Denver Queer Indie-Pop Musician Grace DeVine

Grace DeVine is a celestial starlet making a name in the world of music with pop love ballads.

Originally from Miami and currently studying at the University of Colorado Denver, DeVine writes songs grounded by strong beats and belts out lyrics that address the vicissitudes of love and loneliness to the upbeat sheen of her pop melodies. Finding inspiration in the cosmos and giving off an intoxicating dreamy vibe, DeVine embodies elements across genres, time periods, and tastes.

DeVine grew up as one of five kids in a home with two moms, which she attributes to her open mind and heart. She recently released her latest single “Maniac,” which is about the last residue of nostalgia she feels for an ex-lover.

OFM had the opportunity to talk more with DeVine about “Maniac,” her love for the Denver music scene, and how her mom has made an impact on her success.

Hi, Grace! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me. Can you begin by telling us more about the concept and inspiration behind your new single, “Maniac?”
My friend, Josiah Humphreys, is a local producer and rapper who has a solo project called Siah Rain’n. We met over the summer because we wanted to collaborate. He made a beat, and during this time, I was going through a breakup. This shitty dude kept hitting me up, and I was like, I moved on. “Maniac” is kind of about how much fun it is to be a slut post breakup.

What do you hope listeners take away from the song?
Shake your ass and block your ex!

What have you personally taken away from it?
Technically and musically, I really tapped into my higher register. I am such a lyricist, and I write all my songs from poetry, but I found that simpler lyrics are better. I always want to say the most in a song, but with this one, I tried to say a lot by saying little. I have also really been into Prince since I was 10, so I wanted to tap into that high pitch, airy falsetto Prince did. So, I took away finding power in the higher register of my voice.

Have you always had a passion for singing and songwriting?
Yes, I have. I started writing songs when I was around the delicate age of 13. My mom loves to tell this story of how I have been singing since I was little, and I have never had an off button. I have always loved to make noise.

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Can you tell us more about your musical style and aesthetic?
Grace DeVine is really about supernatural music. Supernatural elements being brought into music. I am inspired by the moon, and I feel very connected to the moon as a woman. My mom kind of instilled in me that all women have a special connection with the moon. When it comes to making music, producing, and arranging songs, I like to sit down and think of it like a palette. Like a painting. I feel like the color palette for the Grace DeVine project in general in lavender, silver, baby blue, pink, iridescent, and all the colors you would find in the galaxy.

What is the overall message you hope your music conveys?
That is such a good question. I hope listeners can feel connected to the music and can connect with themselves through the music. Connect with whatever they are feeling at the time, whatever they need. I want to make songs that do not already exist if somebody needs them.

Are you involved with the Denver music scene?
Yes. I moved to Denver five years ago to go to CU Denver for their music business program. I have met a ton of very cool musicians in school, and that is kind of where the base of the community I am involved in started from. I have played in weird bands and really tried to step out of my comfort zone however I can. Right now, with Grace DeVine, this feels the most authentic and the most real for me.

How would you say the Denver music scene stands out from any other music scene?
I think the Denver music scene is based on just showing up and being there for each other. Being there for your friend’s shows and saying yes to everything. I feel like the Denver music scene is really community based, whereas in Miami, it was like, if you have a song that people can shake their ass to, go play it in a club and then you will never see these people again.

In Denver, it’s like, there is an open night at the Mercury Café. So, if you go to that and perform, a bunch of people will come up to you afterwards and talk to you about the songs. Next month when you go to another open mic, you will see some of the same faces. I feel like that is the easiest way to establish connections. Show up to people’s shows, say yes to everything, and be nice. People here are so nice. When I first moved here, I was like, this is like Canada [laughs].

You grew up with two moms and you say that is one of the reasons for your open mind, open heart, and success. How so?
My mom is my favorite person ever. My mom and my birth father met, had my two older brothers, then me, and when I was really young, they got divorced. Right after that, my mom and this other woman got together, she moved in, and they raised us together. That was my norm. I did not think a heterosexual couple with two kids and a white picket fence was the norm. I thought that my moms and my big, blended family were normal. It is awesome how much times have changed, but when I was growing up, my moms were both public school teachers. They always told me that this was a need-to-know basis. We knew that my moms could get fired if people knew that they were gay.

I was teased for it, and it felt shitty that I had to keep it a secret, but at the end of the day, I had two moms who loved and supported me no matter what I wanted to do. I just always felt so fortunate. It was around my senior year in high school, my moms split up, and then my mom got back out there and started dating again. She started dating guys and girls. I would help her get ready for her dates and be like, who are we seeing today? All my friends were like, is your mom gay or straight? What is she? Hell, I don’t know [laughs]. I would ask my mom, and she would say, I don’t think I need a label for it. I think I can just love whoever I want and do not need to explain it to anyone.

That has been my understanding of sexuality. No matter who we want to bring home, it is going to be chill. It is going to be fine. I understand that a lot of people feel empowered by identifying as a certain sexuality, but for me, just because of the way I was raised and because of who my mom is, I feel empowered by not having to identify as anything. Just vibing with whoever I want.

I know if you had to put a label on it, you would identify as pansexual. So, what do you hope to do to bring more pansexual visibility into music?
I think something that I started doing, and I have noticed this with a lot of other artists, we are leaving pronouns out of songs. Especially when we are writing love songs. We want them to be playable to anybody who is attracted to anybody. Also, I have been trying to write about this for a while, I have a ton of poems in journals waiting to be turned into lyrics and put into music. They are about the free-flowing spectrum of sexuality and gender. Janelle Monáe has a song called “Make Me Feel,” and I feel like that is a good example. She is my hero.

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform?
Right now, I am working on arranging the live band so we can start playing shows come summer if it is safe. Outdoor shows. I would also like to do more songs about sexuality and my view on it. The view that I was raised with, that everything is cool as long as you are nice and kind. Ultimately, I just want to write songs for people who feel they do not connect to songs that much. Maya Angelou said something along the lines of, if there’s a story in you, it has to come out. There have been so many times where I have been in the car and I have been wanting to hear a song about sexuality or something that I am going through, and I cannot find that song. So, I want to make them.

To stay up-to-date with the latest news and projects, follow DeVine on Twitter and Instagram. “Maniac” and all other singles are available on all digital music streaming platforms.

Photos Courtesy of Kaitlin McMullen and Sara Elizabeth Grossman