(Photo Credit: Miles Carey-Snow)
Hot off the soaring praise for his EP, “You & Me, That’s Enough,” the Berklee College of Music graduate has experienced a steady rise. Since his debut in 2018, he’s won Hollywood Music in Media’s “Best New Emerging Artist” award, has amassed over 1.6 million digital streams and sold out his debut headline show at LA’s famous Peppermint Club. His addictive pop style has been featured on Apple’s “Today At Apple” and “Date Night” playlists as well as BMI’s “Music Monday” playlist, not to mention various placements on MTV & XBox. His newest single “Happy Yet” is just another step on his road to stardom.
On “Happy Yet,” Devin Kennedy explores internet culture and the effect it has on our psyche. The booming, rhythmic pop single is sizzling with tasteful melodies that immediately hook you. His silky, smooth baritone washes over the bumping arrangement as he reflects on all the things he doesn’t have, and the ache that radiates with that little bit of hope we all hold on to, “I look at all these things, and I’m not happy yet / where do I buy happiness?…” he sings, tapping into the way so much of society bases their self worth on what they have and what they need, rather than who they are. The catchy pop single is more than just a good melody with memorable words — it’s a reminder that there’s more to life than chasing what everyone else has. Check out Devin Kennedy’s new single, “Happy Yet,” out now.
Photo Credit: Miles Carey-Snow
Hi Devin, Welcome back to OLC! You’ve almost become a part of the OLC! family. Tell me what have you been up to since we last spoke?
– Hey! Thanks for having me, great to be back! Since we last spoke I’ve been in writing mode. After I released my EP in October and came off tour I went straight back into the studio to work on releases for 2020.
You’ve just finished all the tours and promo work for your previous EP, “You & Me, That’s Enough”, how did that go and what was your most memorable moment from it?
– It was amazing. Putting out my first real EP and promoting it was a new and exciting experience. It allowed me to make more of a statement than I would be able to do with just releasing a single. It also allowed me to push the promotion a bit further and get out on the road to play some release shows. It was especially exciting to be in New York City right after the release and play to some new fans out there. Can’t wait to get back to the East Coast as soon as possible.
How many cities did you end up visiting? And have you got any crazed fan stories for us lol?
– We were celebrating the release in NYC, LA & Connecticut primarily…and no crazy fan stories yet….though it was amazing to meet some of the east coast fans when I was out there promoting.
So lets talk about the new single “Happy Yet”, what inspired this single and who helped you create it?
– I wrote ‘Happy Yet’ with two amazing LA based writers, Lukas Costas & Rebecca Perl. Lukas and I co-produced the song as well. We wrote it in our first session together and we knew it was really special the day we finished it. We wrote it about how internet culture effects my life. Over the last few years I’ve allowed social media to dictate my decisions, my personal life…everything. I’m constantly comparing myself to other peoples “online success” and it hurts me over and over again.
Obviously now days more then ever Social Media plays a massive part in our lives, how do you handle those sort of pressures and situations?
– It does, and It’s been a really hard thing to adjust to for me…especially growing up with access to social media, and having so many things change in my life…friend groups, career paths, relationships…etc. What’s kept me on track is reminding myself that people tend to only post the positives of their lives online…so it’s completely unfair to compare yourself to only the good things happening to people around you. I do my best to detach from results, streams, numbers and try to stay as true as I can to my art.
I mean do you have to be mindful of what you post?
– Completely. It never ends for me. Now more than ever I try to be honest and just post what I want to post, whether it’s funny or sad or whatever….but a lot of the time I find myself scaling back what I want to say, or changing/deleting it because I get freaked out about the statements I’m making….or not making. To have a platform (big or small…) to publicize my opinions/thoughts is new to me.…and I’m so thankful for it…but every day is a learning experience.
Have you got any ideas for an accompanying video for the single yet?
– Yes! The video is ready to go and will be announced soon. It’s my favorite video I’ve ever done. It’s visual, exciting, colorful and I can’t wait to drop it.
Is there another EP in the works and is there any thing you can tell us about it?
– The current plan is to drop lot’s and lot’s of music this year. The plan is singles, but who knows how I’ll feel later in the year.
Any new shows planned to help promote the single, and if so where can people catch you?
– Yes! I have some dates announcing very soon. LA to start and then out from there! Stay tuned.
Thanks for stopping by once again Devin, it’s been a pleasure, but before we go is there anything you’d love to say to your fans out there?
– Thank you Thank you Thank you, I’m so excited to drop more music in 2020 & I can’t wait for you to jam out to “Happy Yet”.
neillfrazer@hotmail.com
