David Ljubenović (Serbian Cyrillic: Давид Љубеновић, born on 9 May 1995), better known as Devito, is a Serbian rapper from Kragujevac. Initially a photographer and a music video director, he made his recording debut in 2018. Known for wearing balaclavas in public, Devito has never shown his face publicly.[1]
After a series of standalone singles, Devito released his debut album, entitled Plava krv, in May 2023 to commercial success.
In March 2018, he released his debut single under the stage name Devito, titled "Alal vera", featuring Leon.[2] In June the following year, Devito's first major label single "Barbie" was released under Bassivity Digital and IDJTunes. With the release of "Uh" in June 2019, Devito gained more significant popularity and media attention. The music video for the song has collected over 30 million views on YouTube.[4] In February 2020, Devito released "Koka" for the soundtrack of the Serbian television series Južni Vetar. Subsequently, in June, he collaborated with Teodora Džehverović on "Vudu".[1] The single has amassed over 12 million streams on Spotify and over 100 million views on YouTube, making it the commercially most successful Serbian single of that year.[5] The two have also received the Contribution to the Regional Music Award at the 2023 Music Awards Ceremony for their collaboration.
Devito released "Mame mi" in March 2021 for the purposes of the film sequel to Južni Vetar, called Južni Vetar 2: Ubrzanje.[6] In September 2021, Devito held his first solo concert during the Belgrade Music Week festival.[7] In October 2021, he was chosen by Tuborg Open to be featured on the remix of "Get Together" by David Guetta.[8] It was followed by his debut EP, titled Leden, which was released on 12 November under IDJTunes.[9] In December, IDJ TV enlisted Devito as the most streamed Serbian artist on Spotify of 2021.[10] In April the following year, Devito collaborated with Relja Popović on the single "Omađijala", which became his first entry on a Billboard chart, peaking at number two in Croatia. His collaborative singles with Jala Brat and Buba Corelli from late 2022 and early 2023, title "Karamel" and "Shake it", also reached the top five in Croatia.
His debut album, Plava krv, was released on 23 May 2023 under IDJTunes.[11] It peaked at number 2 in Austria and number 5 in Switzerland. The album also peaked at number 7 on the Spotify Top Albums Debut Global chart.[12] With over 200 million listening across all platforms in three months Plava krv was declared the commercially most successful album by a Serbian artist in 2023.[13]
Public image
Devito is recognized for wearing a white balaclava in his public appearances.[14] In the 2021 interview with Noizz, he stated that the reason behind it is so that his audience can "truly" connect with his lyrics and music, further explaining: "Regardless of who and what you are, you can live your dreams, if you are ready to fight for them of course".[8]
At the beginning of 2023, Ljubenović showed his public support for the LGBT community in Serbia after he had been accused by rapper Mili of being a closetedgay man.[15][16]
On 5 October 2023, it was reported that Ljubenović got married.[17]
For "Tu Tu Tu", "Garava", "Vajbuje", "Rolex", "Htjela je da zna", "Koji kralj", "Vodi me", "Nina 2.0", "Koketa" and "Mazna":"Croatia Songs (Week of June 10, 2023)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
