Following the kickoff return of Warped Tour in Washington, DC last weekend, DE’WAYNE joins idobi Warped Radio for a raw, radiant, and deeply personal conversation tracing his evolution—from a wide-eyed 19-year-old taking a leap of faith to one of rock’s most electrifying voices today.
We dive into his new album june—a bold step forward inspired by Talking Heads, Prince, and the electric chaos of life and love. DE’WAYNE unpacks the voice he’s finally found and the influence of his long-term partner WILLOW on the standout single “highway robbery.” He even teases a few surprises about the album that fans don’t know yet… but will soon.
While discussing the opportunity to collaborate with his musical hero Lenny Kravitz, DE’WAYNE tells Peyton Grufik of idobi Radio, “I’m a big dreamer. I believe in that Hollywood story, and I got to cross that one off.”
He continues, “I’m hoping that we can now just build a relationship. He became my North Star. And I started making a joke to people, ‘Well, I’m gonna be this generation’s dark skinned Lenny Kravitz. Like I’m gonna be the chocolate Lenny.’ People laugh, and I’m like, ‘I’m being very serious.’”
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Speaking on june, which drops next month on July 30 via Fearless Records, DE’WAYNE shares, “I think people can probably hear the changes that I’ve made just with these first few singles. I just started to listen to a lot of funk music and a lot of music from the ‘60s and ‘70s. And, of course, Mr. Kravitz, Bill Withers, Earth Wind And Fire, Marvin Gaye, Fiona Apple were huge huge inspirations for me. Sly And The Family Stone, Thin Lizzy—bringing that rock energy with just a little bit of funk and swag, whatever you want to call it.”
He adds, “But with that comes vulnerable, deep emotional storytelling, so that’s why every song people are hearing it’s like I’m trying to give my stomach to the universe. Give my stomach to this June character, to just surrender to love. I think it’s the most beautiful thing. And clearly we haven’t figured it out over billions and millions of years.”
Check out DE’WAYNE’s full idobi Warped Radio interview below and be sure to check him out during his debut Warped Tour performance in Long Beach, CA, on July 26-27.
