‘I’m My Mom’s Son’: Rock Star DE’WAYNE Talks New Album ‘june’ and Identity

Rock artist DE’WAYNE broke the mold when his third album, june, was released in late July. The album channels a pantheon of acclaimed Black rock and funk artists, evoking greats like Prince and George Clinton, musicians DE’WAYNE credited for his renewed sound and focus.

Even though the Houston native has been making music since his early teens, DE’WAYNE describes june as a reawakening.

“I’ve been making music since I was 14. It’s just getting good now. It was really s*** for a long time,” he said with a laugh.

“I’ve been calling myself a late bloomer lately. I feel like that’s just like who I am and what I am, but I’m really happy with everything that’s coming about now, especially since june and doing shows and stuff, and feel like it’s being received well, and I’m really happy, so I think that’s kind of what matters. I just want to, like, be a voice for this new Black generation.”

Studying the Sounds

In order to become the voice, DE’WAYNE had to refine his process and hone his musical focus. That process included delving into the canon of Black bands and entertainers like James Brown and Bill Withers.

“I didn’t really know what the hell I was doing to be completely honest,” he said. “And I think when I made june, me and my producer, we just really put our heads together. We needed to make something impactful and make something that could be around for a while.

“It’s like people just gotta make stuff and don’t really put a lot of care and love and work and failure. I’m crazy, so, I want to make something that is f****** good. I just went to ‘music school’ of our heroes. I just listened to albums back and forth, going out to bars and going out, to even just hitting people up and listening to Earth, Wind and Fire, and listening to all these songs and just trying to get it seeped into my bones.”

To make something with that staying power requires a sort of timelessness that encapsulates the entirety of the project. Few sentiments fit that bill better than overwhelming love. The tale of love DE’WAYNE tells throughout june hits all the notes in a relationship, from the soaring highs to the painful lows.

“We really tried to make sure every song was great and was catchy and sticky and warm and textured and have something to say,” he said. “Like, I’m not just on there, talking crazy. I think the concept of love is really strong and it would last when we’re not here and way before.”

That journey wasn’t just musical. It also catalyzed a personal evolution in DE’WAYNE in which he learned to be more authentic in his music and fashion.

“I think the thing that I’m doing to separate myself is just being, DE’WAYNE, there’s no other person that is me,” he said, chuckling. “I am my mom’s son. So I think me just being myself is, I don’t know, it seems to be working lately. This is a new thing for me. People have been liking what I’m doing.”

But who exactly is this new DE’WAYNE? He said it’s who he has been all along.

“I don’t really know, but I think it’s like being the person that I was raised as, he’s a bit more slutty or whatever people want to say,” he said. “I think it’s beautiful, though, because it’s like all those things exist inside of me. I think I’m just being honest, just talking about love and really trying to explore it. It’s such a wide and long spectrum. So I just really want to put joy, too. I just want to make people smile. Make them a little bit happy.”

In that vein, even the dress code factored into the creation of june.

“The clothes really do dictate a lot of my life, to be honest, because if I’m more clothed, maybe you’ll get a more reserved song,” he said. “I feel like on the days where I was maybe showing a little bit more skin—you know, just what happens when you show more skin in your life? I just like walking out the door feeling beautiful, to put it safely, so it definitely helps with making the music that I was making.”

Those same style choices caused a stir at Warped Tour after the lace bodysuit-clad musician tore down the stage. The raucous performance took off online through DE’WAYNE’s electric stage presence. It would be impossible to tell that it was set back by a wardrobe malfunction.

“The big homie called me and was just like, the craziest s*** I’ve seen and I was feeling a bit insecure about it at first, because I wanted to get out there and play my music,” he said. “And we were killing it, you know, and then my clothes came off. I was like, “Well, now we’re here.'”

Inspiration and Evolution

From music to fashion, DE’WAYNE wears his inspirations on his sleeve. Along with Prince, Lenny Kravitz and a plethora of others, DE’WAYNE credits studying Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers and especially the “Godfather of Soul.”

“James Brown is one for sure,” he said. “It’s just the energy that he had is very like church, and that’s where I come from. So I always knew that my voice wasn’t the best, but I knew that I could always tell a good story and I can make people believe me, because what I’m talking about is something that I actually care about.

“I love the way they talked about the women in their lives, and the way they surrender. I feel like every time I hear them sing, it’s like they’re on their knees, begging, like, ‘Girl, you know,’ and I really dig that. I know that’s not really sexy to people, but I think it’s really sexy.

“I wanted to do that. I wanted to kind of beg, too. I think june, the way that I’m painting her, is to be like this godlike figure. That’s why, on the cover, I’m so tiny, and she’s really big. But just like the textures and the way they sung, the concepts they took, that was a really great influence for me.”

DE’WAYNE is also fortunate to call one major source of his inspiration his friend. His bold move to DM Lenny Kravitz paid off in spades.

“He’s my hero,” he said. “So it’s, it’s kind of weird to now, like think that we’re peers. I think we kind of have some similar energy and I think he respects where I’m coming from. He knows that I idolize him, but I think he still respects my input on things, which is really cool, because I think that doesn’t happen a lot.

“I put out a song called ‘Highway Robbery,’ and heard that. I’m clawing to get into the industry. I’m fighting tooth and nail to make every step happen. So I ask people for s***, and I DM’d him, and I was like, ‘Closed mouths don’t get fed. We should work or do something or hang out, whatever.’ He called me not too late after that, and just kind of been friends since, and I got to work with him.

“I think we have some things coming, I’m really excited. He’s a beautiful person that I really look up to, and he’s just being a Black rock star. So for him to look at me and be able to be such a guiding light, I feel so blessed. It’s kind of weird, but it’s also a big blessing.”

DE’WAYNE is well-aware of isolation of Black rock stars, but he’s ready for more doors to be opened for everyone.

“I think, as most people do at the time, they just kind of see that, and they think that’s good enough,” he said. “And I don’t think it’s good enough. I think there should be 30 of us. I think it should be 100 of us. I think we’re just as good, if not better. I think we’re just sexy, if not more sexy.

“I think we’re just as talented, and should be given a clear, you know, a fair shot as everybody else gets. So I’m definitely trying to make it less isolating and make sure that the young homies coming up.”

Taking the Stage

But there’s more to being a rock star than being sexy. DE’WAYNE takes the most pride in his live performances and bringing his church-inspired energy to the stage.

“I think if people come to the shows, and definitely some of the best shows that they’ve seen, and, you know, we get the people excited,” he said. “It’s my favorite part about it. But that s*** was crazy. I didn’t mean for that to happen, you know, it’s like I had a clothes malfunction, and then people thought I was trying to be all crazy. But I am crazy, so I can’t really run from it. I’m trying to be more honest.”

The California-based rocker has been on the road supporting his latest project, and his infectious energy has caught the ears of several prominent artists like Machine Gun Kelly, whom he’ll be joining on the road for his upcoming Lost Americana tour kicking off next year.

What can the uninitiated expect when DE’WAYNE starts the show? A little bit of church, according to the multi-instrumentalist.

“When I get on stage, it’s kind of like a Holy Ghost,” he said. “I’m just kind of channeling the beautiful, rich language that we have. So I think I kind of tap into all of that. And growing up in church, the pastors used to be like the best performers. And I think I have a little bit of that in me, as well.

“I’m really excited because I’m going [to] tour with MGK, and it’ll be my first arena tour, and we got some other tours that we’re working on, so I’m excited to get into arenas I dreamed about for a long time, play tunes in big spaces, and I’m just excited to freak 20,000 people out every night. It’s just really into and to just spread the gospel.”

But with everything—a new album, tour and more—on the horizon, DE’WAYNE’s goals are clearer than ever.

“So other than playing those tours next year, I just want to keep continuing to put love at the forefront and Black voices at the forefront,” he said. “That’s, that’s one of my goals for the next five years.”