Late last year, Interscope Records quietly dropped D4vd from its label, and in wake of the singer’s arrest for the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez, Universal Music Group has helped some of its artists who have collaborated with D4vd to remove their songs from streaming platforms, Rolling Stone has learned.
The “Romantic Homicide” singer, born David Anthony Burke, was charged Monday with first-degree murder in the killing of 14-year-old Hernandez. The two were believed to have been in a relationship and the teen’s dismembered and severely decomposed body was discovered in Burke’s Tesla last September. Hernandez was last seen alive going into Burke’s Los Angeles home in late April.
Burke, 21, pleaded not guilty to the charges. His attorneys have said that their client “did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez, and he was not the cause of her death.”
Until Hernandez’s body was discovered, Burke’s career was on the rise. An overnight success story, his love of the videogame Fortnite led him to recording music from his bedroom closet. By 2022, his songs “Romantic Homicide” and “Here With Me” were going viral on TikTok, earning him a record deal with Darkroom Records under the Interscope/UMG umbrella. Burke released his debut EP, Petals to Thorns, in May 2023, and his debut studio album Withered in April 2025.
After police began looking at Burke as a suspect, the record label quietly dropped Burke sometime last year. (Rolling Stone understands that UMG has no ownership or copyrights to Burke’s music because his deal was structured as a licensing agreement. His music on streaming platforms now credits D4VD ENT., LLC.)
Artists who have collaborated with Burke have begun removing their songs from streaming platforms. Kali Uchis was among the first, pulling down their joint track “Crashing,” and was later followed by Holly Humberstone, Laufey and Damiano David. Rolling Stone understands UMG has helped facilitate that process for some artists.
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Streaming sites such as Spotify and Apple Music are now facing calls to remove Burke’s music entirely from its platforms, with music advocacy group Industry Blackout launching a petition to that effect. “The music industry has a responsibility that goes beyond commerce. When an artist has been charged with the sexual abuse and murder of a minor, a child who was drawn into his orbit through his music and public persona, continuing to stream, promote, and profit from his catalog is a choice. It is not a neutral one,” the group in its Change.org petitions said in a statement.
Representatives for Spotify, Apple News, and YouTube did not return Rolling Stone’s request for comment regarding if the companies were considering removing Burke’s music.
