We are thrilled to have the talented Charlotte Devaney with us. A dynamic and unique force in the music world, Charlotte is known for her multi-faceted career as a DJ, producer, and artist, as well as her vibrant presence in the world of music and fashion. With a passion for blending different genres and creating bold, high-energy performances, she has earned a reputation for pushing boundaries and captivating audiences around the globe.
In this conversation, we’ll dive into Charlotte’s journey, the inspiration behind her music, and how she continues to evolve as an artist. So sit back, relax, and enjoy our chat with the one and only Charlotte Devaney!
Can you take us back to the moment you first discovered your love for DJing? What drew you to the craft and how did you get started?
I started DJing after originally beginning as a dancer. I was dancing at all the raves, and I was part of what was probably the most famous dance group in DnB history, to be honest—and in garage as well. We were performing at all the raves in the early to mid-2000s; we were everywhere. So, I was constantly around DJs and had loads of DJ friends. Before that, in the mid-90s, I was already going to raves—that’s when I first fell in love with jungle, now called drum and bass. I discovered DJs like Groove Rider, SS, DJ Rap, and all those big names that I was listening to when I was 15 years old.
So, DJing was kind of a natural progression for me. While I was dancing, I realized I wanted to start DJing myself. Back then, it was all about vinyl, so I got my first set of Technics 1210s around 2002 or 2003. Learning to DJ wasn’t easy; I practiced a lot. My first-ever DJ lesson was with Randall, who taught me the basics, and later I took lessons from Mark from Rat Pack and Roy, LSD. They were my first real mentors. Later on, Fabio taught me a lot, he really helped me refine my skills.
I started on the radio around 2003, playing drum and bass on a station called Invincible Radio. Interestingly, they were also the company that founded the UMA awards. That’s how it all started for them. I had a weekly show, so every week I’d go over to Hackney with my big bag of dubplates and carry it upstairs. And every week, I’d run into DJ Ron there as well.
He had an office underneath Invincible Radio, so I’d go there every week. Norm had a show right after mine, and every week he’d come in at the end of my set, do something wild on the mic, and shout me out—”Yes, Charlotte Deva!” or as I was known then, “Charlotte Nani.” It was a crazy time! I’d show up in these mad outfits, from Non Shaker gear to all kinds of other things. That’s really how it all started.
But I was always too nervous to play in clubs because spinning vinyl was such a different experience compared to CDJs. I thought, “I’ll just play my tunes on the radio.” Early CDJs were pretty clunky—I remember they had these pullout trays, and mixing on those wasn’t easy. You had to actually be good at mixing to pull it off live in the clubs, you know what I mean? It took me about five years to work up the courage to play in a club; until then, I stuck to the radio. Then the MySpace era arrived, and that changed everything.
MySpace was revolutionary—it was the first social media platform where we could truly promote ourselves. We had early websites and things, but MySpace was a game changer. I had a page for myself and one for the Nani Shakers, and I actually made some life-changing contacts on there. I know a lot of artists from that era feel the same—even big names like Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj started out there and got discovered on MySpace. I’d upload my photos, make the page look funky with photo albums, bios, top friends—all that.
At the time, my main focus was dancing, modeling, and acting, but now I was a DJ too, so I was putting that out there. A promoter from Greece reached out to me on MySpace—he’s still a good friend today—and said, “Hey, I see you’re a DJ!” Back then, there were hardly any female DJs, especially in the raves. The Nani Shakers and maybe one or two others were among the few female presences in the scene in the early 2000s. So, it was rare.
Anyway, this Greek promoter tells me he runs the best hip hop and R&B club in Athens. The club was incredible—right on the water with an amazing restaurant and a huge outdoor area. He asked if I played hip hop and R&B, and I thought, “You know what? I love hip hop and R&B.” Aside from jungle, it’s always been my first love, and this was around 2007 – the peak era for hip hop and R&B club hits.
I was like, “Yeah, all right, I’ll come and do it.” But bear in mind, I’d never played in a club before this. Then I told him I’d bring the Nani Shakers along to do a show. I came up with the idea to DJ while the girls danced alongside me. Honestly, I think we were the first to ever do that. There are a lot of acts like that now, but we really started it. The promoter loved the idea and booked us, so I thought, “Okay, time to get serious.” I had to download all the hip hop and R&B tracks, burn them onto CDs since CDJs were in, and get to work practicing. Mixing hip hop and R&B was a lot easier than drum and bass—you could cut it differently, and the beats were steadier.
So we went out and did the show, and it was a massive success! I was incredibly nervous, though—I remember drinking just to calm my nerves. But once we started the set, it was amazing, and the rest was history. After that, I switched lanes and spent the next ten years as a hip hop, R&B, house, and EDM DJ, traveling the world. I played everywhere—Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, the UK, you name it. Sometimes it was just me, and sometimes I toured with the Nani Shakers. That was my true entrance into the club scene. Drum and bass, jungle, and garage were my entry points into music, but as an artist, my focus shifted. Eventually, I started producing my own music too, mostly EDM and house, and had a lot of success with it.
Looking back, the international travel and being outside the UK helped a lot. There’s extra pressure performing in a new place, but it also felt freeing—if I made a mistake, it wasn’t in front of people I knew. There’s something to be said for performing in a country where no one knows or judges you. You have to remember, back in 2007 to 2012, the internet wasn’t like it is now. We had Facebook, but Instagram didn’t come around until about 2013. So we didn’t have today’s pressures. Now, people share and judge every move, but back then, there wasn’t this constant scrutiny.
I’m grateful I grew up when I did. I was a teenager in the 90s, experiencing music without social media, without pressure or expectations. When I started DJing, there was mostly just Facebook, so the pressure was minimal. We’d post a few pictures, but no constant videos or need to sell ourselves like today. You actually had to be good to get booked! I was part of a small wave of female DJs coming out of the UK then—many of us were ex-models or had other backgrounds, so we brought that vibe too. But we really had to know our craft.
As both a DJ, Artist and Producer, how do you balance the two between creative track? When does DJ influence your production style or vice versa?
That’s a great question. Being a DJ has definitely been a huge asset when it comes to producing music. I’d say it’s actually my biggest strength in the studio. Over the years, my ear for music has developed a lot, especially around track selection—that’s always been my focus. Even going back to my days of playing R&B and hip hop, I’ve always had a strong sense for selecting the right tunes. I can read a crowd and understand what they want to hear; I know how to work a crowd. Recognizing a good track has always come naturally to me, and I think my years of DJing have really sharpened that instinct.
When I’m in the studio, I know what makes a track sound good, and that’s helped me a lot. I listen back to my catalogue from when I first started producing in 2012, and I can hear how much I’ve grown. But overall, my ear has been my biggest asset—knowing what people are likely to enjoy while also staying true to my unique style. So yes, DJing has absolutely helped me as a music producer.
You’ve worked across various genres throughout the years. How would you describe your musical identity? What sounds or styles define you in your production?
Yeah, I never actually made hip hop or R&B music, but I was very much part of that scene. I had multiple residencies in the West End during its peak and was traveling the world, playing as a mashup DJ, it was hugely popular back then. I think mashup DJing still has a place, but it’s not the scene I’m part of anymore. When I started producing music, I was more focused on house and EDM. This was around 2011–2012, during that era when hip hop started crossing over into EDM, kind of the “David Guetta era,” if you remember it. There was a lot of blending between dance and urban music styles.
Since then, my style has really evolved, especially since the lockdown. In a way, I’ve come full circle, diving back into jungle, drum and bass, and garage, but with my own unique spin. I think I’ll always bring that colorful, out-there “Charlotte Devaney” flair to any genre I touch. That’s just who I am. So yes, I’m blending some of my EDM influences into drum and bass now. If people like it, great; if not, that’s fine too – that’s just me.
I’ve only made a few drum and bass tracks so far, but I’m looking to create a lot more next year. I’ll be putting out a mix of club-ready bangers and tracks like “Latina” and “My Way” – those “love-to-hate” songs with a more pop-focused edge, featuring my own vocals. Right now, I’d say I’m very focused on that music, whether that’s drum and bass, bass house, or garage.
What has been one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a woman in the industry, and how did you overcome it?
Well, that’s a whole story in itself—probably deserves another interview!
James: Happy to do that another time if you’re up for it.
We could do a couple of paragraphs on it now. Listen, it’s never been easy being a woman in this industry, and it’s still a struggle. Don’t get me wrong—things have improved. There’s more acceptance and more opportunities now than there used to be, but it’s still tough, and I still feel it’s a man’s world in many ways. Women aren’t always respected and included as they should be. When I first started out, it was a completely different scene. Back then, as dancers, we were some of the only female faces in the scene.
As I moved into DJing in 2007, or even earlier, around 2003 when I was on the radio, there were almost no women on the scene. On radio, the only women were maybe DJ Flight or Storm. When I started as part of a small group of female DJs in the UK, we often got gigs because we were known as models or performers. For me, I was known as a model and dancer, and eventually, I proved I had talent, so that helped me build a career.
The scene is much different now, but it’s still challenging. If you speak to many women out there, especially in drum and bass, you’ll find that there are thousands of talented women, but only a small number are actually getting work or recognition. I’ve created my own lane, I don’t wait around for anyone to give me a shot; I just do my thing. What I do is unique, and maybe that’s why I’m working steadily. But for many female DJs who aren’t making their own music, it’s still very hard to get noticed. It’s a tough space to be in.
How do you keep your sets feeling fresh for audiences around the world? Do you approach each country differently? Do you change depending on venue or is it just per festival?
I’m very versatile in my sets, so I guess I am a laptop DJ most of the time, right? I have USBs as well, but I like to play on Serato and I have so much music, about 20,000 tunes on my laptop, so I don’t plan my sets generally. I will a lot of the time just go into a place and see what works.
They like more EDM focused sets when im abroad. Don’t get me wrong, certain countries will definitely be into different sounds and certain records will work better in certain countries and certain areas, but I dunno, I just have lots of music and I’ll always read the room, before I go to a venue or an event, sometimes I do make a playlist or pick out tunes and be like, right, I think these records are going to work for this set or that. If need be I’ve always got a secret weapon ready if I need them.
Earning platinum status is a massive achievement. What was it like when you realised you had a platinum hit? What do you think made the track resonate so strongly with listeners?
It’s definitely one of my biggest achievements, and I remember the exact moment I found out it went platinum. I was in Los Cabos, Mexico, playing a New Year’s Eve set going into 2016, when I got a call from my manager. He said, “Yeah, it’s gone platinum.” It was a surreal feeling. That track had taken on a life of its own – I first wrote it back in 2012, but it didn’t get its major release until the end of 2015. It was such a long, challenging journey to get it out there.
For it to go platinum and resonate with so many people was incredible. Honestly, I’m not sure exactly why it connected with people; I just know it was different. I’ve always tried to create music that stands out, that feels unique, whether people love it or hate it. I try to push boundaries, and that track definitely had that “Marmite” vibe – either people loved it or they didn’t. And of course, having Snoop Dogg on the track was massive. He’s a huge A-list star, and back then, he was especially influential in music, so working with him was an unbelievable opportunity. It was the perfect blend of elements: Snoop’s presence, a unique sound, and a track that just didn’t sound like anything else out there.
You’ve worked with some big names in the industry. Can you share how collaborating with others influences your approach to music?
That was the first run, but there are all sorts of different stories behind my tracks. Take my latest record, Latina, for example. Back in April, I booked a last-minute trip to LA. I have lots of friends out there, and I hadn’t been since before the pandemic, so I just decided to go for a little break. I told my studio partner and manager, Joe, “I’m heading to LA in a couple of weeks.” I told him I needed a record ready to shoot a video, so we worked fast. We wrote and produced the track in two weeks, and then I flew out to LA. While I was there, some friends of mine flew in from Denver, and we ended up shooting the video for Latina, which has just dropped. It was one of those spontaneous moments, but that’s how things happen sometimes, right?
Another track I’m really proud of is ‘My Way’, which ended up on this year’s EA Sports 24. Joe, my co-producer, had made this beat with a Spanish drama-based vibe, and when I walked into the studio, I just heard it and said, “I’m gonna have it my way.” I literally recorded the hook in one take – I don’t even know where it came from. A lot of the time, I write songs based on my own experiences or daily life, so ‘My Way’ was one of those tracks that was totally about me and my mindset at that moment.
But, yeah, it varies. Sometimes I write about what I’m going through or my personal experiences, and other times I’ll just write something fun, just for the sake of it. Sometimes, it’s just about creating something that sounds cool and flows. It’s always different depending on where my head’s at or what’s inspiring me at the time. As with life, it all just depends…
