To say that Janet Devlin has grown in the six years since the release of her first full-length album, Running With Scissors would be an understatement. Her latest single, “Honest Men” and upcoming album Confessional are a stark contrast to her earlier work, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s forgotten where she came from. Instead, the opposite couldn’t be more true. With Confessional, Devlin has crafted her most personal, yet relatable release to date.
With Confessional out this spring and a handful of new singles out now, we caught up with Janet Devlin to discuss the hard work that went into the album, how an upcoming book ties in with it, and what she’s looking forward to the most in 2020. Watch the stunning video for “Honest Men” and read the full interview now below.
You just kicked off the new year with the release of your new single, “Honest Men” from your upcoming album, Confessional! What are you looking forward to the most in 2020?
Oh that’s a tough one, there is so much to look forward to this year! I think putting out the record and book will be the icing on the cake for me, as they’ve taken so long to complete. But I can’t deny that I’m looking forward to playing some shows – it feels like forever since I was on the road!
“Honest Men” is the third single you’ve released from Confessional and has a much darker tone than some of your older material. What was the writing process like for this song? What did you want to accomplish with it?
It’s definitely a far cry from “Wonderful” – that’s for sure! It was quite quick actually. I wrote it in January a few years back. I was in a dark place with my seasonal affectiveness disorder. I thought everyone was out to get me from sheer paranoia! So I just took that out on my poor uke Eugene, played some chords and wrote some heavy lyrics and the song appeared.
Confessional will mark your first full length album since Running With Scissors, in 2014. Six years is a long time, especially in the music world when you’re constantly growing and changing, but how do you feel you’ve evolved and grown since the release of Running With Scissors?
I’ve definitely matured a lot in the last six years – both musically and personally. I feel like I really found my sound with this album. I don’t think I would’ve been confident enough to try fusing Celtic sounds with pop six years ago. I’m also really glad that I’ve waited, as I’ve done so much personal growth in these past years – so I’ve never felt more ready and supported to put out an honest album such as this.
What goals did you have in mind when you first started working on Confessional? Was there anything you wanted to accomplish with this album that you haven’t had the chance to do in the past?
I just wanted to be honest. Actually truly, bluntly, honest. I have too many secrets for one person. I just wanted to finally disclose the real version of myself to everyone. But I also realised that I couldn’t condense some of the raw stories of life into just a verse and chorus – so I came to the conclusion that I needed to write a book.
Lyrically, was there anything you wanted to touch on with Confessional? Judging from the title and the songs you’ve released so far, I’m assuming this has been a pretty personal album.
This was something I had to be very careful about and maybe it’s why it all took so long. I wanted the songs to remain relatable. So I had to pick very specific metaphors and certain words. It means you can enjoy it if you don’t know what it’s about BUT when you know the real meanings of the songs, it all makes sense.
You’ve also mentioned that you’ll be releasing your book, My Confessional this year as well. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
The book unlocks the tracks – it has the literal meanings of the songs in there and anecdotes to explain it all. The book is where the blatant honesty is. The stories that were too much for a literal song, are laid bare in there.
With Confessional out a little later this year, can fans expect to hear any more new music soon?
Of course, and I’ve never been more excited to share it with them! We’re only just getting started!
Do you have any other big plans coming up this year?
More releases, more music videos, more content and hopefully some live shows thrown in there too.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
A shameless plug – go grab my songs! They’re available everywhere you get your music, and if you add me to your library and playlists you’ll see new music the instant it’s released. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me!
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