All eyes are on these two as Erica Padilla and DEVAURA join DRIZZ tonight for the ONES TO WATCH
Ahead of their ONES TO WATCH Sydney showcase 2026 show at Mary’s Underground, Erica Padilla and DEVAURA sit down for artist-on-artist chat.
Both are in that in-between moment — where things are starting to move. Bigger rooms, more eyes, and a clearer sense of what they actually want to say.
It’s exactly the kind of timing ONES TO WATCH tends to lock into, and this lineup feels like a solid read on where things are heading.
Rather than running through a straight Q&A, the two take on the interview themselves. It keeps things loose, but there’s a clear throughline — figuring out identity in real time, and learning to trust your instincts as things start to open up.
DEVAURA frames it as “learning in public,” chasing something bigger than a single milestone, while Padilla talks about stepping out on her own and backing her gut after time in a group.
Elsewhere, it dips into the details – the music that shaped them, the songs that feel most like “them,” and even a stage-side stuffed bear named Ollie James – a small but telling reminder to stay grounded while everything else shifts.
ERICA PADILLA: who is your mount rushmore of artists (4) – artists you listen to/ones to watch
DEVURA: MY MOUNT RUSHMORE:
BRANDY
DONNA SUMMER
TINA TURNER
YEMI ALADE
ERICA PADILLA: who are ur top 3 ones to watch
DEVURA: ONES TO WATCH:
There’s so many the scene is so alive.
Here’s my so called AUSSIE top 3 right now in no particular order:
ALBI
BRAZEN BARBIE
FELIVAND
But shout out to my international dolls
SOMADINA
BELLAH IMADE
YSEULT
ERICA PADILLA: What your dream milestone that would make you feel like youve made it as an artist?
DEVURA: I don’t know if there’s ever one version of “making it,” and I’m not sure there’s a single milestone that could define that for me.
Ultimately, I want to see a reflection of my contributions in the social and cultural fabric of music and entertainment especially here in so called Australia . To know I’ve added something meaningful, and done right by myself and my chosen family.
ERICA PADILLA: Is there a particular song in your catalogue that made you go oh yes this is the most me?
DEVURA: I would say ‘VERTIGO’ off of my debut EP volume one learning in public. It’s dynamic, it showcases my range, and it taps into my internal monologue around autonomy, second chances and gratitude. I love that song so much.
ERICA PADILLA: Whats a song that you wish you wrote?
DEVURA: A song I wish I wrote ‘I know you’re hurting’ by RAYE and ‘DISASTER’ by RAY BLK, Tiana Major9.
ERICA PADILLA: What would your memoir be titled?
DEVURA: THE BOOK OF DEVAURA OR LEARNING IN PUBLIC.
ERICA PADILLA: Assemble your avengers.
DEVURA: SONS OF SONIX, BREE RUNWAY, YSEULT and ELSY WAMEYO.
ERICA PADILLA: If your last situationship heard your unreleased music, which song would make them spiral the most?
DEVURA: ‘WHY SO SENSITIVE’ or ‘KAMKAZE’.
ERICA PADILLA: What’s your go-to song when you need to feel like that girl or that guy?
DEVURA: ‘HEAD START’ – BLOODY CIVILIAN or ‘SMO’ – AMMAARAE
ERICA PADILLA: What’s your favourite type of song to perform live vs your favourite to just listen to?
DEVURA: I love performing ‘DANCEHEAD’ and ‘FIRES’ live goes off every single time and I love listening to ‘RATHER BE’ by BRANDY. (DELICIOUS TRACK.)
ERICA PADILLA: What’s something that instantly puts you in a creative mood?
DEVURA: A dark room and a book, sometimes just being still and getting in tune with what my spirit wants to address
ERICA PADILLA: If your music had a colour palette, what would it be right now?
DEVURA: BLUE, PINK and PURPLE
If someone became a fan today, what’s the first song of yours they have to hear?
DEVURA: KAMIKAZE and then VERTIGO for sure. the lore darling you gotta get into it.
ERICA PADILLA: What’s your “main character” song right now?
DEVURA: UP by SARZ FEAT VICTONY.
ERICA PADILLA: Whats a song that youll laugh to and one youll cry to?
DEVURA: Song I laugh to: HOW TO ROB – 50 CENT, The Madd Rapper. (THE BARS, THE STORY TELLING. JUST ABSOLUTELY TOP TIER.)
Song I cry to: YESTERDAY – RAY BLK.
ERICA PADILLA: Describe your live set in 3 words.
DEVURA: DYNAMIC, THEATRICAL, and FUN.
ERICA PADILLA: I feel like bears are your thing, when did that start, do they have names, which is your favourite to take on stage with you?
DEVURA: Ok, so growing up I wasn’t really allowed to keep toys, so my partner gifted me a cute lil bear, (his name is lil Ollie James) and it ended up being this reminder that I can actually live my life the way I want to.
And even though I’m doing a lot of these things for the first time, I’m not alone. I am loved and capable of loving.
Life can be chaotic and overwhelming, so to have something tangible and cute to ground me and remind me to be present, and to never let the trauma of life take away my whimsy or my joy, is so important to me.
My stuffies literally keep me sane lol.
DEVURA: After your time on Building the Band and being part of Siren Society, how did that experience shape your sense of identity as an artist, especially now that you’re stepping out on your own?
ERICA PADILLA: I learned a lot about myself through that experience. When you’re in a group, there’s a shared identity, but it also pushes you to hold onto what makes you different.
We were lucky that each of us brought something unique, and that really encouraged me to stay grounded in who I am.
Now, stepping out on my own, I feel really confident in my identity: both as a person and as an artist. I have a much stronger sense of what makes me me.
The group was incredibly supportive; we lifted each other up through everything, and that environment helped me understand myself on a deeper level.
I definitely know myself better now than I did going into it.
DEVURA: What’s something about being in a girl group that people romanticise, versus what it actually like?
ERICA PADILLA: I think people romanticise how seamless it is, like everyone just naturally shares the same vision.
In reality, a big part of being in a group is working towards one clear direction that everyone believes in, and that takes a lot of compromise.
You have to accept that not every decision will feel 100% right for you, and that’s okay. It’s about finding a balance and trusting the collective, rather than always getting your own way.
DEVURA: Now that you’re carving out your own lane, are there parts of that era you’re consciously holding onto, or things you’ve had to actively unlearn?
ERICA PADILLA: I’m definitely holding onto elements like the group dance breaks – that performance energy is something I love and still want to carry through.
At the same time, I’ve had to relearn how to trust my instincts and feel confident saying no.
In a group, you’re constantly balancing different perspectives, so stepping back into that sense of personal intuition has been a process. Now, it feels really empowering to back myself and go with my gut.
DEVURA: Everybody has a moment before they really lean into their path creatively. When was that moment for you, and what would you say to that version of yourself now?
ERICA PADILLA: I had a moment where I just felt it in my gut, this really clear sign that I needed to lean into dance and properly commit to it.
In 2024, I went all in on training and pulled back on work to focus on it, which ended up happening just before I got the call from Netflix.
Since then, I’ve realised the music I love making goes hand in hand with dance, and that’s really helped me step into this new era. Before, I was just singing songs I could sing, but now I feel like I’ve found my sound and a clear creative vision.
If I could say something to that version of myself, it would be to trust that instinct earlier, it knew exactly where I needed to go.
DEVURA: What do you want people to understand about you now you’re stepping into this new era
ERICA PADILLA: I want people to understand that my music is about empowerment. I’ve always been quite shy, so this new music feels like me hyping myself up, stepping into that confidence and saying, “I can do what I want to do.”
More than anything, I want people to feel empowered when they listen to it, and to know it’s coming from someone who genuinely needed that at a certain point in their life.
