- Words Solly Warner
- Photography Jack Alexander
At just 23-years-old, L Devine continues to build upon her star power as a dynamic pop artist in an age that's more digital than ever.
Loaded with attitude, L Devine’s melody-heavy strain of intelligent pop showcases an unashamed young woman with an innate ability to craft instantly relatable sonic tunes. There’s an organic connection between the young artist and her expanding following; the vulnerability of her songwriting is embraced by fans experiencing similar experiences as they transition to adulthood.
With praise from fellow Brits Charli XCX, Dua Lipa and Lewis Capaldi, Geordie singer-songwriter, L Devine, continues to make huge waves since her arrival in 2017. Her singles “Boring People” and “Don’t Say It” were both named as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record before being playlisted at BBC Radio 1 last year.
Following this, L Devine was able to use her youthful innovation in order to pull off one of the most inventive livestream series to date. Her ground-breaking ‘URL Tour’ gathered huge traction online and garnered praise across the board. The tour took the place of her cancelled ‘IRL Tour’ and was structured around five unique shows on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Live, TikTok and YouTube across March last year.
More recently, L Devine has linked up with chart-topping DJ/producer Route 94 on the dance-pop single “Sad Songs”, which swiftly amassed over 3 million streams on Spotify.
We caught up with the rising star to hear all about her musical firsts. Dive in!
First song you ever made?
Me and my childhood best friend formed a band called when we were about 7 years old and I wrote a song called “Safety Pinz Don’t Always Clip On”.
First song you released?
“School Girls” in 2017!
First CD or record you owned?
My dad bought my first CD for me: ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ by Wheatus.
First time you realised you wanted to be a musician?
I got a guitar for Christmas when I was a child. I just felt really cool playing it and became obsessed with the idea of becoming a rock star.
First gig you went to?
My older cousins were in this band called Slap Stanley or something like that. My dad took me along to one of their gigs – I must have been around 6 or 7, I was really young. And it was so rowdy the band started fighting with security on stage. I loved it!!
First festival you went to and the first one you performed at?
First proper festival I went to was T in the Park with my friends. It was very interesting… we woke up to a cup of human shit outside our tent on our first morning, which kind of set the tone for the rest of the weekend!! The first festival I performed at was The Great Escape in Brighton. I played the AMP stage down on the beach – it was my second ever show!
First instrument you owned?
That guitar I got for Christmas!
First time you felt like giving up?
Honestly, I’ll get fleeting moments of ‘what’s the point’ all the time!! It’s so normal and self-doubt is something I’ve been working on a lot this year. But as soon as I’m in the studio, or anywhere making music, or performing on stage, my love and passion for music completely override any doubt in my mind.
First time you felt starstruck?
When I was around 15, me and my friends met Jack Black in an airport on a school trip. That was my first time meeting a big celebrity and considering my life goal as a child was to be in School of Rock, it was a pretty big deal for me!
First time you heard your song playing somewhere?
The first time I heard “Sad Songs” – my track with Route 94 – was a few months ago when I got the train home to Newcastle from London. I got in an Uber at like 12am from the station and the very first song that came on was Sad Songs on Capital!! It was so weird. The Uber driver thought I was mental.
