David Rist hails from the mighty wilderness of the Westfjords in Iceland, but currently resides in London, where he´s doing a MA in Songwriting at The Institute of Contemporary Music Performances (ICMP). Previously he finished his BA degree from the Iceland University of the Arts. There he focused his studies on songwriting, guided by acclaimed songwriters and composers, Pétur Ben and Sóley.
David is a quiet, compelling performer with lyrically focused songs, taking in experiences and artists that influence him, all from Chet Baker to Ben Howard.
In 2015, David competed in Iceland’s talent competition, Iceland’s Got Talent, where he performed the song Small Bump by Ed Sheeran on guitar. After being asked on stage if he wrote songs himself, he performed an original song on the piano which earned him the Golden Buzzer from Icelandic folk music legend Bubbi Morthens who praised the 19-year olds songwriting abilities, stating “A man that has the ability to write a song like that, fully deserves to go all the way”.
David Rist 