Weekdays are never boring in a city as bustling as Los Angeles, and this past Wednesday evening was no exception. I had the wonderful opportunity to attend an industry showcase for Devon Gabriella hosted by her label — BMG Rights Management (US). Set up as an intimate mini-concert, the night was filled with fan favorite songs and a glimpse into some upcoming releases.
A 23 year old singer-songwriter from Los Gatos, CA, Devon Gabriella began releasing music in 2020 with her debut single “The Way I See You”. She has come out with new music every year since then, with her debut album “From the Next Room” being released in February 2024. I discovered her music this past fall and have been hooked ever since.
The event was hosted at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, CA — a small bar focused on “showcasing singer-songwriters before they break big.” The showcase was a 21+ fan exclusive event with invites going out from her team @devonshq via social media. The showcase was completely free and even had an open bar for everyone in attendance. The crowd was filled with dedicated fans, friends and family, and people from her label. A few other small artists I recognized were also in attendance like Grace Enger, Tristan, and Avery Lynch. Devon took the main stage while a few other small artists — Savannah Sgro, Coby Brown and Reed Turchi — took the second stage at Hotel Cafe that evening.
Doors for the event opened at 6:30 p.m. and Devon took the stage around 7:30 p.m. It was a small but intimate setting with low ambient mood lighting and around 30 chairs set up at the front of the stage. Each set of chairs had a small table with flameless candles and fresh flowers in between them. The stage was also decorated with moss and flowers all over — all on theme with lead single “The Garden” from Devon’s anticipated next project that she played some unreleased music from at the showcase. She played 11 songs in total, showcasing a combination of new releases, fan favorites from her debut album, and even a few unreleased songs we can expect to hear on her next project.
Event Setlist:
- “The Garden”
- “Gasoline”
- “Songbird” (unreleased)
- “Moon Boy” (unreleased)
- “Bad Blood” (unreleased)
- “Second Nature” (unreleased)
- “talking in your sleep”
- “gone for good”
- “how could you?”
- “afraid of heights”
- “older”
The event opened with Devon’s two latest releases, “The Garden” and “Gasoline” which just came out on March 7th and April 18th of 2025, making this one of the first times she has played both of those songs live with a band.
Devon played a total of four unreleased songs that evening. She began with “Songbird”, a soft and slow yet incredibly powerful ballad that touches on themes of falling out of love with someone and coming to terms with that feeling.
Next she played “Moon Boy”, a song about the pretentious archetype of a guy who thinks he’s hip and indie for smoking a cigarette every now and then, with Devon saying “because we all know the type.”
“Bad Blood” is another unreleased song that Devon describes as having been written after a night out with friends and dealing with the feeling of trying to fix or save people in your life.
“Second Nature” was the final unreleased song she played that also touches on themes of trying to save and fix someone in your life, with the chorus saying “There I go trying to save ya. Do your worst, I’ll take the hurt. It’s second nature.” Perhaps the most upbeat and playful of the four new songs played this evening, “Second Nature” is one of my new favorites.
Devon closed out the evening by playing five songs from her first album “From the Next Room.” This project has a dreamy, indie-pop sound that highlights incredibly vulnerable lyrics about love and familial relationships. These songs were how I first discovered Devon and what initially drew me into her music, with “older” and “gone for good” being two of my all time favorites.
After the show, Devon came out into the bar to mingle with fans and friends, making it a point to say hello and individually thank everyone in attendance for coming. She came straight up to my friend and I to give us a hug and we had a brief conversation about college, career paths and her new music. It felt like catching up with an old friend despite it being my first time ever speaking with her — which is something that makes her truly so special as an artist. I’ve been a fangirl for a long time, and the level of genuine connection and authenticity I observed from Devon with her fans is something that can’t be forced.
The night before, Devon hosted another private fan event in Los Angeles for around 60 fans. Bringing “The Garden” to life with this private listening session of unreleased music, it’s clear that she prioritizes the fan experience as an artist. These evenings were some of Devon’s first times playing a live show as the main act, but her first official headline show is still yet to come. She took to her Instagram story after the Wednesday show to post “Also tonight wasn’t an official headline show quite yet……but i promise it’s in the works <3.”
As of now, Devon has 196.6K monthly listeners on Spotify, which I suspect won’t remain the case for long. She was just announced as the opening act for sombr’s tour this fall, whose music is also currently blowing up due to his songs “back to friends” and “undressed” trending on TikTok. I’ll be seeing Devon again this fall as his supporting act at The Fonda Theatre in November.
Devon Gabriella is my new favorite small artist that I would love to gatekeep but can’t help to because I believe she deserves all the success in the world. I can’t wait to see her live again this fall and for her music to be discovered by the rest of the world. Her style and songwriting remind me of Gracie Abrams and Lizzy McAlpine, who she has previously cited as influential inspirations for her music. The softness of her sound and vulnerability of her lyrics feel like a breath of fresh air yet familiar all at the same time. If you’re looking for somewhere to start listening to her music, take a listen to “The Garden”, “Gasoline” and her debut album “From the Next Room.”
Be sure to check out her Instagram, TikTok, Youtube and whatever platform you stream music on to hear more from Devon Gabriella and get into her music.