FEATURE: Spotlight: Janet Devlin — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Janet Devlin

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A magnificent…

artist who has released several wonderful singles this year, I am new to the wonders of Janet Devlin. Her debut album, Running with Scissors, was released in 2014. She has been on the scene a long time, but I do feel that there are some who are unaware of her music. That is why I am spotlighting Janet Devlin. Her album, Emotional Rodeo, came out in 2024. The Deluxe Not My First Emotional Rodeo was released in 2025. Born in Tyrone in Northern Ireland, Janet Devlin competed in the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011. There are a few interviews from this year that I want to cover off. The first interview I am coming to is from The Lunar Collective from June. They spoke with Janet Devlin around the release of her single, Working for the Man:

“LUNA: Thank you for talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar with you yet, what inspires your artistic style and sound?

JANET: My life and my experiences, really. I’m Irish so I love telling a good yarn and a wee joke. Sonically, I just love all the colors of the country genre, so it’s fun to put my own spin on it all.

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LUNA: “Working For The Man” has finally arrived more than a decade after it was written. What emotions came up for you hearing this song resurface after so many years?

JANET: It’s a little emotional honestly. I was so proud of the song after I wrote it and was so excited to put it out. For reasons out of my control, it never made it onto the first album. I still played it at shows and things because it was a fan favorite. When I recorded it again in Nashville, I was selfishly recording it solely for myself with no expectations of it making the album, so when asked if I’d like for it to be the first single — because my teams loved it — I was taken aback. I don't think baby Jan would believe me if I told her.

LUNA: You’ve described the track as born from reflections on the “rat race.” What inspired the single and what themes or emotions did you feel compelled to explore?

JANET: It was inspired by growing up poor, really. I remember once my mother apologising to me because we couldn’t go on foreign holidays like a lot of my friends did. Though, I never once expected us to. It broke my heart because they did such a great job of making the most of what we had. They both worked full time jobs and everything but the recession hit us and everyone hard, except the banks, which confused and angered me as a kid. It still does. Also as a teen, my awareness of politics, capitalism, and social issues was coming into bloom, so naturally it poured into my writing.

LUNA: What is fueling your fire right now that’s pushing you into this new chapter in your career?

JANET: Honestly just my love of the game! It’s a blessing to live a creative existence so I never want to take it for granted. Also, you might only be one song away from a big hit so I’ll keep trying until I can’t anymore.

LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like that you would like to share with Luna?

JANET: I’m feeling positive. I’m so so proud of this album to come and I genuinely can’t wait to get it out there. I’ve got a whole bunch of gigs/festivals coming up. I’m heading to Nashville in May to record some more and also to take my wee mummy on holidays too. More music, more shows, more content!”.

Before coming to a new interview, I do want to head back to October last year. Janet Devlin spoke with Build Your Own Nashville about Not My First Emotional Rodeo. If you have not heard the music of Janet Devlin, then I would advise you to check her out. I do think that the next few years are going to be huge for her. In terms of tour dates and achievements. I wonder if she is playing any U.K. date soon:

“What can we know about it?

I spent the whole of February writing. The label was like “how do you feel about going back out to Nashville to record an album?” I was like “absolutely” and they were like “have you got enough songs?” and I was like “absolutely!” No I didn’t haha and they said “Is March ok?” and I said “Of course” and I hung up the phone and was like “I need to write an album in a month, let’s go!” so I just booked out my entire February, wrote and we did about another 22 songs out there! The last album we had 24 songs out in Nashville so we missed our target haha!

What kind of direction will this album go?

There’s quite a few up tempo, quite a few rock country and wordplay, I like to have fun and be a bit silly with my lyrics. I am a big emotional baby too so I still won’t be getting rid of that part of me, so there are ballads on it, sentimental songs, even one I wrote for my dad. Highs, Lows and in-betweens but a lot more grit in the uptempo tracks.

You have always been a country fan, who else has influenced you?

I started in country when I was doing open mics as a teen.

It’s very big in Ireland isn’t it?

Oh it’s the biggest genre in Ireland. It’s a real thing amongst farmers, country people and even small town folks. It makes sense. I was an equestrian, my parents weren’t but my family were farmers. We are surrounded by agriculture. All you look for in music is to hear your story said by someone. They talk about things that are present in your life and that’s why it’s the biggest genre because people gravitate to where they hear themselves. It has always been a part of my life. As a kid Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, I remember the first time I heard Coat of Many Colours. Hal Ketchum, Garth Brooks, Reba. Shania Twain, loved her energy and sass. As I have got older, I started listening to more modern country , which I got to like through Bluegrass. The soundtrack to O’ Brother Where Art Thou, that has had a massive impact on my life. Alison Krauss, The Steel Drivers I fell in love with. I once dated a guy who was like “oh have you ever heard of this guy Chris Stapleton?” and I was like “No” and then he sent me it over and I thought “this is unbelievable” and then I was like “oh if you like this then you might like The Steel Drivers” and he said “nah I don’t like them” the joke is obviously Chris Stapleton was the lead singer of The Steel Drivers. I didn’t know that until I started listening to him. The reason I sent him The Steel Drivers was because it sounded like the same man haha! Chris really got me back into the modern world of it all. I love The Cadillac Three, BlackJack Billy, I have always loved Brooks and Dunn. I am quite a silly person so I love that in country you can sing a ballad that is heart wrenching and then the next minute you can have a joke song produced to the nines. I love making people giggle so it’s nice to have those two worlds meet.

Tell us a bit about the deluxe version Not My First Emotional Rodeo

I did three Nashville trips as a road test to see if I liked the Nashville way as it is very different to the way I had worked the previous ten years. So I went out and did three songs and then I did twenty four songs. I was choosing the fourteen tracks for the album and you have to go with the journey from top to tail, what sounds good and it meant cutting out a few of my favourites. I was like “we’ll definitely do a deluxe won’t we?” and they said “absolutely” so I was like “good I don’t have to beg”. Naturally then, I released an extra 8 songs on to that, so I got to let them have their moment. Also, for the fans, there were a few songs that they remember from me touring years ago and they wanted to know what happened to them so they finally got to hear the songs that they loved”.

I am going to end with METAL. They spoke with Janet Devlin around the release of Move a Muscle. A taste of a future album, there is a lot of excitement around her right now. This album has taken her back to Nashville and, as they note, closer to the music she grew up listening to. Her music and personal history interlocking and connecting:

“Every artist approaches songwriting differently. What does your process look like?

I’ve a pretty odd way of writing and creating: I come up with a song title or a theme and make a note on my phone. Usually, words come to me as I’m out and about living life. Luckily, we have phones with notes apps, so I don’t have to carry a journal with me anymore. In the note, I’ll add a bunch of idioms, jokes, poetry and a glossary of words to do with the topic. Next, I’ll write a bunch of example lyrics with different rhyme schemes. I’ll also record a few example melodies into my voice notes. Then, when I arrive at the sessions, I’ll invite the producer into my notes.
Honestly, I love research, so it’s fun for me! Also, it saves time on googling in a session. If I don’t co-write, it’s the same process, but with just myself (laughs). When it comes to ballads, though, I mostly just create in the room. I’ll still have a song concept or lyric idea, just nothing too fleshed out. I like to just let the song write itself. The mood of the chords brings to the surface emotions and memories that I’ve often forgotten about.

Talk to us about reinvention. How do you conceptualise visuals for the music?

Because most of the music is gritty, raw and real, I wanted to show that visually. I always think of the track Fur Coat when it comes to visuals. The phrase “fur coat, no knickers” normally has such a negative connotation, but it doesn’t for me. I grew up poor, wearing my cousin’s beautiful hand-me-downs that my family would never have been able to afford. So, in a way, it sums up who I am even today. I sure as hell don’t make a lot of money, but visually, you wouldn’t know it.

Is your Irish heritage important to you, and how do you integrate it into your artistry?

It’s important to me. Being from the North, people try to eradicate or invalidate my nationality as a proud Irish woman. Which sucks for them because I’m a very loud and expressive person. I’m very lucky to be working with a creative director who knows the history and gets excited by the challenge of incorporating it into every visual aspect of the project. Not only doing so, but doing it in a way only they could, from knowing everything about me, my culture and my own personal past.
I wear my heritage proudly and without hesitation. I don’t soften my accent anymore. I don’t shy away from weaving my culture into my music, my clothing or my personality. There will always be people trying to rob me of my identity, but all they’re doing is pushing my work further. Leaving hateful comments only pushes me into my algorithms. So even hate benefits me (laughs)”.

Janet Devlin is a really exciting and talented artist. I am a bit new to her work, but I do feel that her best and most personal album lies just ahead. It is a perfect time to connect with her. Go and spend some time with the music of a tremendous songwriter who you cannot afford to miss out on. She is sensational. It is clear that Janet Devlin is going to be making music for years and decades. Someone whose passion is clear. It has been great shining a spotlight on…