By Carlos Cureno
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
While it is always a good thing to represent where one comes from, sometimes it is necessary to leave that place in order to grow. No matter where Joella DeVille goes, she is always a Jersey girl. However, she has spent the past year and a half in Los Angeles.
Moving to Los Angeles helped Joella DeVille get her music exposed to millions of people. Since the move, she has performed at House of Blues and had her music on both Bravo and VH1. This is only the tip of the iceberg for the rising star, however.
Hip Hop Vibe was fortunate enough to get a minute with Joella DeVille to speak to her about some things. She would discuss with us her rising profile in the industry and her work. During the interview, Joella DeVille tells an interesting story of how she has become a dominant artist in the game.
Read the entire interview below:
Was there pressure for you to get into music, seeing how your family was musically-inclined? I don’t think I felt any real pressure, to be honest. I started violin at 3 so it was just something that just was in our household. It was just normal, like eating, and breathing. I didn’t know I had any other option. I’m really the only one of us in my immediate family that kept with music and I’m really grateful that my mom didn’t allow me to quit once things got difficult.
Can you tell us your exact relation to William Grant Still? I’m not exactly sure, I guess I could ask my relatives but he’s definitely from my grandfather’s side. My great grandfather played the violin, and many of my relatives on that side of the family sing. But I’ll definitely ask. It’s funny because I’ve definitely been following in his footsteps. I was classically trained, as was he, in piano and violin. And just like he did, I moved to LA to continue working on my music. So it’s pretty interested to see how history plays itself out. There’s actually a community arts center out here in LA in his name. I haven’t been there yet, but my aunts and cousins have, so I plan to do that this year.
Being a native of Jersey City, how do you feel about the recent success Fetty Wap has had? I think it’s great! Jersey has some amazing talent and we’ve been trying to get out from under New York’s shadow for some time. We have our own distinct sound, dances and culture, i.e. Jersey Club Music, so I think it’s great that Fetty is helping to open doors for the rest of us so that the rest of the world can see what’s going on in our state. Because let me tell you, it’s some pretty awesome shit.
Since he is from Paterson, could you see yourself working with him? Definitely! I would love to work with him! I feel like we could make some really dope music together and do it in a way that really allows Jersey to shine.
Can you tell us more about the classes you taught at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh? Dance is something that has always been a part of me, and therefore my brand. So I’m really grateful that my school allowed me to teach ballet. It was great because I got to teach undergrad and grad students from all walks of life. I was able to infuse other dance forms and allow the students to have input. So sometimes I would add hiphop or jazz just to spice things up. We had a great time and everyone, including myself was able to get credits for these classes.
You’ve had music from your project, Round 2, featured on such networks as VH1 and Bravo. How did that come together? I worked with a producer dC SoulPlusMind, on my last project, Round 2. He’s really big into music licensing, so he’s the one that actually submitted those records for us, and it was really exciting to hear that they got picked up. I remember the first time I found out that my records were on tv, I honestly didn’t even believe everyone. A few of my followers hit me up on Twitter and were like “I’m pretty sure that was your song on Married to Medicine just now!” and I honestly couldn’t believe it so I waited until the show aired again at like 1am and they were right! It was truly one of the highlights of my career. And the best part about that, is that it’s only the beginning.
What was it like performing at the House of Blues for the first time? It was a really great experience! That was my first show since I moved to LA in 2014, so that alone made the experience even greater. I was on stage with a really dope artist from Phoenix, IAm Jones. And we really just got up there and had so much fun. It felt really intimate and we really were able to get the crowd involved so it was awesome. I’m really blessed to have gotten that experience before they closed its doors.
You’ve done a lot, but what comes next for you? Right now, I’m currently working on my LP, CONTROL, that I will be releasing in the fall, as well as a 3-4 song EP for the spring/summer, as my fans wait for the album. It’s been about three years since I released my last project since I moved to LA, so my fans are pretty anxious for some new music and I’m really excited and blessed that people are wanting to hear more from me, so these next steps are critical. I really plan to take my time to put out the best product possible. In the meantime, I’ve recently collaborated with DJ Dennis Blaze from 95.7 KISS FM in San Diego, and we will be releasing a fun club record within the next few weeks. I’ll also be collaborating with Tsu Surf (Jersey!) this year, which I’m really excited about, so stay tuned for that!
Where can fans find you on social media? Twitter is my preferred method of communication. I just find the other social networks to be super vain and I have a really big mouth (laughs.) I’m super opinionated, and Twitter allows for me to express my thoughts better than the others, so that’s where you can find me mostly. @JoellaDeVille. My Instagram is also @JoellaDeville. and my Facebook is Facebook.com/JoellaDeVilleFanPage.
Watch “Submit To Ya” by Joella DeVille below:
Follow Carlos Cureno on Twitter @DjayyCharliee.
