Janet Devlin says “blending my Irish roots with the Nashville spirit has opened up this whole new world”.
The 30-year-old Irish singer-songwriter, who rose to prominence after placing fifth on The X Factor in 2011, has unveiled Not My First Emotional Rodeo – a deluxe edition of her country debut Emotional Rodeo. The expanded release features eight brand-new tracks, including a stripped-back reinterpretation of Kenny Rogers’ timeless classic, The Gambler.
Devlin is living her country music dream, having played C2C (Country to Country) festival in Belfast, London, and Berlin this year, and having chart success with the album, and she admits it’s all “a bit surreal”.
She told BANG Showbiz: “It’s honestly a bit surreal but also the realisation of a long term goal of mine. I grew up in very rural Ireland, singing along to country songs at home, and at the back of my mind I always knew that one day I’d be releasing in this genre. But I also somehow manifested me standing on a C2C stage and having my songs played on the radio! To be part of this new wave bringing country into the mainstream is such an honour, but it also feels like home to me. Country has always been about storytelling, and that’s what I’ve been doing since the beginning – raw honesty, writing from the heart and of course some silly goose humour too!”
Country has well and truly taken over the mainstream with artists like Beyonce, Post Malone and Lana Del Rey spearheading the revival.
Devlin commented: “What’s exciting is seeing how wide the genre is stretching at the moment – country isn’t one thing and it can live anywhere. I hope it opens up for steadfast artists who’ve been grinding it out in the genre for a while – they deserve to have bigger audiences and a wee bit more income as a result! For me, blending my Irish roots with the Nashville spirit has opened up this whole new world.”
She concluded: “More than anything, I’m just grateful. To see people connecting with songs that started in my little notebook in the middle of nowhere. If I can help make country feel a little more universal, a little more unexpected, then I’m exactly where I’m meant to be!”
Released in November 2024, Emotional Rodeo reached No.1 on the iTunes Country Chart and No.4 on the UK Official
Country Artists Albums Chart.
Stream Not My First Emotional Rodeo on all major platforms.