David Gabriel Antunes is a Portuguese singer, songwriter, composer, and pianist who built one of the most recognisable careers in Portugal’s mainstream pop scene. Born on March 12, 1980, in the Verdelho parish near Santarém, his path stretches from busking in the London Underground as a child to leading a resident band on national television and hosting one of Portugal’s most-loved music podcasts.
Biography
David grew up in a musical household. His father, José Gabriel, was a musician, as was his grandfather before him, so music wasn’t just a hobby in the Antunes home. It was the family language. David started playing alongside his father at just six years old, and José Gabriel would even film homemade music video clips of their performances together.
In 1990, when David was ten, the whole family packed up and emigrated to London “with nothing.” José Gabriel busked with an accordion in the London Underground to support the family, while David and his brother Valter eventually joined him playing in the metro. His mother, Fátima, kept the family grounded, passing on José Gabriel’s guiding philosophy: “If it happened, it’s because it had to happen.”
The family lived in what David has described as one of the worst neighbourhoods in the world, but even that environment couldn’t stop him from pursuing music seriously. He and Valter both enrolled at The BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon, the same institution that produced Adele, Amy Winehouse, and Jessie J. David studied music there and graduated around 1998.
His departure from London was anything but planned. His father suffered a severe anxiety attack and returned to Portugal with Fátima and youngest brother André. Then, on David’s birthday in approximately 2000, a confrontation with the son of a local gang leader turned violent. Gunshots were fired, the brothers barricaded themselves inside their home, and police evacuated them with a stark warning: they could never safely return. David and Valter left London immediately, abandoning everything including their guitars. He was around 20 years old.
Career
After working the Portuguese music circuit for years, David’s national breakthrough came in 2009 when he was invited to join RTP’s late-night talk show 5 para a Meia-Noite, hosted by Pedro Fernandes. He formed David Antunes & The Midnight Band, featuring brothers André and Valter alongside several other musicians, and the group debuted as the show’s resident band in January 2010. They stayed for six years, becoming as much a part of the show as the host himself.
The band’s viral moment arrived in late 2011 with a parody of Michel Teló’s “Ai se eu te pego,” racking up over 322,000 YouTube views in just three days, partly because David’s grandmother appeared in the video. That kind of warm, family-centred humour became something of his signature.
By 2014, he was scoring serious chart success with original music. His collaborations with singer Vanessa Silva produced back-to-back number one hits on iTunes Portugal: “Não te quero mais” and “És o meu final feliz.” A third single, “Não vai acontecer,” also reached number one in 2015.
When Pedro Fernandes left 5 para a Meia-Noite at the end of 2015, David moved over to RTP1’s daytime show Agora Nós, joining as resident band from February 2016. Later that year, he entered TVI’s celebrity impersonation competition A Tua Cara Não Me É Estranha, impersonating Bon Jovi, Shaggy, and Tina Turner across multiple winning rounds. He took home the grand final title on January 21, 2017, performing Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful.”
Discography
David’s approach to releasing music has always been singles-driven rather than album-heavy. His only studio album, Casa de Partida, came out in 2017. His most notable releases include “Não te quero mais” (2014), “Não vai acontecer” (2015), “Sinto Falta” (2018), which featured in the TVI telenovela A Herdeira, and “Vai Ficar Tudo Bem” (2020), a pandemic-era song created with veteran artists Toy and Carlos Alberto Moniz using videos submitted by 200 families. More recent singles include “Não Mandem Bocas” (2023) and “Tu Não Prendas O Camelo” (December 2024).
The Podcast
Perhaps his most significant project in recent years is Canta-me Uma História, a music podcast he launched during the pandemic around late 2020. Every Wednesday at 22:00, David goes live on YouTube for an unscripted, improvised session that typically runs two to three hours, sometimes stretching to five. It regularly pulls around 1,500 concurrent viewers, and his community has affectionately dubbed him the “Júlio Isidro do Verdelho” as a nod to the legendary Portuguese TV host.
By October 2025, the podcast had surpassed 175 episodes and celebrated its fifth anniversary with a sold-out live show at CNEMA in Santarém. It also airs on Spotify and has its own website at cantameumahistoria.pt.
Live Performances
David keeps a punishing concert schedule throughout Portugal, playing municipal festivals, feiras, and celebrations year-round. In 2024 alone, he played approximately 60 concerts across cities from Viseu to Loulé. For 2025, over 50 confirmed dates are spread across locations including Guimarães, Castelo Branco, and Caldas da Rainha. He performs in solo, duo, or full band configurations depending on the venue.
Personal Life
David is married to Susana Reis, and the couple has two daughters, Luciana and Cristiana. The family lives in the Santarém area, close to the Ribatejo roots that have shaped his personality and artistic identity. People who know him describe him as energetic, humorous, and deeply grounded, with family sitting at the centre of everything he does.
He keeps a strong presence on social media. His Instagram (@davidantunesmusic) has around 190,000 followers, while his TikTok (@davidantunesmusic) has grown to over 149,000 followers with 1.4 million likes. His YouTube channel, which is the main home for Canta-me Uma História, holds nearly 55.6 million cumulative views with weekly viewership exceeding 600,000. On Spotify, he maintains around 23,600 monthly listeners, with “Sinto Falta” and “És o Meu Final Feliz” among his most-streamed tracks.
Net Worth
David Antunes’s estimated net worth falls between $100,000 and $300,000, though given his packed touring schedule, podcast growth, and continued television presence, the real figure could reasonably sit at the higher end or beyond. His income comes from live performances, which at 50 to 60 shows annually represent his most consistent revenue stream, alongside streaming royalties, television residuals, and whatever the podcast generates through its growing audience and live tapings.
