Today, we have a quietly captivating artist for you — someone we sat down with to talk about heartbreak, digital life, and the quiet spaces in between. Somewhere in the middle of our conversation, Davey says: “Honestly, I created the song for others at the time; I didn’t expect to need it for myself.” Not a dramatic pause — just a truth, plain and unexpected.
Born in Redding, CA and now based in LA, Davey Legend writes from the places we often don’t speak out loud. A self-described Gen Z digital native, his world is shaped by memes, FaceTime calls, and the kinds of conversations that happen half in your head and half through a screen. His music — or as he playfully calls it, “bing bong boing” — is a reflection of that inner tangle: sincere, fragmented, sometimes surreal, always real.
His new single “INBETWEEN” was sparked by a fragment of a verse from his long-time friend 4DRIAN, tucked away in a forgotten file called “hmmmmmmmmm.” The song slowly unfolded into something bigger — a document of the moment when clarity becomes more painful than confusion, when a relationship hovers at the edge of letting go. “Music is the only way I can process things,” he tells us. “When I start writing, it feels like a release inside my brain.”
In this intimate conversation, we talk about the strange beauty of writing from other people’s heartbreaks, the balance between honesty and world-building, and what it means to trust the moment you’re in.
photography by Lance Skudrich
Hey Davey, thanks so much for taking the time! How are you today? Excited to dive in! Let’s start right at the heart of it — “INBETWEEN” captures that space where clarity hurts more than confusion. Do you remember the moment the lyrics started tumbling out again after rediscovering the “hmmmmmmmmm” file? What was going on around you at the time?
The INBETWEEN single took shape over the course of about a year and a half. I originally stumbled across 4DRIAN’s verse on a short instrumental loop in a file called “hmmmmm”. I saw the date the file was created and remembered that it was during a trip to LA that I took. I vividly remember 4DRIAN talking to me about the ‘relationship’ situation he was in. Instantly, I started writing the chorus for the song and by the end of that initial session, the song was laid out all the way up until the second chorus; it kept flowing organically. Then the block happened, the song sat for about 7 months! I ended up opening up the forgotten project again because my manager was going through a really painful divorce, which inspired me. I ended up writing the piano line & the lines of the verse while literally on a FaceTime call with my manager, Kurt. The whole writing process for this song came from writing in an “out-of-body” kind of perspective. Writing from the perspectives of my closest friends around me, who were all going through extremely painful relationships & splits. I very rarely write in this way, where the topic isn’t immediately happening to me or in my personal life, but this song just felt right in the moment of what I was experiencing and the heartbreaks I was witnessing.
Heartbreak — whether it’s about love or friendship — is, for me, one of the most painful things to go through. Does writing music help you process and cope with that kind of pain?
Music is THE ONLY way I process things. I’ve tried therapy, drugs, workaholic, balanced schedule/work life – literally, none of it does anything for me in terms of processing the shit inside my brain. Music, specifically my own, is the only way I can fully express the emotions sitting inside my brain and body. It feels like all my emotional shit just builds up in the background. I know it’s there, but even with that knowledge, I can’t seem to work through them. HOWEVER, like magic, for some reason, when I sit down to start writing, it literally feels like a release inside my brain. All the shit I was holding in and ignoring, finally gets released, processed – it feels like I can be a human being again!
“Being so focused on my future and putting in the work, I haven’t actually ‘lived’ for the past few years.”
Do you believe every song has its own timing?
Totally. I discussed how I wrote “INBETWEEN” from an out-of-body perspective, based on what my closest friends around me were going through… LITERALLY, about a month after the final version of “INBETWEEN” was completed, I ended up going through some absolute world-shattering shit in my relationship. Maybe it was some fucked up foreshadowing or something (lol). Honestly, I created the song for others at the time; I didn’t expect to need it for myself. By the time I finished the song, it had ended up being exactly what I needed during that season – the universe works in mysterious ways.
Your Instagram looks super curated — is that something you enjoy doing, or more of a necessary part of being an artist today?
HA! Thanks for noticing… I’ve always been semi-curated about what I post. I’m still figuring out exactly how much I want to “curate” and how much is just pure, unedited honesty. I think I can boil it down to world-building, creating something my fans can fully immerse themselves in and get lost in. World-building is extremely important to all artists; it’s what made me fall in love with my favorite artists and bands growing up. What plays in my head when I listen to/create my own music isn’t necessarily REAL life. It’s a peculiar fantasy world that exists in my mind, personifying my emotions and situations, almost like how a dream can incorporate real people from your life, but in super random settings.
You mentioned that your real-life relationships have shifted into the digital world. Could you tell me a bit more about that? Honestly, I sometimes feel like there’s not much that’s real about digital relationships—at least not unless they also exist in the real world. Nothing really beats human connection in real life, right? (smiles)
I think the time we live in is super fucking weird but also cool. We are the pioneers of a new digital age. AI and virtual reality are only getting better and will only become more prominent in society. Do I think it’s all good? No. But I don’t think it’s ALL bad. I think there is a very real connection that can be made online, with other humans even if you don’t meet offline… I think it’s just a new way of expressing ourselves as humans. The way I text versus the way I talk are vastly different. Neither forms of communication are “less” me. They’re just different ways I express myself through those mediums. I think a lot of people (especially millennials and older – no hate, laughs) have a very visceral reaction to the digital age and a lot of the new technology and the way its changing. Not for invalid reasons but I definitely think people need to be open minded and realize that growing up inside this insane digital age definitely makes your life experience different.
“World-building is extremely important to all artists; it’s what made me fall in love with my favorite artists and bands growing up.”
What’s something you’re excited about right now — even if it’s small?
Ahhh, there is so much (laughs). My live shows have been transforming a ton over the past year and I’m experimenting with a lot of new components for my performances which is so so fun and very producercore type vibes (my ultimate vibe). Musically, there’s some random nerdy shit I’m into – I came across a dude (shopliftin) who’s been producing songs titled December and Circle Pad, using only a Nintendo DS & they sound so ‘good shitty’ and I love shit like that. Big proponent of GOOD SHITTY sounds! Kind of nostalgic and more “real” feeling than super polished and clean sounds.
And lastly — what feels like the most important thing in life to you right now?
Trusting and believing. Being present in the NOW. I’ve been so stressed over the past few years worrying about TIME. Worried about growing older. Worried about time running out. With that, I’ve realized I’ve actually wasted the time that I’ve had. Being so focused on my future and putting IN the work, I haven’t actually “lived” for the past few years. Maybe that’s a good thing and gives me a unique perspective – it is where all these songs have come from. I think this year, as the album comes to fruition, that is what I’m focused on.
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