Devon Gilfillian: The Gumbo of Influences, a Father's Heart Attack, and the Making of "In Real Life"

This week we sit down with Devon Gilfillian, Nashville-based soul and rock artist from Delaware County, Pennsylvania, ahead of the June 26th release of his fourth studio album, In Real Life. It's a record born from gratitude, grief, and a renewed commitment to focusing on what's actually in front of you — not what's on the screen.Devon traces his musical upbringing from a household shaped by his dad's love of Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire, and Motown, through a teenage obsession with Jimi Hendrix, Zeppelin, and the Allman Brothers, all the way to discovering Sturgill Simpson and Willie Nelson after moving to Nashville at 23. The result is what he calls a gumbo — a sound that draws on soul, rock, country, and hip hop in equal measure.He opens up about how his dad's heart attack two years ago reframed everything, the deep bench of collaborators he brought in for the album (including mixer Neil Pogue, who's worked with Outkast, TLC, and Tyler the Creator), and why he's finally at peace with the anxiety of releasing music after four records.We also get into his complicated relationship with social media, why he almost went by "Reverend Fuzz," the five albums he'd make required listening in a music class, and the songs in his catalog he's most proud of — including the quietly devastating "Thank Me Later" and the politically loaded "Love You Anyway."Links:🎵 In Real Life — out June 26th: devongilfillian.com📸 Instagram: @devongilfillianFollow Me On SocialsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@fuegostineInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/fuegostine/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fuegostineSpotify Playlists: https://open.spotify.com/user/fuegostine?si=a9f66792f66149aePatreon: https://www.patreon.com/fuegostine