Devon Gabriella said she never expected her 2023 song “Older,” reckoning with her parent’s separation, to resonate with so many people. But after a particular performance, a mother and her teenage daughter approached Gabriella to say her music had helped the girl get through her parent’s divorce.
“It was a tear fest. I mean it just gives me goosebumps, thinking about it makes me emotional because that’s the reason behind all of it,” Gabriella said of the conversation.
Following the rising L.A.-based artist making her SXSW debut, and embarking on her first-ever headlining tour, Gabriella will release her new EP, All At Once, on Nov. 13 via BMG. As she gears up for another tour this year, Gabriella is looking forward to connecting with her community of fans known as “the garden.”
Throughout the years, the singer-songwriter has received many touching letters from listeners which she said she’s framed in her home. With the majority of her fans being young women, Gabriella said she hopes to be an older sister figure for them.
“I still have 13-year-olds in my DMs saying how much that song helps them and impacts them, and that is the pinnacle of why I do what I do,” Gabriella said. “Because I was 13, wanting some kind of form of support or solace, or knowing that I’m not alone in how I feel.”
Gabriella was around that same age when she began making music. She started playing the drums in a band with her cousins called “The Upbeat Girls,” and after getting her first guitar at 14, began posting covers on social media.
Around age 16, she started writing her own music and from the start, she knew she wanted to pursue it professionally. She began cold messaging managers and producers on social media to try to kickstart her career. Originally from the Bay Area, she would commute back and forth to L.A. trying to form connections in the industry.
“It was my dream. I was willing to do anything and the worst thing that could happen [is] someone says no,” Gabriella said. “I had to do it for myself and for the betterment of my career and to get my songs out there. And I was really lucky that a few of them took a chance on me.”
Flash forward nine years later, Gabriella has generated a following of over 200,000 on TikTok, and her online audience has translated into real life fans: her debut L.A. headline show at the Moroccan Lounge sold out in under a minute.
“Seeing the community form around my music has been the biggest pinch me moment of it all, because creating art, foundationally is just [about wanting] to connect with other people,” Gabriella said.
At the time that Grammy-award nominated artist Sombr’s team reached out and asked Gabriella to open for him on his 2025 Late Nights & Young Romance Tour, she said she had only played about 10 live shows.
“I had never faced a crowd that big in my life,” Gabriella said. “I couldn’t even picture it before I got on stage at that first show in Charleston, and I like to think that regardless of how many people are watching, it really is about the individual reach that I make with each person.”
And Gabriella will be singing a new tune the next time she hits the stage.
Her new EP All At Once captures a time during which Gabriella was feeling “everything all at once” – the good and the bad.
Two days after Gabriella returned from the tour, her relationship of five years ended, sparking a major change in her life. Since the break up, Gabriella said she’s been able to explore who she is outside of a relationship, and the EP tells the story of this period of self discovery.
“I was mourning this relationship, but having experiences with new people, feelings I’ve never felt before, and I want to lean into that and not take myself so seriously,” Gabriella said.
Gabriella said the title of the EP comes from a lyric in the song “Crash and Burn,” the latest single she released in September: “We’re dying quick like cigarettes, so might as well just kill me all at once.” “Blood on Our Hands,” the next single off the EP, came out Friday.
“This song came after a night with someone that I probably shouldn’t have been seeing, but kind of leaning into that, sometimes when it’s not supposed to happen or it’s forbidden, it’s that much more fun,” Gabriella said.
According to Gabriella, All at Once is “little bit more tongue in cheek” compared to her earlier music. While a lot of her previous songs were sadder, All at Once showcases a broader range of emotions.
Gabriella also said she’s breaking out of the singer-songwriter mold, straying from acoustic songs toward a more pop-centric production. Still, though she may experiment with different styles, Gabriella’s lyrics remain at the core of her music.
The day the EP comes out, Gabriella will be kicking off a headlining tour starting with a release show at The Troubadour, a venue she said has always been her dream to perform at.
“When I heard that there’s a chance that I could be headlining it, I was over the moon because I couldn’t even imagine my name on the marquee there,” Gabriella said. “It’s crazy and so iconic, and it’s definitely a major bucket list moment for me.”
Touring is one of Gabriella’s favorite parts of being an artist, as she had always dreamed of living in an RV and waking up in a new place everyday. After the Troubadour she’ll be traveling to Chicago, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Toronto, New York City and London.
Next up, Gabriella wants to release a full length album, a goal she said feels daunting but exciting.
“I think there’s something really special about slow and steady growth,” Gabriella said. “It makes those moments of playing shows and those bigger moments so rewarding. I’m just taking it all in and excited to see where 2027 brings me, and just having gratitude at the forefront of it all.”
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