L Devine

Devine released her debut single "School Girls" in July 2017.[8] In an interview with Nylon, she said that the song is about "how in the 'real world’, you still encounter the same bitchiness you thought you left behind at school."[9] The accompanying lyric video for the track was made in collaboration with British designer and producer Chloe.[9] She subsequently released an acoustic session performance of the track, which was premiered by The 405.[10]

In November 2017, Devine released her debut five-track EP Growing Pains, which was accompanied by a ten-minute visual that was directed by Emil Nava, who had previously collaborated with Rihanna and Selena Gomez.[4] The majority of the film was shot in Newcastle.[11]

Devine's second EP, Peer Pressure, was released on 16 November 2018[12] along with a short film, also directed by Emil Nava.[13][14] "Peer Pressure", the lead single, opens with a line from the 1988 film Heathers, and Devine spoke about her love of the coming-of-age film in an interview with The Line of Best Fit.[15] Devine counts Charli XCX among her fans,[16] and Charli's backing vocals feature on the track "Peer Pressure" after producer Justin Raisen played it to the pop star, who asked to record a version of it.[17] The single was accompanied by a music video on her YouTube channel.[18]

The same month the EP was released, YouTube Music announced Devine had been chosen to be on their Ones to Watch list for 2019[19] and BBC Radio 1 added L Devine's track "Nervous" to their BBC Introducing playlist.[20] Tmrw magazine also released a special edition issue: L Devine by tmrw, entirely dedicated to and curated in partnership with Devine, and described the artist as "an extremely exciting pop talent who we believe is destined to be a global phenomenon".[21]

In May 2019, Devine performed at The Great Escape Festival.[22] On 17 May 2019, she released the single "Naked Alone".[23] In an interview, she said "I actually wrote the song nearly two years ago. That's not usually the case, usually I just write them and then they come out over the next few months, but this one I’ve been sitting on for a while, just trying to find the right time to put it out, but it’s time."[24] In July 2019, two songs co-written by Devine were released; "Mean That Much" by Rudimental, and "Next Mistake" by Icona Pop.[25][26] In 2020, Devine has released two singles: "Boring People" and "Don't Say It".[27]