Next Wave #936: L Devine

In Association With Tommy Hilfiger

“I think pop music in itself is kind of punk anyway, good pop music is always reinventing itself and pushing boundaries” chimes young pop sensation L Devine. The Whitley Bay native is explaining her vision for her music, and after growing up playing in a punk band to now being labelled as the next big thing in the pop world, it appears the two worlds aren’t so far apart. “I don’t wanna have to stick to a genre, and have a sound that I have to always abide by,” she offers “that’s what led me to pop music, cos you can do whatever the fuck you want”.

Doing whatever she wants is something Devine takes into the studio too, often helping play instruments including the guitar, drums and bass. “There’s no point going into the studio and just sitting in the corner not doing anything” she laughs “I may not be the best at every instrument but I just want to get stuck in and do it, I wanna always be pushing myself”.

Songwriting is initially what the coastal born singer was struck with. Often penning her songs several times around the same title before settling on the best version. “Sometimes I’ve had ideas written down for months and months, sometimes I’ll have a title and I’ll write a song using the same title four or five times before I nail it” she confesses.

After selling her car for the equivalent of four moths rent, Devine headed down to London to pursue her dreams of being a songwriter, the move provided a cultural difference which came as a shock at first. “Coming from a place where my family lived on the same three streets next to each other and I was with my family every day” she explains “then I moved to London and it was so fast paced and huge, I grew up quickly in the first couple of months I was down there”.

The move to London did however inspire her latest jam, 'Naked Alone', which is a upbeat funky piece of pop that describes the woes of not having somebody close. “I was so lonely when I moved to London, so I was like ‘how do I make light of this in a song’, so I just flipped it on it’d head and here we are!” 

What: Playfully outspoken pop
Where: Whitley Bay
Get 3 Songs: ‘Naked Alone’, ‘Peer Pressure’, ‘Daughter’

Fact: Originally performing under her real name Olivia Devine, she changed it after learning that a famous porn star was using it. 

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Words: Mike Wood
Photography: Sophie Mayanne
Fashion: Zarina Shukri

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