Irish singer-songwriter Janet Devlin wrote ‘Candy’ with Chris Markey during the Nashville sessions for her album Not My First Emotional Rodeo, which hit #1 on the iTunes Country Chart back in November. The track almost made the original album cut, but went through so many vocal iterations that Devlin eventually stepped away from it. Months later, she came back, re-recorded the whole thing, and it finally clicked. Now it’s getting a proper release as part of the deluxe edition, complete with a bright, playful visualiser that came out in January.
‘Candy’ tackles a subject that country music rarely explores with empathy: the so-called sugar baby relationship. But Devlin flips the script entirely, writing from the perspective of someone who actually falls in love with their sugar daddy. What looks transactional from the outside turns messy and real on the inside, which is a spicy topic for a song, but it is based in reality, which lends itself to good songwriting. Cleverly, after a few studio takes at the wrong tempo, Devlin stopped the session and pushed for a faster version, which gave the chorus the upbeat energy it needed instead of letting the subject matter drag it into something heavier or seedier.
Janet Devlin‘s had a solid year with Emotional Rodeo, making waves across UK country charts and landing BBC Radio 2 playlist spots for ‘Red Flag’ and ‘Best Life.’ She’s already wrapped a run of festival dates, including C2C and The Long Road, and Russell Crowe continues to sing her praises, comparing her to Stevie Nicks. With the deluxe edition giving tracks like ‘Candy’ a second life, it’s clear she’s not rushing things. Sometimes the best move is knowing when to step away and come back with fresh ears.
