Dev Hynes Quotes

Powerful Dev Hynes for Daily Growth

About Dev Hynes

Devonté Hynes, famously known as Devonté Hynes or simply Dev Hynes, is an illustrious British musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor of Irish descent. Born on January 4, 1981, in London, Hynes grew up in Louth, a market town in North Lincolnshire. He began his musical journey at a tender age, experimenting with various instruments and genres, which eventually led him to develop his unique style that encompasses indie rock, electronica, R&B, and more. In 2005, Hynes founded the band Test Icicles alongside friends Sam Mehran and Jamie Eastman. The trio gained notoriety for their energetic live performances and a genre-bending sound characterized by the Chip Tune aesthetic. However, they disbanded just two years later. Following Test Icicles' demise, Hynes embarked on a prolific solo career under the moniker Lightspeed Champion. His debut album "Falling Off the Lavender Bridge" was released in 2008 to critical acclaim. The same year, he collaborated with the Scottish indie pop band, Kid Loco, for their album "Carried Away". In 2010, Hynes adopted the stage name Blood Orange and released his debut album of the same name. This marked a shift in his musical style towards a more introspective, soulful sound that continues to define his work today. Major works under this moniker include "Cupid Deluxe" (2013), "Freetown Sound" (2016), and "Negro Swan" (2018). In addition to his musical pursuits, Hynes has produced tracks for various artists, including Solange Knowles, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Alicia Keys. He also ventured into acting in the 2013 drama film "Francofonia." Throughout his career, Dev Hynes has been recognized for his innovative approach to music and his ability to seamlessly blend diverse genres. His music continues to inspire listeners around the world.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Creativity is about allowing yourself to make mistakes."

This quote emphasizes that creativity is a process, not an immediate result, and it encourages taking risks and making mistakes as essential parts of the creative journey. It suggests that true creativity comes from embracing uncertainty and being open to experimentation and novelty, which often leads to errors or missteps along the way. These errors are not obstacles but opportunities for learning, growth, and ultimately innovation.


"Sometimes you have to destroy something before you can build it back again."

This quote suggests that in order to create something new or improve an existing situation, it may be necessary to first dismantle, transform, or remove the old structure or condition. It implies that progress often requires a willingness to let go of the familiar and take risks, understanding that change can bring about growth and innovation.


"The hardest part is just getting started."

The quote "The hardest part is just getting started" highlights the often-overlooked challenge in initiating a task or project, emphasizing that initial inertia can be the greatest hurdle to overcome. It suggests that once we push past this barrier of beginning, the subsequent steps may seem less daunting and more manageable. This insight underscores the importance of tackling tasks head-on, recognizing that the most significant battle is often the first one against procrastination or fear of the unknown.


"Don't worry about what people are going to think, just do your own thing."

This quote by Dev Hynes encourages individuality and self-expression. The message is to not let fear or concern about societal perceptions hinder one's personal growth, creativity, or actions. Instead, the focus should be on authenticity and following one's own path in life. By doing so, one can truly embrace their unique identity and make a genuine impact on the world.


"You can't wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club."

This quote by Dev Hynes emphasizes that waiting passively for inspiration is not enough; one must actively pursue and seek out creativity and motivation. In essence, it encourages persistence, effort, and determination in the face of artistic or intellectual challenges.


I see no kind of reason to not just try everything. I mean, I feel like we all have such varied tastes, and to not just try our tastes is a crime.

- Dev Hynes

Reason, Kind, Like, Tastes

I'm always weary of connotations. I don't want people to listen to the music I make presently because they liked my previous work, or to dismiss it because they didn't. I'm guilty of this as well - having preconceptions about other artists - but it's stupid because all music exists on its own and should be listened to with a clear head.

- Dev Hynes

Stupid, Own, Other, Preconceptions

Every day there's a lot of things I block out, because if I start visualising things, I tend to go completely insane. I've always had anxiety issues, and it can totally overwhelm me and suck me under if I'm not keeping focused. I just think and think until I have a panic attack, and then it dies down.

- Dev Hynes

Every Day, Issues, Had, Overwhelm

I know a lot of people feel like they get eaten alive by New York, but I feel it more as a father figure or something - this huge presence watching over me. I definitely feel better and work freer here.

- Dev Hynes

Father, Alive, Here, Eaten

I've been kind of listening to the composer Britten and his rendition of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' The opening track is a choral section where all the weird fairies, who are played by kids in the production, sing. It's a crazy opening melody and chord sequence - really amazing.

- Dev Hynes

Been, Production, Section, Fairies

It's funny because I think, as a general rule, that people seem to think that if you do lots of different things over the course of, like, a timeline, it means that you kind of disregard what you did before. But that's not true of me. I still genuinely like everything I did as much as I liked it when I released it.

- Dev Hynes

I Think, Before, Disregard, General Rule

Cello is my first instrument, then piano, drums, bass, violin, recorder, saxophone, but I'd never play them live!

- Dev Hynes

Play, Violin, Recorder, Cello

When I was asked to compose a score for... 'Palo Alto,' I first thought to myself, 'What is the house that these characters would want to live in?' I wanted to paint a picture and color scheme that I could work around. I gently apply different daubs to see what fits to match the color I have in mind with these characters.

- Dev Hynes

Color, Thought, Scheme, Alto

The issue I had with the Lightspeed albums was that usually the main purpose with them was to fulfil really dorky musical goals, like, 'I wonder if I can do that,' and it was all very personal. It was more that once I'd finished the goal of what the song was, I was kind of done. It was like ticking boxes.

- Dev Hynes

Very, Dorky, Ticking, Goals

I'm pretty strict with videos, at least the imagery stuff.

- Dev Hynes

Pretty, Imagery, Least, Strict

I'm pretty much fully digital. I've basically spent a few painstaking days putting sounds into my laptop, just banking them, because I love playing, and I love visually seeing it on my screen and being able to change the sounds more, with different plug-ins. I've created my own synth sounds.

- Dev Hynes

Love, Own, Putting, Fully

I was 13 years old at music school talking to my teacher. I can't quite remember what it was I was trying to describe, but I do remember my music teacher saying to me, 'Do you have synesthesia?' In hindsight, it seems a little presumptuous of her to think a little boy in Essex would know what synesthesia was.

- Dev Hynes

Boy, Talking, Hindsight, Presumptuous

Everything I do, I build a kind of confidence net - 'I'm able to execute this; it's fine.'

- Dev Hynes

Kind, Build, Fine, Execute

I don't really care about audio quality. If people saw some of the ways that I record stuff, they'd see I don't care in that respect. I obviously care about things sounding good, but I think quality exists through other things like emotionally connecting with a lyric or a feeling, or whatever.

- Dev Hynes

Through, Some, Other, Audio

I like to blur the line between remix and cover version and new song.

- Dev Hynes

Song, New, Cover, Between

The way it works for me is my sight and sound senses are combined. Every sound I associate with a color and every color I associate with a sound... The way I see things is constant streamers across the room, bouncing off from every touch and every sound. Over the years, I've learned what color palates I love most.

- Dev Hynes

Love, Constant, Works, Bouncing

I'm such a strong believer in making yourself happy. Almost in a selfish way. There are a lot of trends, and obviously you can get swept up into them. But I feel like if you just write songs you love, it can have trap beats in it or whatever's going on in the moment, but you don't stop loving songs.

- Dev Hynes

Love, Strong, Almost, Trends

Yeah, I associate every sound with a color and vice versa.

- Dev Hynes

Color, Sound, Vice, Vice Versa

A lot of my friends were gay, so I was spat on on the bus daily, and I ended up in hospital a couple of times from being beaten up so badly.

- Dev Hynes

Bus, Couple, Badly, Hospital

If I like something, I then have to study every single aspect of it to find out if there's more things that I would like, and it's just this weird hunger to want more. I always feel like there's so much that exists.

- Dev Hynes

Study, Feel, Out, Hunger

When I was recording music, I'd record all the parts myself, and I wouldn't let other people in; that's essentially what Blood Orange is the result of; me trying to find the most comfortable I can be with everything.

- Dev Hynes

Myself, Other, Recording, Essentially

Some people say I do it too much, but I'm always asking the artist questions. Sometimes - especially with new artists - you can see they're compromising in their mind. You see that look when they're listening to a vocal take and there's hesitation. And I'll be like, 'Are you sure you don't want to do this again?'

- Dev Hynes

Artist, Asking, Some, Hesitation

I don't want to say I hate remixes, because I don't, but I hate what instantly comes to mind now when people say 'remixes.'

- Dev Hynes

Mind, Want, Say, Instantly

'Chamalkay' is an old Guyanese slang word. It means a 'young mischievous girl.' It's not derogatory, but it isn't over complimentary, either. It was probably a word I just Googled one day, and the song kind of played into the feel of that.

- Dev Hynes

Young, One Day, Derogatory, Mischievous

Radio voices have a solid, even texture.

- Dev Hynes

Voices, Solid, Even, Texture

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