Kimmie Devereux
I’ve been supporting Kimmie since her debut single “Normal” and I couldn’t be more excited about this new feature. First of all, Kimmie has one of the most beautiful voices ever. Emotion comes first when it comes to her music and her vocals, and that is very rare.
Her new single “Like A Drug” offers something different from what she released before. It is fun, catchy, liberating and sexy, and it feels good. I’m very proud of her for releasing this song.
I will always support Kimmie because I truly believe in her. I hope she will get more and more attention worldwide. But so far, so good :)
“Like A Drug” is out now !
Photo credit: Megan McCauney
Hi Kimmie !! How are you? What have you been up to since our first interview?
Life has been quite the ride these past couple of years! I went through a breakup this past year and decided to pack up my life in Jersey and move in with my sister in Nashville, TN. Since then I have just been meeting and working with people down here, all while trying to find my place in this industry. It’s definitely a long and constant learning experience, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.
"Like A Drug" is your new single - what's the story/inspiration behind this song?
This single is very different from what I’ve released in the past. It was my first session with my co-writers Colin and Tom and I had just written down the phrase “like a drug” in my notes app the night before. It’s not usually like me to write about sex this openly, but I went into the session after spending the night with someone that was most likely not going to end up being my person. But something kept bringing me back to them and that was, ultimately, the sex, and the intense feelings it gave me.
Could you describe the songwriting/production for this single? Who helped you create it?
Colin Rowe, who produced the track, laid down a chord progression at the beginning of the session along with a really vibey bass line loop and we kind of just went from there! Tom Pinot, my co-writer, and I took the ‘like a drug’ concept and just started talking about things that gave you that same craving feeling of insatiable sex, and we turned that into the chorus. It all came pretty fast and the vocals you hear on the final version are all the demo vocals we recorded the day we wrote it. I wanted to keep them because I knew if I re-tracked the vocals I would be thinking too much and the feelings I had writing the song that day wouldn’t be the same and wouldn’t come through in my voice.
What did you feel when writing this song?
When writing this song, I didn’t hold back or overthink like I usually do. I didn’t go into the session with any expectations of what type of song I would leave with. It truly just felt so good to get all that built up energy out of me in the most organic way.
What's your favorite thing about this single?
I think I have two favorite things about this single. This first being how interesting and different the chorus is. No one really expects it when it comes and then all of a sudden you find yourself bouncing around because it’s so fun. The second favorite thing I love about it is probably how open I am in the song, lyrically. I usually don’t write songs like this, but I think that’s why I love it so much. It was so organic and honest and, to me, those end up being the best songs.
What made you want to release "Like A Drug" as a single?
So funny story, like I mentioned earlier, I went into the session with no expectations. Even when the session was over and knowing this song was a banger, I really had no intention of releasing it. One day I posted a demo of the song on TikTok just to experiment and see how it would do targeting the LGBTQ+ community there. Within days it blew up, and needless to say I was not prepared! Haha. But people were begging for it, so I said, “you know what, why not just run with it and release it.”
What can you tell us about the artwork?
The photo in the artwork was taken by my talented friend, Meg McCauley! We did a last minute photoshoot in my bedroom, where I thought made the most sense when it came to what the song was about and the feel it gave.
I then took one of the photos and edited it myself into what the cover art is now! I love playing around and designing cover art, and I am also pretty broke, so doing it myself was the most practical option haha. But I love it :)
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
For me, the hardest part about being an artist is confidently saying I am one. There are still days when I question if I have what it takes, and that puts a huge toll on me and my music journey. You need a lot of mental strength to be an artist in today’s music industry with there being so many people you can compare yourself to, and that’s something I don’t think I’ll ever stop working on. But in the end, I am choosing to go through the struggle that comes along with it, and that’s how I know this is my true passion and what I want to do in life. .
The best part about being an artist for me is definitely making something that total strangers can relate to so deeply, and being able to talk to them about it. I truly love connecting with everyone that reaches out to me with kind words. I try my best to have genuine conversations with them and show them that in the end, we’re all the same. As different as we may feel on the outside, we all go through the same emotions and human experiences in life. If we didn’t, the stories behind the music wouldn’t be relatable.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
I think songwriters deserve a lot more credit than they’re given. It’s come to a point where a lot of songwriters can’t make a decent living on what they earn from their work. And yet, without them, music wouldn’t exist. As an artist, I strive to give them the credit and fair share of the song that they truly deserve, and I hope other artists/labels can understand the weight that carries and help create change with me.
What lessons have you learned since the release of "Normal"?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned these past two years since my debut single ‘Normal’ was released, is that it’s okay to not know what you’re doing. For me specifically, I am way too hard on myself. No one has it all figured out! So I decided to take that and be honest about the fact that I’m going to make mistakes along the way and fail at times, but the good news is that I’m not alone. I have been the most inspired when watching people I look up to be so true to who they are. So if I can take it day by day, learn as I go, and just be true to myself, that’s all that matters.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
I like to say my motto in life is: keep going, and be kind along the way. No matter what you’re going through, find a support system and take each day as it comes, because you will make it to the other side even when it’s too hard to see that in the moment. And as always, kindness goes a long way and we will always need more of it in this world.
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