Bio

Devi Genuone’s talent is undeniable; blending soul, jazz & reggae influences to create a signature sound. They’ve got that Southern swagger and incredible pipes to match. Their flavor of hip-hop with the tinge of electronica, that ‘boom bap slap’ as they says, is timeless with no limits. Their name stands for Divinely Evolving Vibrance Infinitely Guiding Elevated NOWledge Unconditionally from the One, one light, one love. That spiritual mantra describes their music to a tee. They’ve spent their life searching for that perfect rhythm, developing their craft and honing their technique, shaping the music that lives within their soul.

Devi’s had their hands on countless projects, first experiencing funk and jazz as a young child learning the way of the drum. Even then Devi’s work ethic was impressive, earning time in an analog studio at the tender age of 15, as well as State level awards for their multi-instrument original compositions. While learning to master conga, they joined the underground dance music scene in Houston, linking up with Rebel Crew and working with established musicians. They learned to freestyle while traveling the States with hip-hop Rainbow kitchen, Granola Funk. Always in pursuit of the fusion of genres and instrumentation, they joined the band Monk In Austin. This group was the first to mix live and electronic instruments with effects processors in the state of Texas. This adventure allowed their to explore their voice while perfecting their percussion skills.

At the forefront of the house music scene in Houston, Devi helped launch the Groovematters project. This collective showcased Devi’s conguera skills, Karina Nistal’s sultry voice, and Sista Stroke’s brazen mixing. The trio represented for females everywhere; having fun while boasting empowerment through raw talent, making them fan favorites. Leaving Texas, Devi made their way to Minneapolis, making the Twin Cities their home for 6 years. During that time, they joined Fallopian Gruvz, a female quintet that featured vocals on a looper, beats on their MPC 1000, congas, a didgeridoo and guitars, with occasional fire spinning. This collaboration put talented women in a positive light, encouraging females everywhere to work together and pursue their musical dreams. Even as they developed their singer emcee style in Minnesota, they continued their conga work in house music, collaborating with OneThirtyRecordings label owner Jevne and artist Chuck Love. Devi Genuone’s conga riffs can be heard on many of Jevne’s releases on the label, and the two played clubs all around Minnesota and California. Continuing work with the Groovematters project, the trio played Chicago’s Safehouse for a reunion show in 2005.

Fulfilling a lifetime dream, Devi relocated to San Francisco. They reconnected with Chuck Love, playing congas at the legendary 2nd Sundays party. They collaborated on congas with Manny Alferez (Black Pancake Records and Monarch), Victor Vega of Housepitality, Dubtribe SoundSystem, Raw-G, Ximbo, Lee Burridge, Jevne from OneThirty Recordings, Pink Mammoth, OM Records, and Aima the Dreamer just to name a few. They began doing vocal hosting, emceeing, recording and performing with several Bay Area DJs and producers. Another meeting on a dancefloor with Audio Engineer and Producer Charlie Guidry aka Hippo, culminated in the creation of the song Sell Out, as well as an ongoing collaboration.

After moving to Oakland, they frequently organized a stage on Old School Copes block at Oakland’s First Fridays, showcasing local talent, including Fantastic Negrito, and also including their own live band, Devi Genuone Live Project. Returning to their roots, they teamed back up with long time musical collaborator Karina Nistal. The two performed together in Hollywood for Karina’s KaRAGEous album release, after creating the Nothing Comes Easy song and video with producer/emcee Abai. Devi discovered they was sitting on a gold mine of lyrics and songs from their life experience that needed beats. They brought in Lev Berlak from The Grill Recording Studios to help finesse their album, Come Correct, released in 2014. In 2013, out of 2300 entries, they won ‘Honorable Mention for Best Song by an Oakland Solo Artist’ for Tell Me Why at Mayhem (formerly Oaktown Music Festival), proving that hard work and perseverance pay off. Their song “Another Day” from Come Correct was nominated as a finalist in the 2014 competition.

Also in 2014, they were diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and moved to Northern California where they currently reside. In 2020, they announced to the world that they had Multiple Sclerosis with a video for their song Tell Me Why. This video garnered the attention from the New York Times and they were featured in an article about living with MS post covid. They also won a local award for the video from the Mendo Lake Musc Fest. Then, in August of 2020 they also came out as Non Binary, and released a new single with a video called “Beauty Full”. They released another song called “Freedum” in 2022, and they are motivated to release a new EP in 2024. They have two new music videos nearly completed to share with the world for this work.

In late 2023, Devi began volunteering at KZYX Community Radio Station, curating a music shiow called “The Perch”. Breaking away from the confines of traditional genres, “The Perch” takes its listeners on a genre-less journey that transcends musical boundaries. One thing is clear, Devi is of many talents, a soulful sophisticated force with which to be reckoned.  Their eclectic hodgepodge of musical stylings, coupled with their sultry voice, inspire and keep you moving. Showing no signs of slowing down, Devi Genuone is continually making moves, and perfecting their talent, so keep your eyes and ears open for much more from this talented songwriter, conguera and all-around musician.