Viral Dev-elopment An Exclusive Q&A with DEV
/ Interview by: Scrappy / Design & Layout by: Chelsea Coolsaet /
A decade ago, a struggling pop music artist needed to live in big cities like New York, Los Angeles, Miami or Atlanta in order to break into the industry. A super talent’s demo from Wyoming, for instance, would get lost in a pile and gather dust on a record executive’s desk. Then and now, in order to get noticed, artists must embrace the notion that they are a living, breathing, dynamic brand. A stellar sound is not enough. They need to embody the whole package – a remarkable persona that oozes so much charisma that the consumer must have a relationship with them. And they must sell themselves as such to music executives, fellow artists, and whatever burgeoning fan base they have.
Today, an artist on the grind can be from Wyoming, thanks to the advent of viral social media. With modern technology, an artist doesn’t just sell a sound, a look and personality; he/she also can quantify their popularity with the number of hits on his/her site. Label honchos take big notice of this. Jullian Boothe, Vice President A&R of Slip n’ Slide Records says, “When signing an artist, we don’t just look for a super talent; we also want to know if the artist has a movement. Are they winning in their hometown?” With consolidation of record companies, shrinking A&R budgets and proliferation of home studios/indie labels, access is granted – but so is immense competition.”
This is what makes Dev’s story so compelling. She grew up in Manteca, California, about 90 minutes outside of Oakland. As a teen, she loved singing, and one day she sang over some beats while messing around at her friend Phillip’s garage. Unbeknownst to her, Phillip posted it on MySpace. With no marketing and just word of mouth, Dev’s flow earned her well over a million hits in two months. Those numbers, in addition to her monster talent, caught the attention of producer/artists, The Cataracs, who later signed her to their Pop-Indie record label. Fast forward three years and Dev has a slew of successful features and two smash hit records on her resume; “Like a G6” with the Cataracs, has sold over 3 million downloads and “Dancing in the Dark,” her debut hit single, which reached the Top 5 on the charts.
50 | Pulse Magazine SWFL
SCRAPPY: Everyone mentions The Cataracs in the same sentence as you. What exactly is your relationship?
DEV: They’re like my best friends and my brothers. They found me on MySpace. I never really worked with anyone else, or at least not as closely. Even though I’ve done features elsewhere, like with the New Boyz on “Backseat,” they pretty much produce all of my music. And they taught me most of what I know.
S: When Phillip put your music on MySpace, did he have an agenda?
D: No way. We didn’t think about that at all. I just really like music, and it was only up for about two months before The Cataracs found it.
S: Did your phone just ring one day and on the other line it was The Cataracs saying, “Yo Dev, we got your music, let’s do it!”?
D: (laughing) No, it was more of messaging back and forth with them telling me, “I like your music, you have an interesting sound; maybe we should work together.” I was like, “okay, for sure!” I was still in school at the time and working at Old Navy, and didn’t really think anything was going to happen. I’ll never forget how the first thing they said was that my music was weird. I loved that!
S: Now, instead of folding shirts, you have a nice career and you’re off to a great start. What did The Cataracs do for you creatively to involve you as an artist?
D: They definitely showed me a lot of things that I don’t think any other artist or producer could have been able to. They understand my individuality and unique sound – and craft within it – not around it.
S: The Cataracs produced your whole album. I get the vibe they are soul mates of yours.
D: Definitely!
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76