“I go through an identity crisis every day, especially when I look back on stages of my career and even things that I was wearing and the way I presented. “I think identity is a real struggle for queer people anyway,” she explains. However, the speed with which she was pigeon-holed through just one side of her identity became problematic.Īs a ‘queer artist’, she found herself championed in Pride month and on hold for the rest of the year, the pressures of being signed to a major adding to her need for escape. “I was waiting for someone to say, ‘Liv, I dunno if we should do that.’ But everyone was super encouraging and loved it, and I think it’s important to have records out like that,” she says. “Everyone was like, ‘Oh yeah, this girl’s gay.’ I don’t realise but when you look back on those lyrics I’m like, ‘Yeah this is a quintessential gay experience.’”ĭevine still believes in being open and upfront in her music. “When I put ‘Like You Like That’ out, I hadn’t come out as an artist,” she says. Even though she’d never formally introduced herself as a queer artist, she was absorbed into the community with fervour. Alongside critical acclaim from music press and radio, she was accelerated by LGBTQI+ publications as a rising star. Releasing her debut EP Growing Pains in 2017, things exploded for Devine. Songwriting has been my main passion and my voice is just a vehicle for my songwriting.” I love my voice and I think it’s a good instrument but I’ve never been one of those singer singers. “That was me destroyed in terms of wanting to be an artist,” she says. She still remembers a specific conversation she had with her manager at the time where they questioned the strength of her voice but credited her songwriting. They convinced her to start gigging and upload videos to YouTube, and before long, Devine found her first manager.ĭespite the boost that came from building a team, Devine was young and easily discouraged. Thankfully, she had some friends in her corner who offered encouragement and moral support. I didn’t want to do it in front of anyone,” Devine laughs. “I also felt it was pretty embarrassing to play the guitar and write songs when I was a teenager. But when you’re reckoning with your own sexuality on top of everything, the process becomes even more excruciating. He’s like, ‘Pretend you’re on a rollercoaster for this bit!’ Everything was always such an experience with him.”Īdolescence is without doubt an uncomfortable experience and few of us make it through without a couple of scars, whether they’re acne or emotional. “I have memories of him putting on ‘Born Slippy’ and making us put the carseat back. He’d make it such an experience,” she smiles. “I always loved listening to him play records and put stuff on in the car. She credits her dad for imbuing her with a good taste in music. More empowered than I probably was writing the empowering songs.”ĭevine was born and raised in the small town of Monkseaton, close to Whitley Bay. I feel empowered now that I’ve made this record. “I just needed to go away and write some truths. I think I was so tired of that, because that doesn’t really reflect where I’m at all the time,” she explains. “With a label, you’re always looking for a single and it needs to be this universally empowering messaging. One of the benefits is time, another is an avoidance of pep. Having spent several years in a major label release cycle, this time around Devine is doing things on her own terms.
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