Our special guest for FanFes 2025 is an internationally recognized cosplayer and video creator who once represented Singapore at World Cosplay Summit. She has since worked with prestigious tech brands and game titles and she has been invited all over the world for events and conventions. Making her third trilling return to the Philippines, please welcome back the phenomenal Rithe.
He emerged as a visionary artist only one year after he began writing and recording heart-piercing tracks alone in his sister's closet in Houston, Texas. He developed his eclectic taste in rap and indie music from internet wormholes and fan-made Fortnite videos on YouTube, which he also started creating as a homeschooled teenager. An avid player, he noticed that the songs in his game montages were getting copyright strikes and his mother suggested that he write original music as a solution.
Armed with the user-friendly music-making app BandLab, he transformed quickly from a novice into a confident singer and songwriter. He’s released numerous successful singles, touching everything from indie-alternative to pop to R&B, and scored a breakout hit in the summer of 2022 with the now RIAA Multi-Platinum certified “Romantic Homicide.” Recorded entirely on an iPhone, the track reached No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to he signing to Darkroom/Interscope before graduating high school.
His beachy, slow-building ballad “Here With Me” followed, breaking into the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2023—it’s now RIAA Platinum Certified. His debut EP Petals To Thorns established him as a genre-defying newcomer, earning him coveted Billboard 21 Under 21 and Variety Young Hollywood honors. He followed up that project with The Lost Petals EP, a collection of songs that fit into the world of Petals To Thorns and served as a continuation before moving into his next phase.
Following on the heels of his debut headline tour and a run of sold-out European tour dates, he put on a show-stopping performance at the Valentino Men’s SS24 Fashion Week show in Milan. Since then, he joined R&B powerhouse SZA on her North American S.O.S tour, sold-out his ‘My House Is Not A Home’ 2024 Tour in its entirety before its kickoff, and graced the festival stages of Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and others. He has also collaborated with The Kid Laroi, Laufey, 21 Savage, and contributed to projects including Netflix’s Arcane, Amazon Prime Video’s Invincible, Call of Duty, and Fortnite.
His intuitive command of lyricism stems from years spent scribbling raps and poems in his journal, and his lyrics are informed by his varied interests, including manga and anime. His third Hot 100 entry “Feel It” was originally recorded for the soundtrack for Invincible, but has taken on a life of its own and is his latest zeitgeist-shaping achievement. For his upcoming debut album WITHERED, he returned to his roots, creating again on BandLab in his sister’s closet in Houston, amidst sessions in London and Los Angeles with super-songwriter Ryan Tedder and Tyler Spry. At just 20 years old, he is a voice for his generation, continuing to reach new artistic heights while staying true to his day-one practices.
Let’s all welcome the special guest for Fanfes 2025: d4vd!