Singer-songwriter Devon has demonstrated that “getting out there and getting started” pays off. She has garnered success in all corners of her music career, from a highly successful new EP, music placement on major television networks, racking up significant Spotify streams, and playlist placements, and landing singles on an Apple Music editorial playlist and a Tidal editorial playlist.
The NYC based Alt-Pop artist’s music has also had radio airplay, and pre-pandemic, Devon toured 250 cap venues in the Northeast US. She has been performing on various livestreams during quarantine and recently entered partnerships with Sam Ash Music Stores, Digital LA, Indistry.TV and Women That Rock.
Devon describes her music as “beaming with the sun-streaked alt-pop leanings of HAIM, The 1975, and Sara Bareilles.” Her new EP, Sitting Up Straight, has racked up over 188K streams on Spotify, and the singles have been added to over 175 Spotify playlists. Two singles from the EP, “Want to Know” and “Just Begun”, are currently featured on Apple Music’s editorial playlist New In Pop, and “Just Begun” is on Tidal’s editorial playlist, Rising: Pop.
She has had her music licensed by ESPN, NBC, FS1, and recently for the television show, Fight Island, collaborating on the feature track with her brother. Other syncs include the television shows The Road to the Kentucky Derby, and NASCAR’s shows, Trackside, RacerHub, and RaceDay.
Besides typically playing 250 cap venues pre-pandemic, she has played festival gigs which have included WXPN’s Love Fest, Boston Harbor Fest, Boston First Night, 32 NASCAR races, among others. She also had the opportunity to play several weeks on the Vans Warped Tour which she described as “a dream come true”.
I recently interviewed Devon on the success of her new EP, getting music placements, her production process, her one-take music video, overcoming the biggest challenge of her music career, and much, much more.
Congratulations on the success of your new EP, Sitting Up Straight, which so far has racked up over 200K Spotify streams! What did you learn from the experience of getting 200K streams?
Hi! Thanks so much! Getting to share the Sitting Up Straight EP has been such a pleasure, and I’m incredibly grateful to see that the music is resonating with people on streaming platforms. This project overall has been a great lesson for me in learning to be a more experimental songwriter/producer, and the positive reactions to the music so far have really encouraged me to continue exploring the weirder aspects of my sound!
Take me through the strategy for achieving that many streams and getting the singles from the album on 175 Spotify playlists. If you didn’t have a strategy, how were you able to accomplish this?
The strategy for this EP was really just to get it in front of people who might like it. I did a lot of research on where songs by artists who influence me are being streamed, and I reached out to see if I might be able to get my own bops in those places as well. It’s humbling and exciting that so many platforms and curators have accepted my songs and playlisted them alongside some of my favorite tunes!
What makes your song “Just Begun” a stand-out single that is currently featured on Apple Music’s editorial playlist New In Pop and was on Tidal’s editorial playlist Rising: Pop?
Writing this song was very cathartic for me in that it was a way of taking my stream of conscious thoughts and putting them into these lyrics vs keeping them swirling around in my head. I think that the song structure reflects that process and is pretty relatable to anyone who has experienced that mental state of realizing that an ending might be required in order to start a new beginning.
Explain your production process.
I’ve played piano and guitar since I was a little kid, so my songs typically start as stripped back acoustic tunes. From there I start creating a track to express the sentiment of the lyrics and work outwards to figure out how the rest of the song will support the idea. It’s exciting to be able to build more elaborate musical worlds in which my ideas can exist, but I often end up coming back to the acoustic versions of my songs.
I’m actually going to release the piano version of “Careful” later this month because I want to share the original expression of the song and let listeners into my creative process a little more.
Your music has been licensed by ESPN, NBC, FS1, and FOX for television shows such as Fight Island, NASCAR Trackside, The Road to the Kentucky Derby, and more. What is your process for getting your music licensed?
I haven’t found a trick to landing placements yet other than constantly pitching and putting my music out there. The recent Fight Island sync was an exciting milestone for me – and for my brother with whom I collaborated on the featured track! We were approached by executive producer Rory Karpf, who does a lot of work with NASCAR, the NFL, Netflix, and ESPN, among other outlets, about the possibility of writing an original song for the new ESPN+ show Fight Island. We’re huge fans of Rory’s work, and it was such an honor that he thought of us for this awesome spot!
What advice do you have for indie music women artists who want to get their music into television shows?
Networking is probably the best way to get your music in front of the right people for potential opportunities.
Organizations like She Is The Music do a great job of curating networking events and seminars to share info about different areas of the industry and about what types of people you could reach out to for pitches and/or mentorship. PRO’s are also a great place to start when looking for ways to network. I’m a BMI writer, and I love how actively they support their writer community!
How were you able to get your music played on FM mainstream radio stations WBJB in NJ and WRUV in VT and online FM radio stations?
Some of those spins came from friends of friends playing my song for the right person at the right time, and some of them came from cold outreach through platforms like SubmitHub.
Explain the story behind the one-take video for “Want to Know” feat. Genna Hartnett.
“Want to Know” is one of my favorite songs on the new project, and I knew from the moment I recorded it that I wanted to create a fun, dance-centered music video for it! I’m incredibly lucky to have a talented, beautiful, hardworking friend like Genna who was down to collaborate in the middle of a global pandemic. The song is about flirting with the idea of beginning a new relationship, and it’s a really fun bop that’s essentially about joy. I wanted people to feel that energy through the video, and what better way to communicate that feeling than by dancing with friends?!
Before quarantine, you typically played 250 cap venues in the Northeast US. How did you get those opportunities?
A lot of my early gigs were collaborative performances with friends – they would invite me to perform during their sets or we would combine our ticketing numbers and pitch ourselves as a double bill for venues. The music industry is a really tight community, so once you start making friends around town, more performance opportunities start to click more easily. It’s all about getting out there and getting started!
What was it like performing for several weeks on the Vans Warped Tour?
It was a dream come true! I’ve always been a huge fan of Kevin Lyman and his impactful work with Warped Tour – both in the rock scene and in the philanthropic landscape – and it was such a blast being able to be a part of the Warped family. Should we bring it back? Asking for a friend. Actually, asking for ALL my friends.
Explain how you got the livestream partnerships with Sam Ash Music Stores, Digital LA, Women In Rock, and Industry.TV.
I asked nicely 🙂 Reaching out and pitching my own music definitely took a minute to get used to, but great things can happen when you put yourself out there!
Something that I’ve found reassuring throughout all of my promo campaigns is that time and time again, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by opportunities that I didn’t even know existed. This interview is a great example – I reached out cold in the hopes that I might land one of the coveted spots on Indie Music Women’s Spotify playlist for one of my new tunes, and I ended up making a new friend who offered to include me in this awesome interview series (thank you, Linda!).
What has been the biggest challenge of your music career so far and how did you overcome it?
My production style has evolved a lot over the years, and honing in on my sound has been quite the challenge. I feel like I’ve finally found it though, and I got here by listening, learning, and experimenting! I took music production classes – I talked to other musicians about their own artistic processes – I spent a ton of time writing and messing around with different ideas. I also listened to a ton of Counting Crows, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, HAIM, The 1975, My Chemical Romance, and Cautious Clay to get inspired 🙂 I believe that people can do whatever they set their minds to, so my best advice for tackling challenges is to seek out inspiration/instruction and get to work.
What is your favorite microphone or instrument when performing and why?
I typically play guitar on stage, and the one that I play during electric sets is very special to me because it used to belong to Jeff Lee Johnson. He was a legendary guitarist and a legendary man, and I had the honor of including his guitar parts on my first album. His guitar is an awesome influence for my live shows – I love being surrounded by such inspirational equipment while on stage.
In the studio, I’ve been using an AKG Lyra mic, JBL 104 monitors, and AKG K371 headphones. During quarantine, I picked up a Nord Electro 4D that I’ve also been using as a midi controller. And for acoustic performances/studio sessions, I use my Taylor GS Mini that I bought at Sam Ash. I can’t wait to share the new songs I’ve been working on for next year!
What does it mean to you personally to be an indie music woman artist?
My music is all about self-love through inspired self-discovery, and as an indie woman in music, my aim is to empower other young women both as a peer and as a person they can turn to when trying to articulate their own thoughts and feelings.
As an artist, I have the awesome opportunity to share my perspective with a wide audience, and I aim to honor the uniqueness of that situation by using my art to share experiences that have inspired change and growth within me as an individual in the hopes that they might resonate in motivating / challenging ways with others.
How do you think indie women artists can be better supported in the music industry?
Empowered women empowering women is my favorite new “trend”. I think that this culture of lifting each other up has been a tremendous revolution within the industry, and I can’t wait to continue experiencing all of the awesome accomplishments that indie women artists are going to continue achieving together!
What advice do you have for women who want to pursue a career in music?
The entertainment industry is an incredible community of creative and motivated people, and the network of women within the music industry is especially inspiring. Reaching out and connecting with these powerhouse women is a great way to start creating your own space in which to grow your art.
I think my favorite piece of advice that I’ve received is to celebrate the successes of your peers because we’re all on the same team. We’re all on the side of creating and sharing great art, so above all, keep creating art that you love and keep sharing it!
Thank you, Devon, for the opportunity to interview you!
Catch up with Devon here: Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook
Listen to Sitting Up Straight: https://open.spotify.com/album/0H5iRV9jbs0zPnVbtTM6m5?si=62XrrKj_Tp6HrC5zENTZeA
Pre-save “Careful (Piano Version)”: https://ffm.to/careful-piano/
Listen to “We Rise Up”: https://open.spotify.com/track/4JJoTrQWxfJOApDCFxtR75?si=HYmdCGExTrmu498jZBkbZQ
Watch the music video for “Just Begun”
