Who is David Shawty?
David Shawty, whose real name is David Salazar, is a 20 year old San Jose, California born, Seattle, Washington based recording artist known for catchy, glitchy, authentic, and electronic vocals coupled with a strong hip hop influence. David can be recognized easily for his choppy sounds and his signature ‘DAVID’ stomach tattoo. Many of David’s earlier singles fell into the Plugg underground scene, his later work is far more personal, emotional, and experimental, often being categorized as one of the front runners of hyperpop and glitchcore. This can be heard on “would I find?” a nearly 15 minute acoustic track. In an interview with Underground Underdogs, David reflects that “it’s a fat fucking song, and it’s definitely different from what I’ve made previously.”
David’s earlier releases helped establish him as a key player in the Soundcloud scene, including Morphine, On Me, Sport, Soft, Drift, and his takeoff single, Honda, released in 2017. After releasing the music video on the ELEVATOR magazine YouTube channel, the song began seeing incredible success, catapulting it to well over 1 million views on Spotify. The 20 year old artist has been working hard since the ELEVATOR release, as the video did not take his career to mainstream levels.
In 2019 David connected with fellow Seattle based experimental artist Yungster Jack. The pair, under the collective Nightmare, released a number of singles, including their breakout viral smash hit, Under Pressure. The song became an instant hit on TikTok, in addition to the duo’s other songs, Kiss My Own Dick, Nightmare 3, Green, and Spawn Camping. Distancing himself from Jack after sexual assault allegations against Yunster Jack came to light, David has spent the remainder of 2020 focusing on solo work, including singles such as Tinman, What I Have, and his most recent release, Evil Plans.
With a number of projects released, including Deadboy 2k, Grave Angel 2, and Ooze, what’s next for David Shawty is unclear. With a vibrant persona and incredible versatility, his next release could be anything – folk, rap, hyperpop, or anything else. Either way, we’re excited to be along for the ride. Check out David Shawty’s official discography on Spotify here.