July 10, 2026

Janet Devlin Recounts “Working For The Man” and Defining Career Moments with Press Play

Recently, Press Play Radio shone a spotlight on OK!Good Records artist Janet Devlin, who recently released country singles such as the gritty “Diane” and honky-tonk working-class anthem, “Working For The Man”. Not only did she join host The Don for a recap of her career, revisiting some moments in her youth that she’s recontextualized as an adult, but Press Play wrote a heartfelt tribute to her journey as an artist:

Somewhere between the chaos of fame, the loneliness of addiction, endless tours and broken relationships, she found herself again.

Not the image television created.

Not the perception millions formed.

Just Janet.

A horse-riding, country-loving romantic who dreams of marriage, family, and a white picket fence. A woman who’d rather spend her days in the dirt than sipping lattes in trendy cafés. A songwriter who still believes in forever.

She’s still rebellious. Still self-deprecating. Still capable of turning a cover song into something so unique that Ed Sheeran jokingly sent it to Russell Crowe asking if it was better than his own version—only for Crowe to answer with a mischievous “Yeah” and spark a friendship that would lead to Australian tours and unforgettable adventures.

The Don played clips from Janet’s appearances on the X Factor back to get Janet’s perspective on her experience now over a decade and a half removed:

The Don: Watching you perform, and to get a reaction from a seasoned professional that is widely known as amazing, if you didn’t have that experience, how much different do you think you would have been as a performer; as an artist?

Janet: They were accepting video auditions to skip the first day, and all I wanted to know was whether or not I could sing… that was the whole goal. I was like if somebody was going to tell me I couldn’t sing, I feel like Simon Cowell would just tell me to my face. It was great obviously for exposure, and the experience of it all. How many times in your life would you get the opportunity to do something like that? The show was great for the baptism of fire, and all the big scaries, but I still would have pursued [music].”

Go watch the full Press Play interview and read their write-up about Janet’s journey.

“Diane” arrives hot off the heels of 2025’s ‘Not My First Emotional Rodeo’ – a captivating deluxe edition of her critically acclaimed album ‘Emotional Rodeo’. Building on the original’s success, which topped the iTunes Country Chart and garnered widespread radio support and glowing press, the expanded collection further secured Janet’s reputation as one of the most distinctive voices in the UK country and Americana scene. The album includes the flyaway hit single “Houston”, which was added to the BBC Radio 2 playlist and an acoustic reimagining of Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler”, recorded at George Ezra’s studio, Hotel Quebec.

Released in November 2024, ‘Emotional Rodeo’ was a major success, cementing Janet’s prominent place in the country-rock scene. The album reached #1 on the iTunes Country Chart, #4 on the UK Official Country Artists Albums Chart, #5 on the UK Official Indie Breakers Chart, and #21 on the UK Official Independent Albums Chart. Janet appeared for a session on The Scott Mills Radio 2 Breakfast Show ahead of C2C Festival and has received praise from the likes of Russell Crowe, who previously took her on tour and continues to applaud her talent – comparing her to Stevie Nicks and admiring her ability to be both “ethereal” and “very direct” on stage.

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Live Dates
July 18th – Rock & Ribs Festival, Shepton Mallet
July 30th  – Belladrum Festival (supporting Callum Beattie & Mika), Inverness
August 16th  – Country Calling, Writtle, Essex
October 3rd  – Newcastle Cathedral, Newcastle

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