After an unexpected lung collapse, artist Devon Baldwin has reentered the scene, this time stronger than before. With new music and fierce determination, she is ready to show the world just who she really is.
BTS: How has your childhood played a role in your music?
Baldwin: My mom was a music producer in the music industry during the 80s and early 90s. My Dad’s a musician as well – he was also my high school English teacher. He taught me poetry, so I guess when you combine the music with the poetry it’s like, here’s a little baby songwriter.
BTS: What was the process like for your single “Forgot to Miss You”?
Baldwin: “Forgot to Miss You” will be on my upcoming album. Like most of my songs, it came out as a ballad. It’s about a break up and the in between of feeling broken up over it and actually being over it. One day you miss them, then you forget to. I think that’s a weird human condition we have – we don’t notice when things get better, we just notice when the negativity is gone.
BTS: What can we expect from your upcoming debut album?
Baldwin: Songs to get high and cry to – that’s pretty much the theme. There’s a lot of quarantine content on there. Originally, we were gearing up for the release before COVID hit. The silver lining was that I had more time to focus on it. It goes through the ups and downs of being alone. I’ll be releasing it in Spring 2022!
BTS: What is your writing process like?
Baldwin: I like to turn to imagery from high school when I write – there’s a lot of nostalgia there. It’s really beautiful here by the Bay Area. We’d get stoned, drive to the ocean, then drive to In-N-Out to eat. Whenever I get stuck, I just return to those images. High school seemed like a magical time for some reason.
BTS: How has your lung collapsing impacted your life/ music?
Baldwin: So, I just wrote a single for G Eazy titled “Let’s Get Lost”. I was sitting on the couch and I’m super flexible, so I guess I moved in a weird way and my lung legit just ripped open. I spent that Christmas in the hospital. It kind of forced a pause button for me – I wasn’t allowed to sing for 6 months. Instead of singing melodies, I focused on writing lyrics.
BTS: What is your favorite part about being an artist?
Baldwin: The most rewarding part is the meet and greets – people will tell me my music saved them during a hard time. Also, when people dm me on Instagram they’ll apologize for the long message, but it’s messages like that that make my world go round. My own therapy is creating songs and when I hear it helps others, too, it makes it all worth it.
BTS: Can we expect more shows from you? Tour dates?
Baldwin: Tour was really fun! It felt so good to be back on stage. I was gone for so long, I almost got scared of performing. I had butterflies I hadn’t felt in a while. But then, 20 mins into the first show, I’m like “Oh yeah, this is home”. I plan to tour again Spring 2022, covering more of the East Coast.
BTS: What are you most excited for in the future?
Baldwin: I’m definitely excited to get a new batch of songs out. Sometimes it feels like I haven’t done anything because I haven’t actually released the body of work yet. And, I’m really excited to get back on tour. The audience feels like my friends, and I miss them.
BTS: What final message do you want to send fans and listeners?
Baldwin: I guess I want to say that a lot of us are feeling hopeless and anxious about the state of the world and I want people to know I’m right there with you. Nothing is perfect. Sometimes it’s hard to look at social media and see people thriving but I don’t think anyone truly is. I just wanna say, “Hi! I’m not thriving and I feel y’all”.
Devon Baldwin’s kind soul and heartfelt songs will leave you wanting more – we can’t wait for more Bay Area journeys with her.
Follow Devon Baldwin on Instagram now!
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