What is The Garden about? and How does it differ from your past projects?
The Garden is really just a metaphor for change. It’s beautiful and scary and overwhelming, but necessary in order to experience life at its fullest. Over the past few years, I’ve outgrown a lot of places, people, and things I used to love- something that feels painful in the moment, but in hindsight, is one of the most beautiful parts about growing up. The Garden is deeply self-reflective and comes from a place of acceptance. As for how it differs from my past projects, this song feels like a step up both lyrically and sonically for me, which has been so special and fulfilling to experience.
What do you want your listeners to take away from The Garden?
I could talk about this for days, but I’ll keep it short! I want everyone who listens to this song to realize that change is natural and growing up is messy. That’s how it goes. Just because something is no longer right for you doesn’t mean it wasn’t once beautiful. Flowers can grow, then die off, then grow again.
When writing this song, did you know what direction it was going in, or did it change as you worked on it?
I came into the session knowing I wanted to intertwine a garden as a metaphor for growing up- and that was about it. After solidifying the beginnings of the lyrics, I realized there was a sonic world that naturally aligned with that theme (whimsical, dreamy, nostalgic), and once pen hit paper, everything just came together.
What were some moments that stood out to you while creating this song? What was the songwriting and recording process like?
I love this question! I remember coming into the room feeling creatively confused and somewhat discouraged that I hadn’t yet found my “sound” or what makes me stand out. I wanted so badly to have that “this is it!” moment, but the week of sessions I was in before hadn’t given me what I needed. After a long conversation with my producer, I decided to stop trying to hit a target and just throw the arrows. The song practically wrote itself, and I was just so happy with how it came out. It felt so true to me. It felt so Devon. And I think that day, I finally allowed myself to believe that was good enough.
What were your main musical influences while creating The Garden? How did they influence this song?
We played a lot of Fleetwood Mac and Kacey Musgraves in the room, which are two of my biggest musical inspirations. I think they really influenced the song’s production and feel-wise.
Your fans play a huge role in this song’s rollout. How do they influence your creative decisions?
I just love them so much. The world we’ve created through this song is possibly my favorite thing ever. ‘The Garden’ feels like the perfect place to live and grow together. Seeing everyone’s videos and messages and flower crowns has me in a constant puddle on the floor. This project and my endeavors feels like less of a “me” thing and so much more of an “us” thing. I’m always thinking of ways I can remind them how important they are to me. Speaking of… a couple hundred of those angels should probably check their mailbox shortly.
What are some other up-and-coming artists that should be on everybody’s radar?
Ooh! Erin LeCount, Lindsey Lomis, and Kaleah Lee. I’m so honored to be in a space with such incredible rising musicians.