Devine established a strong presence on the Twin Cities music scene in 2008 after methodically laying solid ground. She’d been doing backup vocals for 7 years, singing behind such star acts as Hip-Hop icon Desdamona, R&B rockers The New Congress, jam-band juggernaut Down Lo and R&B siren Erica West. She also sang on The New Congress’ L.A. Music Award winning album Everybody Gets Up! and In Our World by Down Lo & Deploi. The more audiences heard of her velvet voice, the clearer it became to Steph that she could step out front and cultivate a following of her own. “I never thought it was something I'd pursue but the support and encouragement of family, friends and fans has been great.”

As a result, she stepped her toe in the water, doing a solo set here and there between 2007 and 2008. That included opening for The New Congress and doing a featured set at the wildly successful She Rock Festival. She’s singing on The New Congress’ recently recorded follow-up Woman Is God and makes her solo debut on the newly released compilation So Large We Ran Out Of Room…Again. Devine’s contribution is the exquisite ballad “This Is What It’s Like”. The touching lyrics and hypnotic melody mark a tight, subtly inventive hand that transcends genres.

Her extensive work with The New Congress is hardly happenstance: she’s been the band’s manager since 2005. This, of course, proved an invaluable wedge in gradually but surely establishing an indelible profile for audiences and industry insiders alike.

She has plans to record a solo CD, but is not pushing it. Just like she got this far by taking things a step at time, she’ll go further the same way. When she does, be ready. Steph Devine is going to raise the bar for R&B.

- Dwight Hobbes

Mpls. St. Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Daily Planet