Northern Ireland singer-songwriter and rising alt country star Janet Devlin recently sat down with David Alarcón at METAL Magazine for an in-depth retrospective on her career, which included her time on the X Factor, growing into her own as a bonafide artist, flying out for Nashville writing sessions, and proudly wearing her Irish heritage on her sleeve.
Janet Devlin Spills about Nashville Writing Sessions and More with Metal Magazine
Janet Devlin has just wrapped a string of summer festival appearances, which included Belladrum Festival, The Long Road Fest, and Country Calling. The country songstress is on a hot streak this year; her latest release “Move A Muscle” follows-up her singles “Diane” and “Working For The Man”, all to be featured on her upcoming album. This will be her first full-length record since 2024’s ‘Emotional Rodeo’ and its subsequent deluxe edition, ‘Not My First Emotional Rodeo’.
Since Janet’s firm crossover into country, she’s had the opportunity to fly to Nashville to collaborate with accomplished songwriters and producers. There, she wrote dozens of songs in a setting that at first felt unfamiliar, but proved to be extremely valuable. Alarcón asked her to dive into more detail on that experience:
MM: Tell us about your connection to Nashville. How did that come about?
JD: I mean, it’s every country fan’s dream to go to Nashville! I never expected to be there and be making music. It’s a real-life ‘pinch me’ moment every time I’m there. The label I’ve worked with for around twelve years has done a lot of recording out there for other artists. So, when they offered me a chance at a trial run to record a few songs, I jumped at the opportunity. They do things very differently from the UK and Ireland. In Nashville, there’s a live band in a room, all playing and recording at once. I’m in the vocal booth singing along live as well. I didn’t know how I’d like it, as I’m used to recording musicians separately, but I loved the ability to hear everything all at once and build it right there and then. It’s also way more efficient, as well as more fun. So, on the first trip—the test drive—I did three songs and fell in love with the process.
For Emotional Rodeo, we did three days in the studio, and I walked away with twenty-four songs. So, I’m forever grateful to the label for letting me go out there and record this way and for letting me experience it.
For her upcoming record, Janet has been deeply involved not only in the music, but in the visual direction. She explains to METAL Magazine how her and her team are integrating pieces of her own childhood:
MM: How do the new visuals you’ve been releasing recently tie into the upcoming album?
JD: They not only tie into the album; they tie into my life story. We’ve been upcycling old clothes, some of which I’ve had since I was fifteen. When I’ve been writing, I’ve been drawing inspiration from the country music I listened to way back then, too. Musically and visually, it’s bringing together the child I was back home with the woman I am today.
Read the full interview at METAL Magazine.
Tickets are available for Janet’s upcoming appearance at Puca Festival in Ireland on October 31st here.
