CARLY KNASZAK
Reverb Co-Editor
Students come out of Fredonia hoping for a bright future. They want to become the next big thing. Some people limit their goals because they think their dreams are all too big. Fredonia aluma Devin Stanford, also known as “dev11n,” lives and breathes music, and no negative thoughts are bringing her down. She even quit her job to go on tour and pursue hip-hop music full-time.
Stanford appeared on the campus TV show “Fred Before Bed” and just recently did a radio interview on “The Voice Of Fred.”
In Nov. 2015, she released her EP “#The11thHour,” which features her singles “Better Days,” “I Feel It,” “Well” and “Mind of a Mad Woman.”
The EP is about Stanford’s own life of dealing with broken hearts, finding self-love and combatting insecurities.
“I believe that in order to be prepared for what a true companionship requires — which is honesty, patience, trust — a person must first have gone through that journey with their self,” Stanford said.
“So often we are dishonest or impatient with ourselves or doubtful of our true potential. If you haven’t learned how to work through those issues with yourself, how can you expect to work through those same issues with another person?”
The song “Well” was written to stand as the conclusion of the trilogy that consists of “Mind of a Mad Woman” (part 1), “I Feel It” (part 2).
“While the first two parts detail the trials and tribulations I faced on the journey to self-discovery and self-love, part three discusses the final triumph as I overcome my fears and insecurities to become ‘Well,’” Stanford said.
Musically, Stanford is inspired by Tupac, Lauryn Hill and BIG KRIT. But creatively, she said she is inspired by artists like Basquiat and Nina Simone. “I am inspired by what they represented through their art, as well as their lives,” Stanford said.
Even though Stanford graduated in 2013, the Fall 2015 Music Marketing and Promotions class stepped up to help promote her. Senior Alana Hernandez, a music industry major, took interest in Stanford when she first heard her music in the class.
“Professor Armand Petri had mentioned to our class that this new artist, who is also a Fredonia alum[a] of the Music Business Program, would be needing a team to help her in the promotional aspect of her music career,” Hernandez said, “Once he played her music and I got a feel of her vibe, it all began from there.”
Part of Hernandez’s job is finding Stanford open mics to perform at and promoting her on social media.
“Last semester I helped land her an interview and performance on the campus show ‘Fred Before Bed’ to promote the release of her EP ‘#The11thHour’ on Nov. 11. Each day is a different job, but as a whole, we work toward the main goal,” Hernandez said.
“Working with the music industry students has been a blessing to say the least. They hold me down and give me such valuable feedback and advice as to what I could be doing more or better. They are always willing to help, and they truly believe in the movement that we’ve started as a team,” Stanford said.
Stanford’s music may be inspiring, but her dedication to her passion of music had influenced Hernandez herself.
“Devin is an amazing artist to work with. She is hardworking, determined and, overall, just a positive person to be around,” Hernandez said. “Working with her has given me motivation and confidence to know that I can make it in this music industry as a future CEO of my own label.”