Musician Kimmie Devereux joins us on Close-Up Culture to discuss the incredible success of her single, Queen, and making an impact through her work.
You’re hot off the huge success of Queen. How fulfilling has it been to see the success of this single?
This song has exceeded all of my expectations. To see that so many people connect to it has meant so much to me. This is a song I wish I had growing up during my coming out journey, so to see just one person relate to it is all I could have asked for.
Can you give us any insight into the creation of Queen and your inspiration for it?
Women loving women are proud to love a woman and this song lets them belt that to the world, unapologetically. A lot of people assume that once you come out, you never have to come out again. However, as a straight-passing lesbian, I come out to people on a daily basis, and it can sometimes be exhausting going out to bars and having men assume I’m straight.
This song represents a bold and confident stance to everyone that I don’t need to love or be loved by a man, because I have my queen. When I was asked by one of my good friends and collaborators, Jamison Fox, to be on the track, I knew this was something people needed to hear. We are who we are, and we love who we love and the LGBTQ+ community needs more anthems like this one.
I love the positive vibes on your socials, not everyone takes that approach! Why is this positivity important to you?
I truly believe you become what you surround yourself with. Whether it’s from your friends, family, or through social media, if you want to have a positive outlook on life, you have to digest positivity on a daily basis. I know how hard it can be to feel low and lose that feeling of worth in this world, so I want people to know they aren’t alone in that. We’re all in this together, through the good and bad days.
Can you tell us about your background and what drew you to music?
I actually grew up in musical theater, so I’ve been singing since I was about 8 years old! It wasn’t until high school when I started writing songs, and then it wasn’t until college that I decided I wanted to write and release my own songs. I actually didn’t know being a songwriter was something people could go to school for so I got my degree in TV Production and then realized I couldn’t see myself doing anything other than music.
After college I started getting into the EDM world and releasing collaboration songs with producers to get my name out there. I then moved to Nashville in 2021, and that’s when I decided to really focus on my solo project and meeting writers and producers here to help craft it.
What has been your proudest moment as an artist?
Honestly, every message I get from a fan on Instagram or TikTok is my proudest moment, because they remind me why I do this. I want to make an impact on people through my music, but there are a lot of days where I feel like giving up and all it takes is just one person to reach out and tell me how much my music has helped them, and then I’m back on my feet.
Who are some of your biggest inspirations?
When it comes to my music, Tori Kelly was the first artist to inspire me to write my own songs. She is incredible. I also get a lot of my sound inspiration from Fletcher, Chelsea Cutler, and Demi Lovato.
As for life inspiration, I read/listen to a LOT of self-help books and motivational podcasts. Jay Shetty, Glennon Doyle and Mel Robbins are a few authors/motivational speakers that have drastically changed my outlook on life. I don’t think I would still be in the music industry if it weren’t for their wisdom to help me get through the many mental roadblocks this music journey has.
How would you like to develop and evolve as an artist in the coming years?
I really want to work with more LGBTQ+ and Mental Health Awareness organizations. I love making music and connecting with fans, but to know that I can use my platform to raise money, awareness, and create action for good causes and for people that need it just makes this journey and career mean so much more to me.
Do you have any upcoming projects you can tell us about?
My new single ‘Do To Me’ comes out 4/15 and I can’t wait! It’s been about 4 months since I’ve released music, so I’m really excited for this one! And you can definitely expect my first EP by the end of 2022 🙂
