appeared at No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,[12] marking his first entry on the chart.[11][19] The music video, inspired by film noir,[20] was nominated for Music Video (Independent) during the 14th Hollywood Music in Media Awards.[21] After observing others reuse his music, he decided to keep making songs.[8]
The song's success prompted Darkroom and Interscope Records[22] to sign Burke in September 2022.[18][23] First released on SoundCloud before "Romantic Homicide", Burke's next single, "Here with Me", was released to streaming platforms in September 2022.[14] The song entered multiple charts after gaining traction on TikTok,[6] most notably at No. 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and reached the top ten in Singapore. Most of these songs were produced using a freemium DAW called BandLab.[24]
2023–2024: Extended plays
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Burke released his debut EP, Petals to Thorns,[7][12] on May 26, 2023, through Darkroom and Interscope Records.[25][26] His second EP, The Lost Petals, was released on September 8[24] as an extension of the former.[12][27] "Here with Me", released in 2022, reached the top 40 in 2023.[28]
In July 2023, he was featured on "Superbloodmoon", a single from Holly Humberstone's debut album.[29] Also in that year, Burke performed as an opening act for part of SZA's SOS Tour.[15][24][4]
On February 9, 2024, Burke released the two-pack single "Withering", which includes the tracks "Leave Her" and "2016". The release was characterized in music media as a double single, in line with the artist's established style.[30] In March, Burke released the single "Feel It" for the soundtrack of Amazon Prime Video's television series Invincible.[31] On December 19, 2024, he released the single "Where'd It Go Wrong?".[32] He also performed "Remember Me", featured on the soundtrack for the second season of the steampunk action-adventure television series Arcane.[33]
2025: Withered
On February 7, 2025, he released the single "One More Dance".[34] On February 28, he released the single "Crashing" with Kali Uchis,[35] followed by "What Are You Waiting For" on March 28.[29] He held an album showcase for his debut studio album, Withered, at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, Philippines.[36] During his Coachella debut, he face-planted while attempting a backflip.[37][38] By November 2025, Burke had accumulated 3.6 million TikTok followers.[39]
Burke also featured on the song "Summer Uptown" with Jasontheween, with the song being released on July 9, 2025.[40]
The Withered tour began in August 2025. However, the tour and all public appearances were suspended on September 19, following the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez and suspicions around Burke's involvement in her death. The deluxe edition of Withered, subtitled Marcescence, was also shelved.[41][42][43] Interscope Records suspended all Burke-related promotions, and Crocs and Hollister Co. also removed him from a promotional campaign.[41][44][45]
In the following days, the tour's European and Australian shows and Burke's planned performance at Spilt Milk in December were canceled.[46][47] Kali Uchis sought removal of their collaboration song "Crashing" from streaming platforms.[35] During the investigation, Burke's music streams on Spotify doubled from the previous week.[48] In 2025, Burke became the top-searched musician and overall person on Google.[49][50]
Artistry
Homeschooled as a teen, Burke described living "vicariously" through the experiences of his online friends,[51][52] often referencing unfamiliar experiences in his music.[6] In an interview with Japanese YouTuber Takashii, while he was in Japan for the annual festival Fuji Rock, he stated that anime is "one of my biggest influences",[17][12] including series such as Dragon Ball Z.[12] He has named SZA as a big influence on his work.[12] He said that touring with her and building real-world connections allowed him to infuse more personal, "evolved" maturity into his work.[53] Burke's singing voice has been described as a soft tenor with a vibrating falsetto.[54]
Killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez
Discovery and investigation
On September 8, 2025, heavily decomposed human remains were discovered in Los Angeles inside the front trunk of an impounded car registered to Burke.[55][56][57][58] The discovery came after the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) was called by a tow yard worker to investigate a foul odor emanating from the vehicle.[59][60]
On September 16, 2025, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified the body as that of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, from Lake Elsinore in Riverside County.[61][62] Her body was discovered one day after what would have been her 15th birthday.[63] Two days later, LAPD investigators executed a search warrant at a Hollywood Hills property previously occupied by Burke.[64] Electronic materials, including a computer, were seized,[65] and shortly afterward, Burke's manager terminated the lease on the property, and Burke moved out.[66] Court documents unsealed in February 2026 revealed that Burke was the "target" of a Los Angeles grand jury investigation into the death.[67]
Arrest
On April 16, 2026, Burke was arrested by the LAPD at a house on Marmont Avenue on suspicion of the murder of Rivas.[4][68] Burke's lawyer denied the charges, claiming "Let us be clear – the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death."[69]
On April 20, LAPD and the District Attorney's Office announced that Burke would be charged with first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under 14, and mutilation of a body. Prosecutor Nathan Hochman stated the case includes special circumstances of lying in wait and financial gain, alleging Burke killed Rivas to protect his music career. He is also accused of murdering a witness, with evidence expected to show the victim was involved in an investigation into alleged sexual acts committed by Burke while she was under 14. Prosecutors indicated they will consider seeking the death penalty.[70][71][72][73] Burke appeared in court that same day, and pleaded not guilty to all charges.[74] He is incarcerated at L.A. County Men's Central Jail in Los Angeles, California as of April 2026.[75] Prosecutors said that they found a "significant amount of child pornography" on Burke's iCloud storage account.[76][77] Burke allegedly has eight terabytes of data on an iCloud storage account, while prosecutors have only been able to download one terabyte so far.[76]
Industry and collaborator reactions
After the discovery of Rivas's body in September 2025, singer-songwriter Kali Uchis pulled the song collaboration "Crashing" from streaming services and stated that Burke is "not [her] friend. I did a song with him, which is currently in the process of being taken down."[78] Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey pulled the song "This Is How It Feels" from streaming services.[79] Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu announced she would be changing her routine, which included the Laufey song.[80] Burke's song "What Are You Waiting For" was removed from the soundtrack for Madden NFL 26 without a statement from the publisher, EA Sports.[81] He was also removed from the Spilt Milk 2025 festival lineup.[82] Epic Games issued refunds to players who purchased in-game items featuring Burke's music in their game Fortnite, stating the refunds were the first step in a plan of changes to the items.[83] English singer Holly Humberstone also removed superbloodmoon, which features Burke, from all streaming platforms.[84] Damiano David reissued his album Funny Little Fears, replacing the song "Tangerine", originally featuring Burke, with a solo version without Burke.[80] Interscope ended their relationship in 2025.[85] In April 2026, YouTube demonetized and suspended D4vd's account, and Universal Music Group helped some of its artists remove their collaborations with him from streaming platforms.[86] Spotify and Apple Music also faced calls to remove his music.[86]
Discography
Studio albums
- Withered (2025)
Tours
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Streamy Awards | 2023 | Rolling Stone Sound of the Year | "Here with Me" | Nominated | [87] |
| 14th Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Music Video (Independent) | "Romantic Homicide" | Nominated | [21] | |
| BMI Pop Awards | 2024 | Award-Winning Songs | "Here with Me" | Won | [88] |
| "Romantic Homicide" | |||||
| Guild of Music Supervisors Awards | 2025 | Best Song Written and/or Recorded for Television | "Feel It" | Nominated | [89] |
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2025 | 2025 | Favorite Male Breakout Artist | D4vd | Nominated | [90] |
