LOS ANGELES, CA- Several years ago, Blurred Culture was able to spend some time with the singer-songwriter, Janet Devlin. We learned then that this young lass had a passion and determination that burned stronger than most. She candidly opened up to us about a handful of serious topics that weighed on her soul, and we could hear that passion in her music.
After a 5 year hiatus, Ms. Devlin is ready to bear a bit more of her soul with her Confessional. The new album, which was delayed for released on June 5th, 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, is a collection of songs that is an intense look into the singer’s heart, as she acknowledges and addresses all of the hardships that she’s had to overcome over the years. Some of those hardships include mental health issues to self-harm, alcohol addiction, and heartbreak … yet while the subject matter of the music may weigh heavy, there’s an underlying hope and optimism through it all. Part of that is naturally imbued through Janet’s crystalline soprano, but it’s also a result of the construction of the songs.
Produced by Jonathan Quarmby (Lewis Capaldi, Benjamin Clementine, Tom Walker), and written in collaboration with a small selection of hand-picked songwriters (Lauren Aquilina, Fiona Bevan, and Paul Statham), Janet and her creative partners not only take advantage of familiar Irish Folk Melodies that she’s grown up with, but they composed bridges swell into anthemic choruses (i.e. “Saint of the Sinners”) that gets the blood pulsing through your veins just a little bit faster. The album is filled with songs like that, like “Away With The Fairies” which not only has that momentum but also exhibit a vulnerable strength.
This new album is a companion piece her 46,000-word autobiography titled “My Confessional” (Omnibus Press). For her loyal fanbase, these releases are surely the stuff of dreams, and an opportunity to connect even more with their songstress.
Janet has said:
“Taking this album, and the book on tour will be the final piece of this massive puzzle. I’m looking forward to bringing my experiences of hope and survival out to the people who may need to hear it and hopefully feel empowered and supported. We need to begin having more conversations, start a debate and look these issues straight in the face. That’s what this whole idea of ‘confession’ has been about: to show people that no matter how dark your life can get, there is always a light to aim for.”
Hopefully, the world will get a handle of this pandemic, and we’ll be able to manifest and share those experiences of hope and survival with her vis a vis a show.
Follow Janet Devlin on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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