Olivia. Chappell. Devon Again? L.A.'s alt-pop star stares down life-changing fame

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Set us as preferred Backstage at the Daisy Chain Fields festival in Irvine in August, Devon Johanningmeier was surrounded by legends.Among them was her friend Olivia Rodrigo, who booked Johanningmeier, who performs as Devon Again, for an early-day slot.

Also milling around backstage: Sarah McLachlan, Kathleen Hanna, Chappell Roan and Shirley Manson.Not something you really get used to by 25.“I looked at Stevie Nicks.

I watched her walk around,” Johanningmeier said, curled up like a cat on her living room couch, for an interview on a rare slow afternoon in October before her tour kicks off.Did she introduce herself? “I couldn’t bring myself to do it,” she said.“This has already been too emotional of a day.

I can’t go speak to Stevie Nicks.”She’d better learn how to.Devon Again is one of the most hotly-tipped acts in alt-pop.

Over just a smattering of EPs, her intricate, dream-logic electro-folk-rock has captivated A-list peers.She’s opening a long stretch of Rodrigo’s current arena tour, including 10 nights at the Intuit Dome in January, and just signed to Roan producer Dan Nigro’s Interscope imprint.“She has such a specific energy and sound, and is also just an incredible person.

She jumped right into Daisy Chain Fields in the 11th hour without even a second thought,” Rodrigo told The Times via email.“Her sound and aesthetic feel exactly like her.

It’s vulnerable and raw and beautiful.”You couldn’t script a better pedigree for a young artist, and Johanningmeier is extremely aware of the opportunity here.But the risks of fame — the kind her friends at Daisy Chain Fields have won, savored and recoiled from — is settling in too.“It definitely frightens me.

The more famous you are, the more people there are behind you who also want and need you to do good,” Johanningmeier said.“...