Interviewed and Written by Mathilde Lacroix (@yeuxdiisent) and Tee Tolmar (@teetolmar)
Back in September, ahead of the release of her new single Sugar Daddy, we had the joy of sitting down with Devon Cole to chat about her career and her upcoming album, Two Shades Blonder. Despite it being a Zoom meeting, her energy was radiant and it was a refreshing conversation about finding your feet in the music industry and remaining true to yourself.
Starting off light and easy with a question about what colour she and her music would be, Devon considers with excitement before settling on aquamarine. Not only does she love its fun and vibrant hues, but the colour reminds Devon of her first EP Party For One, as well as her favourite Disney Princess, the Little Mermaid.
Pivoting to her artistic process, we inquire about her source of inspiration for songs and projects. Other singers would usually start with a melody, a catchy set of lyrics or some piano… But for Devon it all starts with a title — and titles can come from absolutely wherever! This is not a common answer, but she explains that finding a good title makes it easier for her to develop a song and its vibe.
As for the rest of the song, it usually begins with her and a producer; the two of them working hand in hand. They start with the title, of course. Then they put down a track, usually starting with the bass as it’s Devon’s favourite instrument. Figuring out the melodies involves a lot of nonsensical mumbling, and “sometimes words will come out of that and that will help guide the song.” The most important bit, however, is always the chorus. She concludes that no matter how good the verses might be, “if you don’t have a chorus after, then you’ve got nothing.”
She jokingly tells us the 3 ingredients to create a Devon Cole song are “sugar, spice, and zest.” After a bit of deliberation, her more serious recipe is that her songs are “tongue-in-cheek”, usually use the title like a “punchline”, and they have to be “groovy”.
Reflecting on how her background in psychology and experience with anxiety affects her music, Devon explains that she “had to gain a lot of self-confidence in this role,” and now seeing a hypnotherapist is a part of that process. Anxiety has been a hindrance, but she’s trying to focus on gratitude and healing her inner child. It’s natural for any mental health struggles to “ebb and flow” as she says, but Devon grants that she has been much more gracious with herself during this process. She reiterates what we’ve often heard from Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan this past year: “It takes ten years to be an overnight success.”
We discuss the TikTok-famous ‘Hollywood Hair Theory’ and she teases wearing a wig for some of her upcoming content, asking for our take as to what she should try next. Our recommendation is pink, so we’re taking an ounce of credit if the hair theory works in her favour!
After giggling with us over high school hair dye mishaps, we venture into speaking of her time at rehab and its influence on her career. “I really needed that time away,” Devon says with honesty, “I was really grateful for that time to be able to work on myself and meet other people like me who struggle with the same things.” This long road helped her in gaining self-confidence, unpacking why she is the way she is and learning to lead a healthier lifestyle. She still finds it difficult to release very vulnerable songs, preferring to write about things with humour. She’s grateful that being tongue-in-cheek comes quite easy to her, but she acknowledges that it’s an entirely different thing to be able to “bury your heart and soul in a song.” That’s something she’s “still working on and through”. Whilst she does find making vulnerable music exposing, we can look forward to an intimate autobiographical song from her towards the end of the year.
Her advice for young creatives and herself alike is first to stop comparing yourself. Everybody is on their own journey and it’s okay that it’s not linear. Devon tells us that she “used to feel absolutely sick” watching award shows like the VMAs, being hard on herself for not yet being at that point in her career. Now she tries to work everyday while having fun and just enjoy writing new things. “If it’s not fun, if you’re not enjoying yourself… then it will show. And then it’s also like, what’s the point?” Finding enjoyment in one’s work is the most important part, she says repeatedly. There’s a reason we say that artists play music.
Her next piece of advice is to keep the ageism voices out of it. She’s twenty-six now and she’s starting to feel the pressure that if she doesn’t make it by thirty, she’s never going to make it — but she also acknowledges the inherent fallacy (and rudeness) of that concept. So many of the artists she admires started their careers and rose to fame in the older years.
Lastly, she advises against being afraid to release or do something depending on what other people might think. “Remove that pressure. Give yourself that freedom to play and say ‘F it’. That’s been my mantra this year: ‘F it’… Let’s just have fun before we all die.”
When reflecting on a time she maybe had lost that sense of fun and play, and had to remind herself to find it again, she starts candidly, “I had the most fun before I got signed.” Whilst she is undoubtedly grateful to have been signed, she describes that it really changed her process. Suddenly there were “a lot of cooks in the kitchen” and it made her doubt her own intuition. She comments multiple times that this was her own doing, and she finds peace in it being a common thing for newly signed artists. This year she’s been working toward taking the reins back and calling the shots more – which the label supports and wants! She laughs that she wants to move away from the “beige and lifeless” vibe of a few previous singles, and teases that there will be more aquamarine coming up now that she’s back to steering the ship.
Having released her first songs during the beginning of the pandemic, in the fall of 2020, she appreciates that time for what it offered her and her musical direction. It “forced [her] to be online” and opened her to social media as a tool to promote her songs. She also appreciated being able to take that time for herself, using her mum’s basement in Alberta as an incubator for creating.
Lately, she has been trying to honour her “inner songbird” and get back to making music that she wants to listen to on the drive home, that gives her goosebumps. She concludes that she truly loves the music she is releasing this year. Devon’s new funky song Sugar Daddy is an empowering single about making your own money and being your own support. It came from not being taken seriously, especially by her family. “It’s an anthem about owning your happiness, and stating that nobody can take it away from you. Nobody is going to stand in the way of me living my most authentic life, and being the most iconic bitch that I am.” She is brimming with excitement about this recent release, and teases that she’s even more excited for some of her other upcoming songs.
Having spoken about returning to the joy and centering herself in the music, it was really cool to see her so excited about releasing this and sharing it with people. We told her as much and she agreed. “I’m really stepping into that power this year. Getting back to why I even started doing this – which is because it’s fun! I want people to be loving songs that I also love. And bottom line, I love these songs that I’m releasing this year.”
When asked about the 3 albums she wish she created, she gushes about Lily Allen’s Alright, Still; Remi Wolf’s Juno; and Shania Twain’s – Come On Over. Clearly excited to talk about artists she admires, we probe a bit further about who she would like to collaborate with or open for, referencing her series of short videos “if I had a verse on…” Devon beams at this question. She picks Anne-Marie as her dream collaboration, praising her vocals and talent. She says she would love to open for John Mayer even if “he’s a bad boy for sure,” and names Remi Wolf as a “raw talent” who she would love to work alongside.
Before we say goodbye, we ask Devon for a song recommendation for Karma!’s audience. Of her own songs, Devon recommends Dickhead. “It’s my best,” she says with affirmation. As for a song from another artist, she recommends Passive Aggressive by Charlotte Cardin, saying the song “literally changed my life.”
Devon Cole’s new album Two Shades Blonder is out on the 25th of October and her excitement about this upcoming project is beyond infectious! We can’t wait to listen!
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