Portrait of Dev Hynes

Birthday profile

Dev Hynes

Dev Hynes (also known as Blood Orange and formerly Lightspeed Champion), English singer, songwriter, producer, and composer

Born
December 23, 1985
Age in 2026
41
Zodiac sign
Capricorn
Birth year
1985

About Dev Hynes

Devonté Hynes (born David Joseph Michael Hynes, 23 December 1985), also known as Blood Orange and formerly Lightspeed Champion, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, composer and director based in New York City. From 2004 to 2006, Hynes was a member of the band Test Icicles, playing guitar, synth, and occasionally performing vocals. They released one full-length album in 2005. Hynes went on to release two solo studio albums as Lightspeed Champion, and subsequently five more as Blood Orange, between 2008 and 2025. He has written, played or produced for and with artists such as Tinashe, Solange Knowles, Connan Mockasin, Tei Shi, Sky Ferreira, FKA Twigs, Britney Spears, Haim, Caroline Polachek, Florence and the Machine, Carly Rae Jepsen, the Chemical Brothers, Kylie Minogue, Lorde, A$AP Rocky, Mac Miller, Blondie, Jazmine Sullivan, Sugababes, Turnstile, Mariah Carey, and Daniel Caesar. == Early life == Dev Hynes was born in Ilford, in the Redbridge Borough of East London, to a Guyanese mother and a Sierra Leone Creole father. He was educated at the Chadwell Heath Foundation School, now known as Chadwell Heath Academy. From their formation in 2004 until their break-up in 2006, Hynes was a member of the dance-punk band Test Icicles, playing guitar, synth, and occasionally performing vocals. They released one full-length album, For Screening Purposes Only, in 2005. Hynes relocated to New York City in 2007 where he resides.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Dev Hynes timeline

  1. From 2004 to 2006, Hynes was a member of the band Test Icicles, playing guitar, synth, and occasionally performing vocals.
  2. They released one full-length album in 2005.

The world when Dev Hynes was born

Dev Hynes was born in 1985. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1985

  • #1 song"We Are the World" – USA for Africa
  • Top movieOut of Africa
  • Top TV showThe Cosby Show
  • Best-selling bookThe Handmaid's Tale – Margaret Atwood

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMichael Jordan named NBA Rookie of the Year
  • Top headlineLive Aid concert raises awareness for African famine
  • Technology milestoneNintendo NES released in the US
  • Defining fadNintendo NES
  • Notable inventionNintendo Entertainment System (NES) launches in US
  • World population4.85 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRonald Reagan
  • Sports championKansas City Royals (World Series)
  • Also wonLos Angeles Lakers (NBA)
  • U.S. population237.9M

1985 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Dev Hynes's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19852026
Gas$1.12$3.45/gal
Average home$75,500$435,000
Average income$27,735$67,500
Minimum wage$3.35$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$3.55$11.95
Postage stamp$0.22$0.73
Population237.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.