Music

The first time I meet Calgary-bred, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Devon Cole, we’re at a Stampede party. I see a sandy blond in cowboy boots making a beeline for me: “Oh my GOD, I love your skirt!” she gushes as she feels the red, frilled edges. This meet-cute is a pretty good barometer for what she’s all about. Unafraid to make a splash about her obsessions, she’ll boldly pronounce her love for things like pop music, vibrators or, perhaps most important, herself.

This self-love M.O. is the foundation not only of her sweet disposition but also her shimmering pop soundscapes. Her debut EP, Party For One, dances to the tune of being Nobody’s Baby and finally strutting in the shoes her ex always hated. A feminist at heart, her clever clap-back lyrics have also taken her to new heights on TikTok. She recently remixed the lyrics to Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines to be about consent, which snowballed to over five million views and received press coverage from outlets as far-reaching as Buzzfeed Japan.

With confetti-covered sartorial and sonic spirit, Cole is what would happen if your favourite Groovy Girl threw a party with Man! I Feel Like A Woman-era Shania Twain and sang catchy breakup songs into a hot pink vibrator. Yes — she really does that.

I catch up with the pop darling-in-waiting as she visits her mom in L.A. over American Thanksgiving. We cover the new music, of course, but also everything from feminism and tattoos to aspirations of becoming a sex-toy influencer.

Let’s dive right in. You use a vibrator as a microphone in the music video for Nobody’s Baby. Tell me about that.

Nobody’s Baby is a bop about self-empowerment. In the second verse, I refer to the fact that I don’t need a partner because I have toys for that. So, I definitely wanted a vibrator or something to be involved in music video. Sex positivity is so great for everybody. And it’s just funny. I was never uncomfortable singing into a dildo. It feels right.

Was there a time when you were hesitant to be so publicly sex positive?

I definitely wouldn’t have been comfortable singing into a dildo in high school. Maybe not even in university. But once I graduated and moved to Toronto, it was an opportunity for me to start over. I’m an out-there individual. It’s been a journey of learning who I am. I’m the kind of person who wants to sing into a dildo — I don’t think I knew that three years ago.

The sex stores are going to be after you to offer a discount now: 20 per cent off with the code “DEVONCOLE”!

I’ve seen some influencers giving away coupon codes for vibrators and stuff. They need to reach out to my people, because I want that.

I’m putting this in the story so it happens for you. Fingers crossed.

Yeah, anybody out there who wants to sponsor me? Like a dildo company? I’m here.

Your first-ever release, July For The Whole Year, is now at almost one million streams. Congrats. I’ve been driving and screaming the lyrics to that one since you dropped it in 2020.

I never anticipated that a song I wrote when I was 16, 17, would gain that level of traction. It gave me the confidence to keep doing music. In all honesty, if it didn’t go so well, I wouldn’t have had the level of confidence to be like, okay, maybe this is something that I can really do. When it’s something as vulnerable as releasing art, it’s really nice to have external validation — as lame as that sounds — but it’s nice to know that the music is reaching somebody.

Who were some of the artists that made you want to get into music?

When I was younger, like 7 or 8, I really loved Norah Jones. I think she’s fantastic. And I’m still a massive fan of her. But the people who inspired me to be an artist later in life are Maggie Rogers and Leon Bridges. Towards the end of my university career at Queens, I was listening to a lot of their stuff.

Did Maggie Rogers and Leon Bridges influence Party For One?

It was less so artists who inspired me than songs that inspired me. I have a running playlist of songs that I’ve simply sucked the life out of. When I like a song, I will play it over and over and over again for a week. Yeah. I would refer to those and bring them as a reference to my producer.

You’ve been blowing up on TikTok with your stitch videos, both rewriting songs and singing over instrumentals. Your lyrics are so clever. How do you approach songwriting?

I usually start with a loop. John Mayer once said, “If a song’s lyrics and the feeling match, then that’s a good song.” So, I always think, what does this loop feel like? You know, does it feel like sadness? Does it feel like anger? Does it feel like remorse? Then I channel that along with whatever my personal experiences have been. I just love words. I love words so much. I was actually going to school in Toronto to be a copywriter — then I just ditched that!

What do you think of the term “TikTok artist”? It’s controversial. I’ve come across artists that really don’t like it.

I think being an artist comes from a great live show and so many other things beyond TikTok. But I’m very okay with saying that I’m a TikTok artist for now, because that’s where I’ve gained a lot of my following. I wouldn’t want to be for the rest of my life though. To be known and to be able to put your music out there is just a blessing. You can call me Joe — as long as I’m putting out music.

Let’s talk about how you remixed Blurred Lines to be about consent. That’s your most-watched TikTok.

This is going to sound bad, but I had a feeling that it would do well, that it would resonate with people. It just shows that culture is shifting the right way. When I had the idea to do it, the lyrics came out in like 10 minutes because I was so excited. I’ve never experienced anything like it before in my life — 17,000 people commenting “put this on Spotify!” I can’t put it on Spotify, it’s not my song! Maybe I’ll call Robin, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen …

@devoncolemusic

This song had to be rectified #fyp #blurredlines #robinthicke #consent #lyricsoftheday

♬ original sound – Devon Cole

You say it “sounds bad” that you knew it would be received well, but I think the only way it would be shady or just doing it for the views is if it didn’t resonate with the rest of your music. But your work deals a lot in female empowerment and doing whatever you want, when you want.

Totally.

Would you say your music is feminist?

I would say so. Just because I’m a feminist. It’s hard to segregate who I am from what I write about. So there’s always a little hint of me poking fun at toxic masculinity or talking about bodily autonomy or “I don’t need you anymore, I’m self-sufficient on my own.” That’s always been a theme in my music for sure. But I wouldn’t say that I set out for my music to be feminist.

You sing about tattoos a couple of times in your EP. I’m noticing one on your arm — is that Charmander from Pokémon?

Okay — I don’t have any. I’m a big fat liar. This is henna that I got in Venice Beach with my mom a few days ago. It’s a Squirtle tattoo. I’ve gotten a lot of compliments; L.A. people really like it. My mom has a matching Pikachu.

We’ve covered a lot about music, but let’s also talk about your style. It’s so colourful and fun — you’ve got the whole Groovy Girl aesthetic going on.

Totally! Like Lizzie McGuire. I love clothes. I love thrifting; it’s like a treasure hunt. I have a shopping problem. In high school, you kind of dress like your friends. And then in university, you’re following certain trends and you want to fit in. After leaving university, it was a lot about standing out. My fourth year of university is when I started wearing, like, alien earrings and cowboy boots to the bar. I just felt confident in them and myself. Fashion is the best way to stand out. I have 11 pairs of cowboy boots and it’s an obsession.