The sold-out crowd at White Oak Music Hall roared as the lights pulsated behind the artist on stage. Dressed in black pants and undershirt, with an open flowing white shirt covered in faux blood splatter was D4VD. The internet sensation that has gained success via TikTok and YouTube had finally returned to Houston.
“It’s crazy to be back here in Houston,” exclaimed a breathless D4VD as he took a break between songs. “I’m here at the same venue I was at a year ago. Back then I was in the small room but now I’m in the big room!”
D4VD began his career in entertainment as a professional fortnite player. To get more eyes on his abilities the Houston native began putting together videos showcasing his skills at the game set to popular music. The uploading of copywritten music led to YouTube issuing takedown strikes and completely removing the videos. This prompted D4VD’s mom to suggest he make his own music as a soundtrack.. The songs he began to upload gained so much traction online that the professional video game player became a professional singer.
His time online is evident in D4VD’s showmanship. The entire show was streamed on Twitch, which D4VD referred to a few times making sure to speak to those who were watching the stream. That ability to speak and perform for a large mass of people online has given D4VD a confidence in his stage show that is well beyond his years. The 18-year-old was able to quickly form a connection with the crowd, often having full on conversations with individual audience members in between songs.
At one point he sang at such a low level that people in the crowd began to talk and mill around. Unfazed the singer continued to quietly move through the music as the house lights dimmed. Then, in almost complete darkness, his voice began to swell bringing the room to absolute silence. Before the crowd could even finish their applause the lights behind him flashed and D4VD immediately moved into an up-tempo song.
One of the major critiques of performers that gain fame via TikTok is that fans only know 15 to 30 seconds of their songs. That was not the case with D4VD. The audience sang along, word-for-word, with viral songs like “Here With Me”, “Romantic Homicide”, and “Sleep Well” but also gave that same level of enthusiasm for tracks like “Worthless” and “Placebo Effect”. For Elizabeth Tomany, the opportunity to see D4VD return to his hometown and show his growth is priceless.
“I’m not here for the TikTok songs. I like a lot of his other stuff so much more,” she exclaimed. “It’s really nice to see a young artist make it. I think he’s a real gem and we’re lucky to have him come from our city.”
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
