Americana singer-songwriter, Sweetlove, has released “Devil On Your Shoulder”. The single comes from the forthcoming EP, Goodnight, Lover, dropping in 2021. Listen to “Devil On Your Shoulder” HERE.
“‘Devil On Your Shoulder’ is about being brave, and free, and truly yourself,” Sweetlove says. “It’s the happiest song on the new record, but it’s also informed by great loss, and how that loss sweeps away all of the things that don’t matter anymore, which gives you a strange new freedom.” She continues, “When you lose someone you love, the best way you can honor their memory is to go out and live the life you always wanted… and ‘Devil On Your Shoulder’ tells you to embrace that messy gift of life, while you are lucky enough to have it.”
The daughter of a preacher and a teacher, Sweetlove grew up in California’s Simi Valley. Raised in a Pentecostal church, she was surrounded by live music – singing and dancing to worship songs and hymns, finding joy in the communal melodies. As she got older and moved away from organized religion, the music itself became her church. She eventually moved to LA and immersed herself in the local music scene, even singing back-up for Grammy and Tony award winners such as Shane McAnally and Levi Kreis, as well as #1 Billboard artist Debby Holiday, among others, before finding refuge in her own songwriting.
Born out of a tsunami of grief and pain, Goodnight, Lover is a portrait of an artist coming into her own. In late 2017, Sweetlove was beginning to work on new original material when she was faced with three devastating losses – her oldest friend, Matt, her long-time love, David, and her cousin, Teddy, all passed away within one year of each other. She funneled her grief into collaborations with writers such as Jay Stolar (Selena Gomez, Trevor Daniel, Aloe Blacc, G-Eazy, Demi Lovato), Evangelina, Zach Berkman (Ron Pope), Garen Gueyikian, and Adam Tressler, resulting in a collection of songs about “grappling with loss, coming to terms with it, missing someone, wishing you had known you weren’t going to have more time, and how to find joy again.”
Produced by Justin Glasco (The Lone Bellow), Goodnight, Lover reflects the emotional dichotomy that one often experiences in times of great sadness. “The record is all about saying goodbye with grace, and being able to sit with everything that comes with grief – not only the acceptance, but also the surprising love and support that comes from people around you,” Sweetlove explains. “There’s a tension in that – to feel the worst sadness you’ve ever felt, and at the same time to be the most grateful you’ve ever been for the beauty and love around you.”
Goodnight, Lover will be released in 2021. “Devil On Your Shoulder” is the second single released, and is available everywhere now.
