Devendra Banhart (born May 30, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Texas and grew up in Venezuela, until he returned to California as a teenager. He began to study at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1998, but dropped out to perform music in Europe, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Banhart released his debut album in 2002 and recorded solo albums for Young God Records and XL Recordings, and worked on compilations and collaborations.