It was one of the first sunny days in New York, and I was trekking into Chinatown to meet DE’WAYNE — and running late. The LA-based artist wanted to go vintage shopping today, so I suggested we start at James Veloria, the downtown mother lode for avant-garde Japanese and European archive pieces hidden in a Chinese mall under the Manhattan Bridge. When I arrived, not only was DE’WAYNE standing outside the shop, but he was surrounded by a tight swarm of kids, truly dedicated fans who’d traveled by bus, train, foot to meet their idol in this unassuming stairwell above a fish market, as the floor shook from the heavy rattle of traffic above our heads.
Decked out in denim flares, pointy, patent leather heeled boots, and a wide smile, we headed into JV, a couple of straggling fans in tow, giggling any time the artist looked their way. I believe style is a great indicator when it comes to understanding an artist, or anyone for that matter. With DE’WAYNE, this proved to be beyond true. “Lenny, in the field, in the gold onesie — that’s it for me,” he gushed, as I watched him try on a silky animal print blouse with puff sleeves and a pair of funky, gold-mirrored glasses — giving each his official stamp of approval: “Hot sexy.” But it’s not just a label slapped on superior fashion sense; it’s an entire vibe for DE’WAYNE, not to mention a new era for the artist. As we head toward a nearby cafe, he explains, “I just want to hear a cool, hot Black guy singing about love.”
Read more: Jerks™ founder Matt Sloane curates his vintage finds like a record store
DE’WAYNE has never been one to play it safe. With his electric energy, genre-defying sound, and boundary-pushing style, the Houston-born artist has carved out a space that’s entirely his own. Now, he’s entering a bold new era with his latest album — a sultry, funk-infused project inspired by not only the aesthetic style of Lenny Kravitz, but his raw charisma, confidence, and impact on contemporary Black music, though DE’WAYNE also draws from Sly and the Family Stone and Brandon Flowers. Centered around themes of love, sex, and soul, the record marks a fearless evolution in DE’WAYNE’s artistry, fusing anthemic rock swagger with deep emotional heat. After dipping into a few other shops, we settled down to crack open the creative process behind his new album, his love for vintage sounds, and how vulnerability could arguably be one of the realest forms of rebellion.
Shai Paul Lev
It feels really good this time, talking about my music — being excited and being confident. I’ve been doing a lot of interviews the past couple weeks.
You say “this time.” How did it feel previously, with other projects?
I feel like I was lying to people, you know what I mean? I really did. Now, talking to people about this album — I play it for my friends, my musicianship friends, the jazz homies, and I never would do that in the past. I would be like, “Oh, no, no, no, I don’t want to play it.” I would be embarrassed. Shit has changed completely, and I love that.
That’s huge.
It’s big for real. Your homies will tell you the truth, too, and they’re tapped in on a different level, especially coming from a jazz space.
That’d be the most intimidating space for me to share something with.
They’re terrifying. Terrifying. But they’re into it.
Do you take influence from jazz?
I would say it’s more funk rock. But I get jazzy, a little. There’s maybe two songs where I was trying to impress my jazz friends. I can’t lie about that.
Do you have a band that you play with specifically, or do you put together bands per show?
Live, I play with the same band, and we added my producer to the band now. So, it’s a four-piece. The boys are getting more comfortable with singing now, so that helps just because on the new stuff, I’m singing more, and I need assistance sometimes. But yeah, I love the guys. I want to keep adding pieces. I’m hoping with this music, I’ll be able to add a real background singer. Make it more showy.
Shai Paul Lev
What are you hoping the reaction is to your new project?
I’m hoping that the reaction is, “Oh, my God, he’s the next real rock star.”
That’s fair. Rock stars are few and far between these days — as is rock music. It’s a conversation I have a lot. Who and where are the “rock stars” today?
Can we talk about that? Because that’s what I’m missing in rock music. Some of my homies be hating on pop shit and people that are more ubiquitous, like a Taylor Swift or whatever. But I’m like, “Yo, she’s an icon.” And being on social media now, everything moves so quickly, and I dig that, but I also want to see icons, and I want to see people that can change others’ lives, the way Lenny [Kravitz] has changed my life, because I see him as a complete icon. I want that vibe. That’s what I really want for this generation. Like, “Oh, DE’WAYNE could be somebody important for this generation.” I’m really hoping that, and I’m hoping that it’s just seen. I’m constantly raising my hand to try to show people what it can be, but it goes deeper. I still believe that the threshold for Black rock artists is not as big as the threshold for other people. And I’m trying to keep that conversation going. Every time it happens and we get to break through on the alternative side, the world changes — you get a Prince, and you get a Lenny, and you get a Sly and the Family Stone. It’s so tough, and it’s sad. But I’m hoping that we’ll be able to just break through that.
There’s a definite need for it, for that kind of impact — musically and societally — more than ever now, given the state of the world.
I think Prince said, “You are either here to enlighten or to discourage,” and I want my music to be a light for people. I really do. I want it to be a joy for people, and I want people to feel sexy and feel love when they hear it. Love has been such a beautiful topic for millions and millions and millions of years. Billions of years, I feel like. It feels like we still can’t wrap our head around it. The spectrum of love is just such a beautiful topic that it’s never going to go away, and that’s also what makes it so iconic.
What do you think is the best love song of all time?
That’s a beautiful question. “Use Me” by Bill Withers. It is the greatest love song. He goes, “My friends… They keep trying to tell me, all you want to do is use me,” but he’s like, “I love it. Use me.” And I feel that energy.
What are you listening to right now?
I want to be honest. I am obsessed with this Wendy & Lisa song. They were in Prince’s first band. They wrote a lot of the hit songs, and then they went out and did their own shit. It’s so good, just two white women making funky ass shit, and it’s so hot.
Interesting.
A little bit of Joni Mitchell and obviously Mr. Kravitz… I’m a very basic man. If I like something, I just listen to it a lot. It just becomes my whole identity. I’m not even going to lie to you to say something cool. I wish I could. I’m just listening to Lenny.
Shai Paul Lev
I love that. Trying hard to be cutting edge is counter to the point of being cutting edge, and I love honesty. It shows confidence. I’m sure you’re having a lot of fun making the new work with that mentality.
I am having a lot of fun, and it helps me. Plus, it definitely was a big boost when Lenny called me and said, “I’m about to do something really special,” and he wants me to be a part of it.
Wait, I need the full story there.
Willow posted “highway robbery,” and he saw it, and then he followed me and commented on it.
Had you ever interacted with him before?
No! But for the past six months, I was like, “He hasn’t followed me because it’s too close to what he’s doing,” and I was really insecure about it. Clearly I’m doing my own thing, but you can tell that the inspiration is there. I was very insecure, but she was like, “No, he doesn’t know you. He would be stoked, for real.” But then he saw that song and followed me. A week later, we were DMing. So, we had been DMing for the past month, and then two weeks ago, he just called me. And I missed the first call.
No!
He left me the most iconic voicemail that I’m going to put on the deluxe album.
Fucking save that on a hard drive. That’s awesome.
Oh, forever. But yeah, that’s how it came about. We talked, and he was like, “I see exactly what you’re doing and I really, really love it — let’s make this song.” Then, he was like, “Did you put up your album yet? Can I still get on it?” Unfortunately, we had turned it in, so now he’ll probably be on the deluxe… I don’t care what has to happen. I’ll work it out.
It’s nice hearing someone so excited about their music.
I’m happy to be talking to people about it. I’m happy that people are interested and the record enough to talk to me about it because I put so much work into it, and I want sell the fuck out of it. I really do. I’m ready to do every interview, do every radio show for the next three weeks. Whatever we got to do to make sure that this record is heard.
That’s cool. There’s this anonymity fetish people have right now where they’re like, “I’m not going to do press. I’m not going to show my face. I don’t want to talk about the music, the references… I won’t admit that I want to make music for an arena.” That’s the alt space, more often than not.
I think it’s because it’s not sexy to try, but I love trying. I have a hard time not doing it. I have a hard time not texting my partner “I love you.” Then I’m like, “Oh no, I’m lame.” She always replies, “Thank you for that.” I’m like, “Fuck it, cool.”
The older I get, the more I feel the same way.
I want the hook to be huge so that everybody can sing it and remember it by the second time it comes around. I don’t want to do a weird beat that’s going to throw people off. I can’t afford to do that right now. I want to make it so that people can feel and that they can relate to it. I’m trying to take care of my family, myself. I have eight brothers and sisters. That’s why it’s like, “Man, we’re trying to get on the road in the fall,” on that type of vibe.
Shai Paul Lev
If there were a dream scenario and you could open for anyone, but you can’t say Lenny, who would it be?
I think it would be the Killers or twenty one pilots. I think people here see me as this Black artist doing vintage whatever, but I’m really inspired by Brandon Flowers. He’s really important to me. I would love to open up for them. There’s a lot of songs on the record outside of the funk — rock stuff that’s very Killers-inspired.
How do you feel about the term “retro”? Or even “vintage-sounding.”
I kind of walk the line. Even my heroes say stuff like that. For me, I see the music more as a connecting point for older and younger people — because I do think that retro thing is coming back, and people want to feel that older energy. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t digging into it, but I still have to make it mine.
Your fans are young, it seems.
They’re telling me now we’re getting older fans, but yeah, they’re mostly young. The beautiful thing about having younger fans, too, [is] they haven’t heard the folks from the ’70s or whatever. It’s exciting. I want to keep digging on all of it, just have them all. I want to have more Black fans, too, just like this is our stuff. It’s not weird guys. It’s cool.
Sounds like this is going to be a big moment, like you’re cracking open a new era.
Oh yeah. It’s about to get real cute. A fresh year.