Devendra Banhart

Born in Texas in 1981, he owes his name to an Indian mystic, who his parents were disciples of. After his parents' divorce, he followed his mother to Caracas, in Venezuela, only to return to Los Angeles with her new husband. In 1998 he won a scholarship to attend the San Francisco Art Institute. He began to exhibit in public at a gay wedding and then at ethnic restaurants, Irish pubs, and, despite being under age, in nightclubs.
In the summer of 2000, Devendra left school and moved to Paris, where he began to play in a small club and where he made his first amateur recordings.
Back in the United States, he moved back and forth between San Francisco and Los Angeles, where he was heard by chance by Siobhan Duffy, who was impressed by his unique voice and original way of writing music. This meeting marked the beginning of his professional career.