WHAT IT IS: Hailing from the suburbs of Chicago and now based in Florida, 21-year-old David Kushner puts his seductive tone and affinity for storytelling on display on his melancholy debut, “Miserable Man.” Shaded with gentle fingerpicked guitars and soft instrumental elements, the deeply personal single highlights Kushner’s airy baritenor and youthful energy. Since teasing the record on TikTok, Kushner has gained over 1.8m followers and 146k pre-saves for the single, as well as 75k+ for its forthcoming follow-up, “Mr. Forgettable,” in a span of two weeks. Bearing influences ranging from Bon Iver to Hozier, Kushner’s emotive sound and lyrical eloquence have positioned him for a long-lasting career.
SINGLE: “Miserable Man”
RELEASE DATE: 1/7
INTERNET: 2.5m+ monthly Spotify listeners; 16.7m+ global streams on “Miserable Man” RTD, 146k+ pre-saves; debuted #23 on Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart; 145k+ TikTok video creations with sound, 10m+ combined views on “Miserable Man” snippet, 7.8m+ views on “Mr. Forgettable” snippet
RADIO: Debuted Top 40 in U.K. and Australia
PRESS: Early Rising (“There is an immeasurable air of desperation and innate sadness flowing through David Kushner’s ode to misery”), Happy Mag (“It’s perhaps the most emotionally fragile male vocal performance since Vance Joy’s ‘Georgia’ or Hozier’s ‘Cherry Wine’”), more
MANAGEMENT: Jeremy Karelis/EQT & Jack Steindorf