Devendra Obi Banhart (born May 30, 1981) is an American psych folk singer-songwriter. Banhart was born in Texas and grew up in Venezuela and California. His debut album was released in 2002.
Early life and career
Banhart was born May 30, 1981 in Houston, Texas to a Venezuelan mother. His given name means "king of gods" in Hindi and was a suggestion by Indian religious leader Prem Rawat, whom Banhart's parents followed. His middle name was modeled after a Star Wars character. Banhart's parents divorced two years after his birth and he moved with his mother to Caracas, Venezuela. His mother later remarried and Banhart's stepfather moved the family to Los Angeles, California, when Banhart was 14 years old. In 1998, Banhart began studying at the San Francisco Art Institute with a scholarship, and lived in The Castro. He began to busk in San Francisco instead of attending classes and played his first show at a gay wedding in a church. Banhart dropped out of art school in 2000 and left the