Talent doesn’t always scream for attention. It might lurk under layers of day-to-day life, lofty expectations and denial. But when it does peek out, recognizing it is the first step toward a whole new reality. You could say that’s what happened to Devon Alana who, at age 21, started hanging with friends in karaoke bars. One night, after being goaded into singing, talent peeked out, surprising her friends.
“When I finally started doing it, they were like, you jerk!” she recalls. “Like, this whole time! And I was like, no I really didn’t know that I could sing at all.”
Almost a decade later, Devon and her band, Fake Pockets, are making the rounds in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Their album, Magnolia Street, has been turning heads. After an absence because of COVID, Devon and the band are doing live shows again, most recently in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and soon in New York and Pennsylvania.
Devon offers a look into her creative process and inspirations. You might be surprised. Here’s our conversation: