With the sugary synth sounds of her debut single “School Girls” racking up over 320k streams on Spotify already, 19 year old L Devine is ready to become your new favorite pop star.
“School Girls” is an honest insight into the ‘real world’ from L Devine, where she declares that the world is no different to the shittiness of school. It’s not really the kind of thing you’ve heard before, which is what makes “School Girls” such an apt choice for a debut single.
There’s definitely potential for L to reach the same heights Charli XCX and Dua Lipa have, so hopefully the girl has a strong, focused and dedicated team behind her!
Explain your debut single, “School Girls.” “Welcome to the real world, everybody’s still a school girl” you sing during the chorus – what is the meaning behind this?
I wrote “School Girls” when I left school in Newcastle, about coming into the ‘real world’ and realizing the clique-y bitch mentality that I thought I’d left behind at school still existed.
How did you come up with the bright and smooth R&B sound of “School Girls”?
I wrote the song on my guitar and demoed it with minimal production, knowing the vibe I was after. I reached out to New York-based producer Mickey Valen on Soundcloud and he flew over to London to work with me, which was pretty exciting. I played him the demo, he loved it, and ended up producing the single.
Will there be fun, high school themed visuals for “School Girls” coming any time soon?
Not quite… but it will be fun!
What was it about school that you weren’t enthusiastic about?
I actually loved school. However, it’s hard to be yourself at school as school’s all about fitting in. I guess that’s the side of school I was looking forward to leaving behind.
What message do you have for young girls who are currently having a tough time at school?
It doesn’t last forever! Stay true to yourself. You may not be seen as cool, but you are.
Do you think school, or studying in general, is the right path for every young person?
I think everyone should go to school, definitely. Education is important. But I don’t think exams and tests and stress are for everyone.
Sounds like you have quite a ballsy work ethic. Could you talk more about your work ethic, and where you got it from?
I love music so it doesn’t really feel like work. I’m happiest in a studio every day. With maybe a day off every now and then to see my friends… preferably in the sun! I only have a work ethic when it comes to music… I can’t concentrate long enough on anything else.
Do you have any fave non-English language musicians?
Well, everyone loves “Despacito”… so I guess Luis Fonsi!? I love Scandi-pop, although a lot of that is in English. I’m always up for hearing recommendations if you’ve got any.
Which female musicians are you really obsessed with at the moment?
Julia Michaels is my number one obsession right now. Robyn and Tove Lo are two of my biggest influences. I’m loving Dua Lipa and Stefflon Don at the minute too.
What representations of women in the music industry do you want to change?
I think everyone should do whatever they want to do and what works for them. I’d love to work with more female songwriters and producers and see more female artists in music festival line-up… and just more women in the industry in general!
Where do you hope to go from here?
I hear Tokyo’s great! Seriously, I just want to get more songs out there and see more of the world.
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