'X Factor' star Janet Devlin releases emotive concept album 'Confessional' along with new autobiography
On June 5, 2020, Janet Devlin of 'The X Factor' fame steps back into the spotlight with two intimate and inspiring offerings. The immensely talented 25-year-old Irish singer has just released a bold concept album called 'Confessional', along with a 46,000-word companion autobiography titled 'My Confessional'. Both the album and book are a rollercoaster of powerful emotions, with each track and accompanying book chapter offering compelling insights into the singer’s personal life.
This ambitious dual release explores the years prior to Janet Devlin's 2011 appearance on 'The X Factor' right up to the present day, as well as giving a sense of comfort and hope to those who struggle with the same mental health issues that Janet has survived. Each chapter in the book reveals the true story behind each of the 12 songs on 'Confessional', and as Janet admits, “The only way out now is up.”
Since 2019, Janet has released five singles ('Confessional', 'Saint Of The Sinners', 'Honest Men', 'Away With The Fairies', and 'Holy Water') as she gradually re-emerged into the limelight. The acclaim that each track has gained from her loyal legion of fans (and half a million YouTube subscribers) has given Janet the confidence to know that now is the right time to tell the tale of her incredibly moving journey, which will inspire millions just like her. The time and effort she's put into these offerings is already resonating with music lovers. On its June 5 release, 'Confessional' topped the charts in Ireland, France, Australia, South Africa, and Canada, as well as hitting #2 on Germany's albums chart and the singer-songwriter album chart on iTunes in the United States.
'Confessional' was produced by Jonathan Quarmby (Lewis Capaldi, Benjamin Clementine, Tom Walker), and co-written with hand-picked songwriters like Lauren Aquilina, Fiona Bevan, and Paul Statham. It was recorded over the course of two years, in two separate studios (RAK Studios, London and Westland Studios, Dublin) to ensure Devlin's friends and bandmates were involved, as well as capturing the all-important Irish flavors central to the singer's identity and mellifluous voice.
'Confessional' is a labor of love, fuelled by introspective and emotive pop songs that wear their hearts (and scars) on their sleeves. Thanks to this, the 12 true-to-life tales on this album are the purest confessions of a young life lived less ordinary, with each track being as candid and powerful as the next. “Writing the songs for Confessional at the same time as my autobiography has been one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done,” Janet reveals.
“There have been many times when I felt I would never be able to finish either of them. So, now that they’re both finished and no longer just ideas that reside in my broken mind, I stare back in wonder. Even I can’t believe what I’ve endured. Whatever compelled me to write the story of the last ten years of my life was also the same power that gave me the confidence to start believing I deserved this second chance. Through everything, I can genuinely say I owe my life to music. And now it’s time to set it free.”
Devlin is also looking forward to what comes next after this successful dual release. “Taking this album and the book on tour will be the next piece of this massive puzzle. I’m looking forward to bringing my experiences of hope and survival out to the people who may need to hear it and hopefully feel empowered and supported. We need to begin having more conversations, start a debate, and look these issues straight in the face. That’s what this whole idea of 'confession' has been about: to show people that no matter how dark your life can get, there is always a light to aim for.”
You can listen to Devlin's new album 'Confessional' by clicking here and her autobiography 'My Confessional' by clicking here.