Janet Devlin to Release Emotional Single 'How Do Cowboys Say Goodbye' Friday, October 2nd

October 2, 2026

Janet Devlin to Release Emotional Single ‘How Do Cowboys Say Goodbye’ Friday, October 2nd

Indie country music artist Janet Devlin will release her next single, ‘How Do Cowboys Say Goodbye’ on Friday, October 2nd via OK!Good Records. This will mark the fourth single that Janet Devlin has released off of her unnanounced forthcoming studio album, following ‘Move A Muscle’, ‘Diane’, and ‘Working For The Man’. Janet is excited to share another song from her prolific writing and recording sessions in Nashville. ‘How Do Cowboys Say Goodbye’, a somber break-up song that showcases Janet’s gentle, airy vocals, was co-written with Ben Lythe (Grace Davies, Catty, Matthew Hall).

Janet describes the level of fine-tuning and attention-to-detail executed in order to make this track so special:

As always, the Nashville band made the track sound magic. I really wanted to add the low, moody guitar in. Straight from the get go. To set that dark western feel. I really wanted to go ham on the backing vocals for this track. I got a bunch of musician friends to lend their voices and I managed to get my old housemate and actor James Wilkinson on board. He’d never recorded vocals in a studio before but he’d done a bunch of Musical theatre roles. Plus, I’d heard him singing around the house and he has such killer range and tone to his voice. It felt like a waste not to ask him! One of my favourite moments in the track is the TOTO-esque harmony stack in the second pre-chorus. I still get giddy when I hear it!

If the title sounds a little goofy, it’s because it was born organically from an exchange between Janet and a friend:

Funnily enough, the title of the track came from a silly moment filming social media content with my friend, trying to put some silly greetings into a clip- the standard “howdy” and “hey y’all”. When it came to ending the video with a western farewell, we were stumped. My manager asked “Wait… how do cowboys say goodbye?”. Straight away, I responded with “I don’t know, but I’m stealing what you just said for a song title”.

Devlin’s singles have seen strong chart success, reaching #31 in the Big Top 40, #15 in the UK iTunes Charts, #4 in the iTunes Country Charts, in addition to national radio play on Capital & Heart, Absolute Country, New To 2 with Scott Mills, placements on the BBC Core playlist and over 110 regional radio playlists. Singles ‘Red Flag’ and ‘Best Life’ landed coveted month-long positions on the BBC Radio 2 B List Playlist, the latter peaking at #38 in the UK Radio Monitor Airplay Top 100.

Her previous album, Emotional Rodeo also saw press coverage in the likes of Daily Express, Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, The Sun, OK!, Record Collector, The Irish Post, The Irish News, Wonderland, CelebMix, ATC, VIP Magazine, and Record of the Day. Other notable recognitions include a special appearance on The Late Late Show Country Music Special (the world’s longest running live chat show), an interview with Ray D’Arcy on RTE1 and the ‘Red Flag’ music video featured on Sunday Brunch.

After a busy live schedule this year which has covered In It Together Festival, a headline slot at Belladrum 2026, Country stage at Rock & Ribs and a special Ruby Sessions performance at Doyle’s in Dublin, further upcoming live performances include: the Main Stage at Country Calling, 16th August, an appearance on Ch5 The Jeremy Vine show and a concert at Newcastle Cathedral on 3rd October.

Born and raised in Gortin, County Tyrone, Janet’s musical journey took off after she secured fifth place on The X Factor in 2011. Earning widespread acclaim, her debut album, ‘Running With Scissors’, reached #1 on the Indie Breakers Chart and entered the Top 50 of the Official UK Charts. Enchanting fans worldwide, her cover of The Cure’s ‘Friday I’m In Love’ has garnered nearly 23 million plays on Spotify alone.

Janet’s second album, ‘Confessional’, was a brave, ambitious project released alongside her autobiography, ‘My Confessional’. The release culminated in a headline UK tour in 2022, and the album hit the Billboard Top 100 in America. In 2023, amidst the whirlwind of touring alongside Russell Crowe and his band across Australia and Europe, Janet travelled to Blackbird Studio in Nashville to begin ‘Emotional Rodeo’ released later that year, followed by a deluxe version of the album entitled ‘Not My First Emotional Rodeo’. Devlin is currently working on putting the finishing touches on her upcoming full-length record, which will be the culmination of her singles released thus far this year and more to come.