Crazy talk with Dev

MANILA, Philippines – With the recently concluded Close Up Summer Solstice Musical Event, American rapper, singer and songwriter Dev definitely made an impression on her ‘Pinoy Babygoonz.’

The 22-year-old was discovered through social media site MySpace, after The Cataracts and producers of record label Indie-Pop were impressed by her uploaded Amy Winehouse recording.

Dev’s single “Booty Bounce” was then sampled in Far East Movement’s chart topper “Like a G6.” In October 2010, the singer signed a record deal with Universal Republic and in November the same year, she released her first single “Base Down Low”.

In March 2012, Dev released her first album “The Night the Sun Came Up” in the United States, which included the well received track “In the Dark.”

In Close Up Summer Solstice, The young singer performed tracks such as “Like a G6”, “Naked”, “Lightspeed”, “Bass Down Low”, and “Booty Bounce” for the Filipino crowd who also had the privilege of hearing her new song, “Crazy Talk.”

 

Dev gave Rappler an exclusive look into her life as a new mother, her personal style, her fondness for Filipino food, and how she started from being a swimmer to meeting The Cataracs and becoming an international artist.

If we could rummage through your closet now, what are some favorite things you’d be excited to share with us?

I really have this cool Kenzo dress that I just bought that’s really cute, and a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes that my fiancé bought for me that are pretty. I have a lot of clothes. I try to mix and match them with nice pieces from vintage shops like H&M or Forever 21. I like to mix everything but right now, my Kenzo dress is my favorite. 

How do you define your personal style?

It took me a long time, actually. I feel like it is always evolving and changing. I like clothes that are tailored and fit my body, but I like to be comfortable. I’m doing a lot of things on stage or at the plane. I’ve always been inspired from the magazines and my mom. My mom likes fashion. I like tailored outfits on women that look kind of bossy.

Most of the time, you’ve been compared to Ke$ha. With that, how would you differentiate yourself?

I totally get why people say those things because we sort of started with electronic pop music.  I feel like it is how we say our story [that] is a little different.  It’s more of the personal style. She’s from a different part of the country than I am. It also has something to do with the influences we’ve seen while growing up. With my new songs coming out, I hope people would be able to see a different side of things I do with music.

Listen to Dev’s ‘Booty Bounce’ here:

Are you open to trying another genre of music like RnB or Ballad perhaps?

I would actually do that, but I don’t know when I would do it. I’d love to have that one day, maybe in the coming years, to start a band. I have no idea, but I think it would be really fun. It shows the beauty of music, being able to create and experiment on telling your stories, to creating your voice. It’s very liberating. Who knows, maybe?

Emilia, your daughter, went through a tough time when she had to go through surgery upon being born. Did this affect your song writing in any way?

It did. It was really an emotional process for me. I have a couple of songs about it on my new album.  It was also a happy and girlie moment for me, as well: having her and being a new mom, being a new fiancé. It was a beautiful process. I feel fortunate to [have been] able to go through that. I feel that I have so much more to say, and I feel a lot more confident about myself.  It’s really cool. It’s really awesome.

Reading your profile, I learned that you were part of the Olympic Development program. What sport were you in?

I was part of the United States Swim Team.  I was a registered swimmer for a while. I swam for 14 years, and from that I swam for 5 years for US Swimming which was very hard.

What made you change your career path?

I have always loved music. I studied music at school. I played the flute at school. I was a band geek. I got little bit older and I met The Cataracs. I met these young kids, and they were very inspired by music. They were brave. They were putting songs online, trying radio stations to play it.  I was really intrigued by their whole situation and we ended up getting together and getting along really well. That’s when I realized I can take my passion for music seriously. I was from a small town and I didn’t think it was possible, but I did it! – Rappler.com