BVDLVD
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BVDLVD (pronounced ‘badlad’) is slashing and burning through existing genres, creating a raging new sound for the 2020s. Having got into music as an alienated 16 year old stuck in the Oxford suburbs, he found solace in the raw trap metal of early XXXtentacion, Ghost Mane, NIght Lovell, $uicide Boy$ and more. Convinced the British education system was set up to crush creativity, he dropped out of college and set about teaching himself how to record vocals and mix tracks. Fusing the distorted trap coming from the States with underground UK rave culture, he mixed up anger, humour, energy and bass to create a unique, explosive new style that refuses simple categorization, a system-crashing noise set to empower outsiders and misfits worldwide.
Having already found online notoriety as a self-taught digital animator, he set about becoming a musician with the same single-minded purpose. By 2018 he self released his first album Project Jinchuriki, aggressive, lo-fi and seething with energy. Although rough with youthful flaws, it announced the arrival of a bold new talent.
This was followed in 2019 by the second album, BVDIDEA, which saw a huge leap in production values and songwriting, and guest verses from fellow teenage new wave MCs Kxzari and Hen$haw. At this point, BVD started directing and editing his own videos, with the classic Toxic video bringing a frenetic glitching visual aesthetic to match his amped up music.
Following his signing with London independent label Moves Recordings, he embarked on a run of self-directed single/video releases that saw his career jump forward exponentially, hitting international acclaim. Recording collaborations with LA rapper Lil Darkie, German producer Pulse, Russian producer CVRBI, and regular UK beat maker goodbyechase, BVDLVD established a worldwide underground fanbase, with hype building everywhere from Frankfurt to Moscow to New York. During this time he also co-founded UK crew Love Sept alongside fellow innovative MCs KXZARI, HEN$HAW and V. Ri.
Now, in 2020 he has released Lunatic, his most accomplished album to date, a maelstrom of new noisel that joins the dots between underground rap artists worldwide. The album takes influence from drill, drum n bass, trap, grime and punk, fusing them into a burst of power, a soundtrack for a lost, raging generation. Featuring guest appearances from an international cast that includes LA scene leader Lil Darkie, 6ix 9ine collaborator Jasiah, and rising UK star KDVSGOLIATH, Lunatic has racked up over 5m streams in it’s first few months of release, and has cemented BVDLVD’s status as one of the most exciting new artists of a generation.
