Can you share a defining moment when you realized music would be your career?
Growing up in Germany, I was surrounded by a lot of culture and my mother was a music teacher. When I was five years old, my mother took me to the opera. We saw “The Magic Flute”. I was so impressed by the vocal acrobatics, especially by the Queen of Night and that the singers were capable of filling the whole theater with their voices without using a microphone. When I was 19 years old, I starred as an extra in the opera Lakmé and was wearing a pink sari from India. The music captivated me and I made the decision to study opera singing. During rehearsals I met my future vocal coach Vera Ilieva. I started taking vocal lessons with her twice a week. Within a year she prepared me for the university of music and I passed the entrance exams in the cities Cologne, Mainz and Saarbrucken. I chose Saarbrucken and studied with Professor Yaron Windmuller. After graduating in 2016 I decided to go to New York for three months to network and to figure out how to get a work permit. My first visit in New York made a huge impact in my life and I was lucky that I met award winning music producer Mark Roos who produced my first EP Love and became my sponsor of my first extraordinary ability artist visa. In May of 2018 I moved to New York with a dream to pursue musical theatre and songwriting. Unfortunately my musical theatre dream was not granted due to my immigration status. I auditioned for a couple Broadway shows and sang for casting directors. They loved my voice but they said that they only accept GreenCard holders and American citizens. The same year I was invited to audition for the Metropolitan Opera choir. I auditioned in February 2019. It was an honor and big accomplishment for me coming from a small village in Germany and being invited to audition for the most famous and prestigious opera house in the world.
If you could go back to the beginning of your music journey, what would you do differently?
If I could go back to 2016, I would have moved to London first to pursue musical theatre because immigration is much easier in the U.K. compared to the U.S. I would have expanded my musical journey in the U.K. and Europe, built relationships with entertainment companies and record labels that have connections in the U.S. and moved to New York with a GreenCard. People don’t realize how time consuming and costly immigration is in the U.S. I’m fortunate that I’m on my third artist visa and that I could remain in the country while extending it. But I have fellow immigrant musicians whose visas got denied and they lost a fortune in attorney fees and had to move back to their home countries.
Who in your personal life has been your biggest supporter, and how have they influenced your career?
My parents – my mother is from Germany and my father is from Nicaragua – are my biggest supporters because although they were sceptical of my decision to study opera and move to New York, they always had my back and gave me constructive feedback on my musical ventures and life choices.
My mother taught me piano, encouraged me to take lessons in ballet and violin and supported me in my dream to pursue opera and musical theatre. My father played guitar and sang Spanish songs to me from his childhood. When I was fourteen years old, I took his guitar and taught myself how to play it. After a few days of practising, I wrote my first two-chord song called “Who Am I” and sang it for him.
What inspired the title “Songs of My Life,” and how does it reflect the essence of the album?
In July 2022 I went to a TV producers workshop at the TV station NECAT Network. We were challenged to come up with an idea for a TV show. While brainstorming, a voice in my head whispered to me “Songs of my Life – a talk show for songwriters”. I immediately raised my hand and shared my idea with the team. Another coincidence was that two seats to my right, there was sitting a redheaded mysterious woman who talked about her energy healing work and her award that she won as a songwriter for best Americana record. Eventually she became my first guest on the show and we discussed the talking points with the script supervisor. The following day, we taped a ten minute segment of the show. From there, I developed a 30 minute concept for the show, containing an interview with my guests about their musical journeys and the story behind their songs.
Furthermore my guests performed their songs that they were talking about in the interview. It was important to me to also perform the songs on the show that I co-wrote together with my co-writers, musicians and music producers who were all part of my record “Songs of my Life”. This project turned into ten episodes that have been airing since January 2023 on Access Nashville. I wanted to give a voice to everyone involved in this project and educate the audience on the topics of co-writing, sync licensing, music rights and music production to give them an inside scoop on how to write a song while also sharing my personal journey as a songwriter.
Can you describe the creative process behind the album—how long did it take to bring it to life?
This album is a collection of songs that I wrote between 2017 and 2022. I wrote the songs “United” and “Adiós” in 2017. “Adiós” is about my family in Nicaragua and I wrote it while visiting them. They were the first to witness the song. For the music video I used videos of my visit. “United” is a song that I wrote about a girlfriend who I left behind due to life circumstances. For the music video I used footage that I shot at Joshua Tree. I recorded both songs in New York in 2019 with talented music producer Ethan James. The song “Adiós” turned into a bachata song while “United” turned into a Disney song. The songs “Alegría” and “The Last Chance” were written in 2018. “The Last Chance” is a Christian song and was inspired by my first movie I acted in when I moved to New York. The piano opening with the vocalize is inspired by Bulgarian folk music. In 2021 I finally recorded the song in Nashville with music producer Pat Lassiter. The song “Alegría” was originally written for Gunhild Carling. I went to one of her shows at the Birdland Jazz Club in New York and gave her a copy of the demo with the lyrics. I asked her to record it. Unfortunately she never got back to me. I decided to develop the song and took Donna De Lory’s mantra and bollywood elements as inspiration. In my first year in Nashville in 2021, music producer Nate Fitch developed the arrangement and Pat Lassiter recorded my vocals. I was able to pitch the song to Donna’s manager, but I also never heard back.
Looking back I don’t see it as a disappointment because the song was meant for me and not another artist.
My first year in New York in 2019 was very important and enriching because I met Madonna’s former percussionist Miroca Paris who was on tour for her Madame X show. During our writing session, Miroca played a beautiful melody on his guitar. I immediately came up with lyrics for our song “La Soledad”.
In 2020 I worked as a topliner for Evolved Artists Ltd. based in the U.K. The company sent me multiple EDM instrumental tracks and I wrote the lyrics. One track stood out to me and that’s how my song “Alone” came to life. During a virtual Zoom show hosted at Pinch Recording Studio, I sang this song live for the first time for my family and friends. I hired Nashville based music producer Gabe Pacino who recreated the track and used the vocal take of my live performance. It’s the only song that has only one vocal take.
In October 2020 I traveled with my guitar for a whole month to Tennessee. My first stop was Memphis. I lived in a beautiful Airbnb house with a backyard. I was inspired and wrote the song “Gypsy Life” for which I also shot a music video. In Nashville I met my friend Sasha Lassiter who I met through a Zoom workout class during the pandemic. She introduced me to her husband Pat Lassiter who owns a beautiful recording studio with high end equipment from the 70s. We recorded the song “La Soledad” and used Miroca’s guitar take. For “Gypsy Life” I played the guitar and the midi organ. In December 2020 I moved to Nashville to focus on my songwriting.
In 2021 I attended a songwriting retreat with Judy Stakee and learned how to co-write. Jeff Falk, an alumni of Judy Stakee came over to my apartment and we wrote and recorded the song “Smile, It’s Your Best Makeup”. He also produced the song and played the piano. The quote “Life Happens For You, Not To You” by my mentor Dr. Forbes Riley was the initial idea to add a gospel theme and call and response towards the end of the song.
In 2022 I built my network of songwriters and musicians on Facebook and through the app “We Should Write Sometime”. The first song which I co-wrote with Grant Ezell is called “You’re Still With Me”. The song “I’m Alone But Don’t Worry” is co-written with Lindsey Isaacson who plays the guitar on the track. Both songs are a tribute to my late Nicaraguan grandmother Yolanda who passed away in that year. The song “Everything Falls Into Place” which I co-wrote with Matthew Chinitz is my story of leaving New York and starting brand new in music city with a suitcase full of unwritten songs. The song “Goodbye For Now” which I co-wrote with Brittney Colgan is inspired by my intertwined love between New York and Nashville. I recorded all songs except for “You’re Still With Me” with Pat Lassiter and my friend Merna Lewis contributed with her beautiful fiddle playing. In September 2024 I finally recorded the last song of the album “You’re Still With Me” in New York with music producer Collin Stanley who is also playing the guitar on the track. I was so happy that I finished the project and I released it on November 20th of The artwork for the album is from the photo session I had in 2023 with the company Kramer Portraits which specializes in transposing the photos into paintings. The time frame for this album expands from 2017 until 2024 containing the writing and recording process as well as all the life experiences that happened to me during this time.
Which track on the album feels the most personal to you, and why?
The most personal track to me is “La Soledad” because it is the song that I wrote with Madonna’s musician Miroca Paris. She is my idol and inspired me to pursue a career in the music industry and move to New York. It is a tale that came true by simply believing in myself that anything is possible and that the universe connects me with the right people at the right time. The story on how Miroca and I connected is very unique. He liked two of my pictures on Instagram and I was curious to find out who this is due to his unique name. I researched him and came across his beautiful song “Ninguem”. Then I sent him a message saying “Thank you for liking my pictures. I love your music and I would love to collaborate”. He responded and invited me to a songwriting session. He also introduced me to all other Madonna musicians from Capo Verde and Portugal and together we sang Portuguese songs. The rest is history.
How did you approach blending different musical styles within the album?
This album covers the genres Latin Pop, Contemporary Christian music combined with Bulgarian Folk music, Musical Theatre/Disney, EDM, Americana, Pop/Gospel and Bollywood. It takes you on a musical journey as well as a cultural discovery. The different music genres fit very well with the concept of the album and they represent my life story as a songwriter who traveled the world, is biracial, speaks different languages and uses music as an outlet for healing and growth.
How does “Songs of My Life”differ from your previous work, both lyrically and sonically?
This album is different from my previous work because it is bilingual and covers multiple music genres. The fact that I recorded the album with six different music producers in New York and Nashville brings sonically a refreshing and diverse listening experience. Each studio microphone captures my voice differently. For example Pat Lassiter’s studio microphone focuses on my angelic overtone voice while Collin Stanley’s microphone captures the mezzo-soprano texture and vibrato in my voice. Lyrically, the songs that I wrote by myself are more personal and vulnerable while the songs that I co-wrote are more poetic and portraying a story.
Can you walk us through a day in the studio while recording this album?
Pat Lassiter recorded most of my songs on this album between 2020 and 2022. The way we worked together is that I brought my Logic session on my computer and transferred the midi files to his computer. He used Pro Tools. First we worked on the arrangement and then we recorded the lead vocals and harmonies. For the songs “I’m Alone But Don’t Worry”, “Everything Falls Into Place” and “Goodbye For Now” I only had the piano track which Nashville based pianist Lwan Easton recorded. After laying down the vocals, we sent the raw files to my fiddle friend Merna Lewis. Within a couple days she sent us her recordings back and gave us choices for different leads and harmonies. Pat and I met for follow up sessions and picked the best fiddle parts. Then we listened back to all the recordings before he mixed them.
Was there a particular moment during the album’s creation that made you feel it was coming together perfectly?
In April of 2022 I met my mentor Dr. Forbes Riley in person for the first time at her TV studio in St. Petersburg, Florida. While working with her students to perfect their sales pitch and public speaking, she asked me to sing my song “La Soledad.” Furthermore she invited me to be her guest on her radio show Forbes Factor Live to play my song “Smile, It’s Your Best Makeup” which I dedicated to her. I also shot a music video for it during my birthday party in Miami with friends and family.
In September 2022 I had the opportunity to perform at the Triad Theater in New York. The show organizer AndreYah Black chose my songs “Goodbye For Now”, “Everything Falls Into Place”, “La Soledad”, “Alegría” and “The Last Chance”. It was my comeback to New York after a two-year break since my move to Nashville. That night, I also announced my move back to New York live on stage. The audience was delighted by the songs and really appreciated the diversity. It gave me reassurance that I’m on the right path. Although I had all these recordings, I was still hesitant to release them until I finally formed my own record label in March 2023 under the name Devana Records LLC. When I recorded my last song “You’re Still With Me” I felt such a relief that the album is finally complete and ready to inspire new listeners in the world.
What message or feeling do you hope to leave with your fans after they’ve listened to the entire album?
Two weeks before the release of the album, I had the honor to perform my songs “Everything Falls Into Place”, “Alone”, “La Soledad” and “Adiós” on the radio station LDM Network in the Bronx. My greatest wish is that listeners find comfort, hope and strength when they listen to the album and that music and songwriting can heal your childhood wounds. The song “Alone” resonates with a lot of people who were suicidal because of bullying in high school. Although it’s dark, it has a positive message: “I wrote down my songs and turned them into songs. The sound of music healed and finally I found my voice”.
What’s next for you after the release of “Songs of My Life”—any upcoming projects or dreams you’d like to share?
Currently I’m working on my next album. I started the recording process in August 2023. So far I have recorded 13 songs. I have song ideas for seven songs that I need to write and another seven are written but need to be recorded. I aim to write and record all 14 songs by the end of this year and release the album either at the end of the year or in the following year. Furthermore I’m submitting the music videos that I produced last year with my talented videographer David Clein to film festivals, the Josie Music Awards and Wavy Awards. I’m also looking forward to my upcoming music video shoot for my song “Alone”.
