The J’Ouvert King: 'It’s your boy Dev'

AMERICAN singer, songwriter and record producer Anthony Hamilton says being a barber is about taking care of the people. Devon “Dev” Harris, as a barber, took care of his people in Cocoyea Village, San Fernando.

But he has also found another way to take care of his people and, by extension, the people of TT – through his music.

The singer came to the local entertainment limelight with his 2011 song Drinking Partner, made with Calvin “Klassy” Ramsawak.

He has since gained even greater attention, especially with his 2018 hit, Is Jam.

While his “talent,” he told Newsday, has always been cutting hair, Dev also liked music.

He recalled being a student at Gasparillo Composite and participating in talent shows. He and his schoolmates would “just sit on the steps, beating drums, tables,” making some kind of music.

But it was when his form five group put on a talent show in their school and came third of four that he realised he truly enjoyed singing. From there, he said, he began singing reggae.

“I used to go and record by a brethren. He just had a mic. In those times it was still cassette and mini discs. So he would put on a version and I sing. We would be thinking is a proper studio," he said, laughing. "When you listen to the record after, you hearing car passing in the background.”

After recording at his friend’s house he would go home and play the music for his parents, Merlyn and Curtis Harris, and then told them he felt he wanted to be an artiste.

“But my talent was always cutting hair. I was cutting hair in my gallery at that time, and after school or on weekends, people would come and get their hair cut. I used to be cutting hair in school also, until I opened a shop in 2002 while I was going San Fernando Technical Institute doing my diploma in business management,” he said.

Dev would go to school in the day and work in the shop on evenings. Having his own Dev’s Barber Shop also morphed into throwing parties, having a J’Ouvert band and managing Chrystal “Buffy” Bellille in 2009/2010.

Dev built his fan base from his barber shop. “Every time someone came to trim, I would say ‘Hear this one.’ And I playing it for them. By the time that one is finished, another one coming in. I say ‘Hear this one.’”

Initially, Dev would just write songs. He has a “whole book” of songs, mainly reggae. Drinking Partner, written in 2011 for Carnival 2012, was initially for Klassy. Asked by the song’s producer if he did not want to sing the song, Dev’s first response was: “I am not a singer. I like it but that is not for me.”

However, he was persuaded to sing on the track with Klassy, and the song went on to become a hit.

While he already had fans from the barber shop, his parties and the J’Ouvert band, Dev was able to build his fan base through the song. Then they asked, “What you’re coming with next year?"

He soon realised that singing and performing was something he loved.

“I tried a thing and it was working out. So I continue and continue. Then it is just a lot of grinding. A lot of hard work.”

As his songbook grew, people would often say, “Yeah, that was the barber that sing that song.” But when they realised he had songs every year, they no longer referred to him as just a barber but as an artiste.

While he threw parties, Dev initially did not use it as an avenue to build himself as an artiste. Now, however, he would use the parties to promote his music.

His 2018 hit Is Jam gained its popularity like that. He remembered giving fans on one of his boat rides a preview of the song before its release.

“The next day the fans were calling the radio station saying, ‘We want to hear that song new Dev sing last night in the boat ride.’ But the song had not been released yet, it was just a preview for my fans who came to support my boat ride.

"I will use my parties and events now to get a little more promotion and push myself a little more,” he said.

Now in his eighth year as a professional singer, Dev has four songs for Carnival: Dutty, Somebody on the Novation riddim and Doh Fraid on the Daybreak riddim and the soon-to-be-released Roll Back on the 108 riddim.

While he said it is not easy to make it in the soca industry, he believes like all else in life all you have to do is put your mind to it.

Dev has spent time developing himself as an artiste, looking at the older ones “in the game.”

“I would not be in a party partying. I would be watching, taking notes and that kind of thing. I look at everything as a learning experience.” Dev would even ask questions and use YouTube as a learning tool to better himself as an artiste. He has looked up to and built his style from people like Bunji Garlin, reggae artiste Sizzla and Machel Montano. He has “personal artiste friends” like Devon “Prophet Benjamin” Samuel and Devon “Lyrikal” Martin. He hopes, someday, to do work with artistes like Patrice Roberts and Bunji Garlin, and dreams of taking soca worldwide. He plans to release his first album next year.

While most of his songs open with the phrase “It’s your boy Dev” he is also known as the as King of the J’Ouvert. This came from his J’Ouvert masqueraders, who would always tell him they had so much fun, they would say, "Boy, I feel you are the King of the J’Ouvert. Your band is the best."

That phrase, he said, stuck in his head, until "I feel I have to do a song about the King of J’Ouvert.” This inspired his 2018 track King Ah J’Ouvert. His band’s 2018 J’Ouvert presentation, Carnival Band, won the south J’Ouvert competition.

The soon-to-be 35-year-old does not plan on entering any competitions.

“My music is not for competition. My music is to make sure the people enjoy themselves and like the music.”

But, he adds, “If the fans decide they want to see me there, then I would do the competition. But it is not like it is my main focus.”

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