• May 30, 1981
• Devendra Banhart was born in Houston, Texas, to a Venezuelan mother and an American father, Robert Gary Banhart.
• His first name is a synonym for Indra, the lord of Svargaloka or heaven in Hinduism. It was suggested to his parents by an Indian religious leader, Prem Rawat, who claimed that he could impart direct knowledge of God to his followers.
  
  "Growing up in Caracas, Venezuela, it gave me an otherness that was a bit isolating but made me feel quite special," Banhart told The Guardian. "Then on my first visit to India I realised everyone was called Devendra [laughs]. So if I lived in Bari [in Rajasthan], I'd be Dave."
• Banhart's middle name, Obi, was 99% modeled after Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Star Wars character and 1% after the tampons his mother used, which were called OB.
• Banhart's debut performance was in 1998 for a gay wedding at a church. He sang Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender" and the classic hymn "How Great Thou Art."
• He was engaged to Serbian-born furniture maker, illustrator, photographer and model Ana Kras for several years but they have now broken up. The title track of Banhart's eighth album, Mala, was inspired by a ring Ana gave him.
• Banhart's hobby is buying old press photographs of musician's head shots from record shops on New York's Lower East Side. He told The Guardian: "It's my opportunity to have a wonderful interaction with a hero. I get a blank head shot and I can write whatever I want to myself from this person."

Comments

More Songfacts:

TrueSpandau Ballet

"True" by Spandau Ballet has some lyrics based on parts of the Vladimir Nabokov novel Lolita, including "Take your seaside arms," which in the book is "That little girl with her seaside limbs."

Light My FireThe Doors

"Light My Fire" was the first song Doors guitarist Robby Krieger wrote. Looking for a universal theme, he decided to write about one of the four elements (air, earth, water, fire).

Groove Is in the HeartDeee-Lite

One of the last hits with a track made up almost entirely of uncleared samples is "Groove Is In The Heart" by Deee-Lite in 1990. Soon after, courts ruled that samples needed to be cleared.

Pork and BeansWeezer

The video for Weezer's "Pork and Beans" features YouTube stars Chris Crocker, The Chocolate Rain Guy, The "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" Banana, and the Star Wars kid.

RoyalsLorde

Lorde was 16 years and 11 months old when "Royals" topped the Hot 100. In doing so she became the youngest ever solo artist to write and perform a #1 hit.

Tainted LoveSoft Cell

"Tainted Love" started as a 1964 soul song by Gloria Jones, became a huge hit when Soft Cell covered it in 1981, and was the basis for Rihanna's 2006 #1 "S.O.S. (Rescue Me)."

Editor's Picks

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")Songwriter Interviews

Phil was a songwriter, producer and voice behind many Philadelphia soul classics. When disco hit, he got an interesting project: The Village People.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.