Intent on being more collaborative, he DM’d singer-songwriter Laufey after hearing her “Harlem In Love” EP. I was like, ‘Man, what are you doing?’ We paid for the session and everything.” “I was in the booth with this $4,000 Norman mic in front of me, and I’m on my phone using BandLab. “The first couple of times I stepped into the studio, it was hard having so many people there,” D4vd admits. He recorded every song on “Petals to Thorns” there with one exception. When an idea takes root, D4vd heads straight to his sister’s closet - where he has macgyvered his own DIY studio. “For ‘Romantic Homicide’ it was my love for manga and then for ‘Here With Me’ it was ‘Up,’ the Disney movie,” D4vd reveals, listing people-watching, movies, TV, and books as other sources of inspiration. The singer-songwriter takes his inspiration from everywhere. “I was homeschooled, so I don’t really have a lot of personal experience to grasp onto,” he says.

Most of D4vd’s lyrics are similarly theoretical. “I’m making sure that my future love will not feel that way about herself.” He then envisaged a romance where he could provide the same solace for someone else. “I’m really speaking to myself and promising to be there for myself,” D4vd admits. On it, he encourages a lover to ignore the negative thoughts swirling around their head. Falling somewhere between Bruno Mars and Lord Huron, the drowsy “Sleep Well” showcases his staggering versatility.

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