UK alt-pop artist and producer, Devon, just released “ONCE UPON A LINE,” his first single off of his upcoming second project. Accompanied by a Tim Burton-style music video, the song takes on a vintage feel with a youthful, fresh lyrical perspective. We got to talk to him about his new project as well as what’s in the future for him.
BTS: What or who got you into music?
Devon: My parents told me I’ve always sung since I was in the pram. Very weird. As I got a little older (age of 4 or 5), I would call family members in the village to come over to the house where I would put on performances for them. That consisted of me dressing up as Elvis and miming along to a CD with a plastic guitar. I guess I always loved music and was already a super artsy, creative kid. I used to love to draw all the time. My first actual foray into music was when I took an old nylon acoustic guitar into school to get tuned by my teacher (I knew he played guitar) and he taught me some chords. Then I was hooked. Started a little school band etc. That was it for me. It was the culmination of things rather than something specific, but I feel it was bound to happen.
BTS: What inspired you to write “ONCE UPON A LINE”?
Devon: The need to be more than what I am and where I’m from. I wrote it at a point in my life where I was really feeling isolated and like the life I desired was so far out of reach because of the area I live in. (I live in southwest UK, Gloucestershire, in a place called the Forest of Dean) Anyone that’s from the sticks, a small town, will tell you how hard it can sometimes be living here when it comes to having dreams that might stretch a little outside of the comfort zone of the borders of the district. This song was born from that desperate need to be somewhere else, achieving all that I’ve wanted to. I take on a bit of an alter ego persona of someone that has had everything they ever wanted. Often those cliche stories of people getting everything they ever wanted usually end up getting quite dark. This song was somewhat a study of “would I let it get to that if it meant I’d be out of my current isolated life?” I’m sure anyone that’s ever felt isolated from opportunity or just closed off from what feels like the exciting side of life has felt like this at some point.
BTS: What was the process of creating it?
Devon: So I usually have this rule when creating songs: if it doesn’t sound good on an acoustic guitar or piano on its own, then it’s not a good song. And usually, when a song starts with production, it rarely turns into a good song as I go down the rabbit hole of making it sound cool before I’ve made the actual song. That being said, this song starts with production. Hah. It’s one of those rare occasions where the drums felt so different and captivating that I was already super excited. Then I played the piano chords and wrote the top line. To my surprise, it felt right. It wasn’t too much. It wasn’t too overproduced. And I think at the time, the subject matter was weighing on my mind too, so it was an instance of the stars coming together there. However, it wasn’t a quick song. It still took a couple of days to get it right and finish it up. I was very excited and it felt fresh to me. I couldn’t think of anything it sounded like and I didn’t make it with references in mind.
BTS: How does this new song compare to the songs on SOMEWHERE IN NOWHERELAND?
Devon: It feels more mature, more considered and production-wise, feels more intentionally minimal. Using only what’s really needed. My previous mixtape was written long before it was released, so I felt my abilities as a songwriter and producer grew so much in that time. I learned a huge amount just in the final stages of prepping for mixing, which made me apply that all to the second load of songs I had. I think it’s somewhat of a curse of learning to produce. When you’re young, you add everything into a song you think sounds so cool and eventually, it ends up taking away from the actual song. Then over time, you learn less is more and with the knowledge, you collect you write/produce with that mind frame. I also think with my old tape there were a few tunes where I had a vision for them but I didn’t necessarily have the skills of knowing how to realize that vision sonically. I tried my best at achieving that and I guess that’s what has given those songs character. I think with this song I know how to achieve the sounds I wanted. That being said I still have so much to learn and I operate on pure instinct when I’m writing. I have no clue what the chords are, or what it is I’m doing to a synth to get a sound. I work by a kind of “if I do this, it sounds like this, so remember what I did in case I want to do that to anything else” method.
BTS: Why do you make music?
Devon: It’s what I’m good at. I have always created since I was a child. The feeling of turning nothing into something has always given me the biggest buzz. Bigger than any performance etc. It’s a kind of therapy for me when life is getting crazy or if I’m just bored. I just vanish into a flow state and it helps take me out of the world for a couple of hours. I guess I also love the idea of being great at something that gives me so much confidence. I have had other loves in my life, like sports but I’ve never been good at them. All the while music/arts was always there screaming at me, “do what you’re good at.” When I realized that, I went full hog into it. If I’m going to do something, I want to be the best version of myself in that field I can be. I think as I’ve progressed those goals have gotten bigger. The fear of failure is a huge driving force being me which is probably unhealthy but I never let it affect the process of making the art and that experience. That will always be a child-like innocent experience for me.
BTS: Are there any artists that you take inspiration from?
Devon: I think a lot of my inspiration is subconscious from my childhood. When I was a kid I used to drive to school with Dido on repeat in my mum’s car. Then in my dad’s car, it would be this one Lighthouse Family album and Newton Falwkner album. As well as that anything that was on radio 1 in the early 2000s so stuff like The Killers and Paramore have been huge influences on me. Nowadays, I’m a big fan of Damon Albarn and Beck.
BTS: If you could collaborate with any artist who would it be?
Devon: Little Simz.
BTS: You are a self-taught producer. How did you learn the ropes of production?
Devon: I just wrote and recorded terrible-sounding songs for years until I figured out what sounded good. Started on the free Audacity software, then moved to GarageBand which then progressed to Logic. Over the years, a few close friends that also were in music would give me little tips if I was ever super stuck. However, there’s no better way to learn than to just do for me. I sometimes even struggle to pay attention to YouTube videos trying to teach me things. I just have to do it enough to learn and get things wrong enough.
BTS: How do you think mental health came into play when writing this song?
Devon: Being from a small town there’s not a lot to do other than make music and spend way too much time in your own head. I’m a huge over-thinker. Mental health was not something that even crossed my radar until I was probably about 20 or 21 when I made the connection between my random moments of feeling super faint and sick. I remember coming home on the bus after just being offered my first record deal and being curled up on the seat feeling like I was going to thunder everywhere but I was like “why am I feeling like this this should be the best day ever?” That’s when I clocked that all those times I’ve ever felt like that, I was having a panic attack! From then on I started noticing the signs more when I would get myself into these holes etc. This all helps me put it into perspective and allow me to write about. This song came from one of many things my brain likes overthink about
BTS: What’s your creative process when writing?
Devon: I show up and just play chords and sing random stuff until a cool phrase comes and then I will try to make that fit how i’m feeling. There will be times when I make an inspiring loop of sounds/drums etc. and that inspires some melody out of me. Other times I have a notes app with loads of cool song titles I intend to change into songs. Sometimes if I’m struggling with a subject matter. Those are enough to like the fuse for a song. I always try to complete a song to its full produced rough mixed state when I know I have something good. There will be many songs that just never make it to the finish line because if it’s not the best song in the world to me at the time then it’s not worth finishing.
BTS: What’s your favorite part about making music?
Devon: Turning nothing into something. That feeling of making something you think it’s amazing that can stand along with what you listen to in your own time. Being able to have a vision then execute exactly what’s in your brain into reality. For a long time I could never get what I had in my head into reality but after a long time it started to happen. I know that I still have so much more to learn that will allow me to do this even better someday but for now the feeling of being able to do that to some extent well. Is a huge buzz for me.
BTS: What is your favorite genre? What aspects of that genre captivate you?
Devon: I really don’t have a favourite genre. I guess I come from an alternative background though so if I had to pick one it would be that Alt/indie area. I’ve always loved the bands and artists that wrote with such amazing melodies that could sound amazing on piano. However I love the energy of that kind of music and the energy at the live shows. I always kept that in mind when making my own music. I wanted something that would translate to a live show and have the best of both worlds. That melody and substance you can sing the bus home from school or in a mosh pit at a sweaty live show. Think artists like Twenty One Pilots, The Killers, and Paramore do that amazingly.
BTS: Do you have any plans to go on tour? Do you enjoy performing live?
Devon: Yes. Towards the end of the year I shall be doing another headline run. In between then and now, I hope to do as much gigging as possible so I will see what gets offered. I love playing live. My first show was when I was 14 years old and I performed before I started writing my own music. So live shows have always been that catalyst that got me into music. I’m very happy I’m not one of those artists that has blown up online and never done a show. I have put in the groundwork on the live circuit over the years and am very confident on the stage. It’s very fun for me. I have to be honest and say I would feel completely comfortable playing any sized show. I don’t feel unprepared for those bigger shows ever because I’ve learned how to become comfortable with that environment over the years. I think that’s something that many artists don’t feel these days. I always envisioned it. It’s been all I’ve ever wanted for many years. Playing bigger shows and festivals. So hopefully, it happens. If not, this will be embarrassing.
BTS: What do you hope listeners take away from your music?
Devon: If you have ever felt isolated, in any aspect, in your head, in work, in life or felt outside the circle, I hope you can take some solace in the fact that I have felt those things. I hope you realize that so many people out there feel like they are cut off from the rest of the world. Like they have to fit into some box of what’s “normal” around them. I like to think that the people that listen to my music it’s an escape or a little bit.
BTS: What can we expect from you in the future?
Devon: Another big project towards the end of the year, which I can’t delve into just yet. Lots more live shows. Repping my corner of the West Country UK in this music industry along with a couple of other amazing artists from here and hopefully inspiring young artists from my area that it’s possible to do this and make a mark on the music industry from here.
Check out Devon on Spotify!
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