Who Is David J? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

Today we get to introduce you to a fresh new country artist, who is a New York native! David J is a Nashville-transplant, who is already making waves in the music industry at just eighteen years old. We chatted with the singer all about his journey thus far.

The Rotterdam native became attracted to music at the tender age of thirteen. “I started doing music when I was like 13, after watching the Justin Bieber movie one day,” shared David J, adding later, that he still loves that movie and Bieber. “I thought it would be cool to do what he was doing, so that whole summer when I was thirteen, I taught myself to sing and play guitar.”

What started at first as a hobby, music soon became a passion for the young entertainer. “I fell in love with music, while trying to do what he was doing. It was a big inspiration for me,” stated David J.

With access to so many different musical genres, the singer-songwriter found inspiration that runs the gamut. “I was listening to country for sure that was definitely thrown in there, but like, from my mom, I would get like rock music and pop and kind of like rap from my friends and stuff. It was kind of just like one big ball of music I guess, like not just one genre,” shared David J. Currently, the singer shares a liking to artists like HARDY, Lewis Capaldi, Morgan Wallen, and old Chris Brown.

Soon thereafter, the artist started to post videos on social media, blossoming into the artist he is now.

The Turning Point:

“As I started going with it and just started posting videos and stuff on YouTube, and Instagram, and TikTok, they started blowing up a little bit. Then I got my one video that got 10 million views, and that started to snowball a bit.”

While David J was hard at work growing his social media presence, he yearned for a record deal to continue to pursue his dream. “It was New Year’s Eve, two years ago, I think, and I was like it would be really nice to just get signed this year,” began the singer. “And then New Year’s Day, one of my fans sent a video to my now managers, and I was on a plane to Nashville two days later, and I got signed by them.”

David J continued to grow his talent, while in Nashville. “Once I started learning guitar, I just started writing and stuff. […] I worked really hard at it, and stayed up late nights to get good at it.” The singer later shared, “I just like making stuff that I think is good content and people seem to enjoy it. I always want to make people laugh at my stuff or make them feel a certain way.”

Today:

As his career continues to blossom, David J recently released his debut EP, Lost My Heartbreak. The six-song project showcases the best of the singer-songwriter’s talent, featuring songs that fans have been begging for on social media too. “It’s got three new songs on it. I wrote one of them, a song called “First Kiss,” it was the first song I ever wrote after getting signed,” shared the artist.

“Because Of You” is another standout track on the record. It is the perfect love song for anyone who is looking to swoon from a country song. Similarly, David J’s song “U or Nothing” is another heartfelt bop. “That song I wrote with one of my best friends, Dylan Brady, and we were just messing around, listening to one direction on the way to the session. And we were inspired to write a One Direction country song,” shared the singer, about the track.

Fans can anticipate even more music coming out soon. The sky is the limit for the rising artist!

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