Ahead of the release on November 25 of her EP, ‘Everything Ends’, we asked Devon Seven to answer some questions. Seven to be exact…
EP: Your song titles are very beautiful, and seem linked together – do you consider Everything Ends to be a concept album?
DS: Thank you very much. Yes I do consider the EP to have a concept, but I did not decide on in before I began writing the songs. In the midst of it I could sense that I was writing the songs while going through the different stages of a break-up. The uncertainty and fear right before you break up, the hurt and sorrow when it happens, and the clarity and strength you gain from coming through to the other side.
EP: You’re half Danish and half Malaysian. Has one culture influenced you more musically than the other, or is it even, or have neither?
DS: I haven’t spent enough time in Malaysia to be influenced by their culture, but I’m sure that I have unconsciously been influenced by a lot of the Danish culture. Especially the sounds of bands like Mew, who are among my favourite bands ever, have inspired me musically.
EP: You’ve been studying for your degree in Musicology. Was this something you felt was important for you to do to progress as an artist?
DS: I have realised now how important it has been and how much it has inspired and developed me as an artist. I had no clue when I first began that it would motivate me so much. Learning about genres like jazz, which I hated before, and just going into depth with music and notes in a whole other way than I would ever have the chance to, has been very fruitful.
EP: You write, compose and produce all your music – how important is it for you to have total creative freedom over your work?
DS: I am trying to get to the point where I can produce everything myself, but I’m not quite there yet. It is very important for me to have creative control and freedom in every aspect. The most important thing for me is to be as honest and authentic as possible, and you do that by doing as much as you can yourself. Especially through the lyrics and melodies I would say.
EP: If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently, if anything, and why?
DS: The EP, my career or my life? Nothing really. Even if I have made mistakes you learn from it, and it has got me to where I am today. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s true, and I’m in a pretty good place, so no regrets.
EP: What’s your opinion on the current state of the music industry, and what advice do you have for those starting out in the music industry today?
DS: I think it’s difficult. I’m going to write my thesis about exactly that actually. With the digitalism, streaming and so on it’s really difficult for a musician to live off of music, unless you have a huge hit. I feel sometimes like we are drowning in new music, and I feel it’s difficult to cut through all the noise. We also see a lot of artists who get a lot of hype on one album and then you never hear from them again. I wonder what happened to them. So my advice would just be to keep your focus on the music and don’t get too caught up in the hype.
EP: What question do you wish someone would ask you in an interview but nobody ever does?
DS: Who do you think is the hottest girl in the world, who you would love to drink red wine with, and listen to records or watch Alfred Hitchcock movies with, while eating salt’n’vinegar crisps.
