D4vd’s breakout hit “Romantic Homicide” climbed to No. 8 on Spotify’s U.S. daily chart Monday (September 22), marking its highest position in years, just weeks after police discovered a decomposing body in a vehicle registered under his name.
The 18-year-old singer, born David Anthony Burke, has seen a sharp rise in streaming numbers since the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed on September 8 that a body was found in an impounded car tied to him. Before the discovery, “Romantic Homicide” wasn’t charting on Spotify at all. Since then, the song has steadily gained traction, breaking into the Top 10 over the weekend.
Other tracks from D4vd have also seen a boost. “Feel It” landed at No. 38 and “Here With Me” followed at No. 39 on Spotify’s chart as of Monday. He also reached a new peak on the platform’s artist chart, climbing to No. 42, up from No. 121 on September 7—the day before the body was found.
The momentum extended beyond Spotify. On YouTube, “Romantic Homicide” ranked No. 5 on the music video chart Saturday (September 20). On Apple Music, the track held the No. 46 spot on the U.S. chart.
Originally released in July 2022, “Romantic Homicide” became a viral sensation on TikTok and later reached No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s lyrics explore emotional detachment after a breakup, with D4vd singing, “In the back of my mind, I killed you/And I didn’t even regret it/I can’t believe I said it, but it’s true/I hate you.”
In a Genius interview, he clarified, “I didn’t kill her physically, but in the back of my mind, she died.”
The body found in the car was identified as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas, who had been reported missing from Lake Elsinore, California, in April. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner stated her remains were “severely decomposed” and “appears to have been deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period of time before being found.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that Rivas and Burke appeared to have matching tattoos on their fingers reading “Shhh…”. Police have not named a suspect, and Burke has not been accused of any crime. Investigators searched a Los Angeles home reportedly linked to Burke last week and collected several items for analysis, though authorities have not disclosed what was taken.
Burke has not addressed the situation publicly. He canceled the remaining dates of his U.S. tour, including shows in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and postponed an album release originally scheduled for this month.
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