The first time David Kushner played for a live audience was last summer, in Arizona, when, in front of 200 people, he started to feel the heat. “It was 116 degrees outside and I was sweating in every nook and cranny of my body,” he tells GQ. “I was so nervous. I didn’t perform as a kid. I thought the theatre kids were weird, but I always kind of regretted not doing choir.”
Born in Chicago, Kushner is in London to promote his single “Daylight”, an earworm of a Gothic pop-track that has soundtracked 1.1million TikTok videos and counting. A track with shades of Hozier and Lord Huron, it makes sense that Kushner is a fan of other spectral folk singers, but this is an artist who contains multitudes: in middle school, he memorised The Eminem Show and even had a go at writing his own rap.
As “Daylight” hovers near the top of the UK charts for another week, we spoke to Kushner to find out more about his formative experiences.
The first time you wrote lyrics?
When I was in school I loved Eminem. I loved a lot of hip-hop but I memorised the whole of The Eminem Show. I tried to write lyrics of things that my parents were going through; they were going through a really bad time.
The first time a song like made you feel alive?
It was probably “Ophelia” by The Lumineers. And “Another Love” by Tom Odell.
When's the first time you realised you'd gone viral?
After my little teaser of my song “Miserable Man”. I didn't know what was gonna happen because I've never been through something like that. It was everything I had been dreaming of after years of writing music coming to life.
What's the first thing that you'll do when you get a number one?
I might cry. I don't know. I might cry. I totally could.
What's the first thing you do in the morning?
I take a shit! You know, take a doozer or whatever you call it here in the UK. Then I go on TikTok and reply to people.
The first time you went to see the Chicago Bulls live?
Probably when I was like 13. That was the age that I fell in love with basketball. Before that, I was a big baseball guy.
When's the first time you saw your siblings as adults?
I have four older sisters, so it was towards the end of high school. They went to college, or got married pretty young, and then I was the last one at home. I remember I was upstairs in my little studio, it was a hot summer afternoon and I was just like: ‘Dang. I'm all alone here’.
The first time that the idea for “Miserable Man” came to you?
I was in my studio in Chicago. I didn't even write the words, the chorus just came out of me.
What's the first song that you put on when you feel sad?
“Love; Not Wrong (Brave)” by Eden.
The first time you were starstruck?
Justin Bieber responded to my DMs on Instagram. I was like: “Oh, I bet you five mill you won't respond to me”. Out of nowhere, he did.
The first video game you loved?
Video games were my escape growing up, the first game I loved was definitely Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Then I transitioned to a PC, [and played] Counter Strike Global Offensive fortnight Rocket League and Minecraft.
The first time you came to London?
Like a month and a half ago. I've never had better eggs anywhere in the world. People give me crap because I put ketchup on my scrambled eggs, but it’s not that weird.
“Daylight” is out now.
