d4vd On Exploring Past And Present For ‘WITHERED’: “It’s 14 songs of my life.”

From humble roots, d4vd has been opening up new chapters of his life at a skyrocketing pace.

The 20-year-old singer-songwriter made his musical debut in 2021, when he would make montage videos of the popular video game Fortnite. From there, he began releasing his own music to avoid copyright strike (as per his mother’s advice), and eventually went on to make viral hits that eventually landed him on the recent Coachella 2025 stage.

It’s been an eventful past few years for d4vd, to say the least. From creating beats with an iPhone and pair of earbuds to becoming an international musical sensation, the “Romantic Homicide” hitmaker has been experiencing growth beyond compare. At this current phase of life, the artist is now charting new territories, bringing his well-loved hits across the globe for his WITHERED world tour.

Taking place in locations all across the globe, from Europe to Asia, the tour commemorates the recent release of his debut solo album of the same title. Fusing together duos of bedroom pop and alternative indie, d4vd shares in an exclusive interview with Billboard Philippines, “I was inspired by Radiohead, Billie Eilish. It was very exciting to kind of blend in my favorite genres and keep everything really fresh with this one.”

To d4vd, WITHERED is a real-time documentation of his rapid success: “The album is basically the last three years of my life in song. So, you know, going to all these tours and taking on the fans.” He adds, “Having all these new life experiences, the kind of foundation that was laid for me to write this project and kind of express my feelings going through all these experiences. I would say this album is just 14 songs in my life.”

For his first-ever world tour, the viral hitmaker brought his music to the Philippines for the very first time — and in a free show, nonetheless. When asked if the Philippines has always been one of his dream destinations to perform at, the artist answered, “Absolutely. I mean, I remember in 2023 seeing “Here With Me”‘s Impact over here — it was like number three on Spotify. I was like, ‘Oh, I got to go there!’ Two years later, we’re here.”

Packing the SM Mall of Asia MOA Sky Ampitheater with excited fans for his album showcase, the artist brought out all his anticipation and excitement to a larger audience, performing both downbeat tracks and heart-pumping anthems. Even bringing out his little sister, Emily, during his live rendition of “Here With Me,” the singer-songwriter held a very sentimental moment shared between both fans and artist.

Even in spite of the already monumental success d4vd is experiencing, the rising artist still has his eyes set on the horizon for growth. He was working on songs in his hotel room, planning bigger shows in the Philippines for future visits, and, in his words, “learning how to dance.” Still, what remains the most tangible learning he’s picked up on since his Coachella debut is a growing need to give back, “There’s supporters in the U.S. and over here in the Philippines; there’s like, [fans in] every single international place that I could think of. People have heard my song, so I kind of got to take that all in and make sure that I’m showing love to everybody.”

Later down the line, d4vd aspires to continue releasing music, “Yeah, I got some more songs coming before the summer starts,” he confirms. On his collaboration wishlist? Dominic Fike, SZA, and Pink Pantheress. Still, despite all the change that came with his rapid growth as an artist, some things never changed for 20-year-old d4vd — Fortnite, anime, and putting family first.

Listen to WITHERED here: