Born in Houston, TX, May 30, 1981, singer-songwriter and guitarist Devendra Banhart is the leader of the New Folk movement, which is also referred to as Freak Folk, Psych Folk, or Naturalismo. He grew up in Caracas, Venezuela and Los Angeles, California, and then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute. After a period of busking, he was signed to Young God Records, who issued his first album in 1992. That label then issued one EP in 2003 and two LPs in 2004 before Banhart signed to the larger XL label for his 2005 album. A new album is expected in 2007.
While attending San Francisco Art Institute, Devendra Banhart began recording songs on borrowed four-track cassette recorders. At the encouragement of his peers and SFAI professor Bill Berskon, Banhart sent them out as demos. Shortly after, he traveled to Europe and performed as a street busker. Young God label head Michael Gira (Swans, Angels Of Light) discovered Banhart and signed him, issuing his first album, Oh Me Oh My..., in 2002, with the demo-quality material Banhart had previously recorded. This DIY quality charmed critics and early listeners. His 2003 EP, Black Babies, followed in 2003.
In 2004, Devendra Banhart assembled the New Folk compilation, The Golden Apples of the Sun, which featured many other prominent figures, such as Joanna Newsom, Iron & Wine, Six Organs of Admittance, CocoRosie, and Vetiver. This album solidified the genre, was touted by critics, and introduced many new listeners to Banhart and his cohorts. That same year, Devendra released two new LPs, Rejoicing In The Hands in April and Niño Rojo in September. Produced by Gira and backed by guest musicians, the recordings were more accessible, winning Banhart new fans to his surreal, winding folk songs.
In order to reach broader markets, Devendra Banhart signed to XL Records in 2005 and released his fourth full-length, Cripple Crow. With higher production values and a greater breadth of songwriting, Banhart received more critical praise. Earlier that year, he released a split LP with Jana Hunter's songs on Troubleman Unlimited. Devendra Banhart didn't release any new music in 2006, but he did offer a new genre name for his music: Naturalismo. Citing displeasure with the oft-used term Freak Folk, Banhart coined this new term to express his and his cohort's concerns with nature.