Daily Discovery: Devin Kennedy Expresses Deep, Mad Love With “Hurt U”

Devin Kennedy had an awakening. He’d fallen deeply, madly in love, and there were few other human experiences quite like it. So he wrote a song about it. “Hurt U,” out March 26, affirms his new-found emotional awareness. “I wanted to tell an honest and genuine story about the experience of falling so in love with someone that you would do anything to make sure that they’re content,”  he says.

“This is about that person who you connect with so deeply that you know there’s nothing that could ever happen to change how you feel about them,” he adds. “If you’ve found someone who makes you feel like the relationship portrayed in this song, make sure you never let them go. Unfortunately, most relationships are transactional in some way, so when you find people that care for you unconditionally, make sure you do what you have to do to keep them in your life.”

Morning dripping through your broke blinds, bedside / Come and kiss me with your sleep eyes, Kennedy sings, letting out an almost ghost-like performance. His vocals are muted, slowly rising and falling much like the first rays of a new dawn. Nothing I would ever do to hurt you…

“Hurt U,” written with David Hodges and Whakaio Taahi and recorded at Taahi’s studio, witnesses Kennedy stepping further into the spotlight. “We set out to pair left-of-center production with organic instrumentation─guitar & piano, mostly,” says Kennedy. “A lot of my music tends to lean into a very upbeat-pop space, and I really enjoyed creating something that was more emotional and story-driven. “

Kennedy has been making quite a name for himself over the last few years. A Los Angeles native, he began dropping music in 2018, beginning with the four-track Feel the Same EP. Since then, he’s released numerous singles, including standout “Deep Shit,” and two more EPs. Throughout his catalog, his influences run deep, from All Time Low and Fall Out Boy to Yellowcard, John Mayer, and The 1975─all welded together with his own unique songwriting chops.

Quite evidenced with previous song “Sundress,” as well as “Hurt U,” Kennedy works his charms best when he finds a close connection with his collaborators. “This allows me to be comfortable with the deep and extremely honest conversations that have to be had when writing music,” he says.

Listen to “Hurt U” below.

Photo by Alexander Bemis