Los Angeles, July 31st
Devon Lee Carlson in conversation with Paige Silveria
Tell me about your family and childhood. I’ve read that your dad is very interesting in tech and encouraged you to start a YouTube channel early on?
DLC I grew up in a town called Newbury park, not too far from L.A. I have a sister named Sydney and she can make me laugh harder than anyone in the whole world. I had a pretty normal suburban childhood. I started dance at the age of 4 and it was my biggest passion throughout my childhood. I’ve always had the most supportive parents. Anything I showed interest in, my parents did everything they could to help me succeed in.
Can you tell me about your parents’ backgrounds? Where they’re from, what they do, how they raised you and influenced who you are today?
DLC My parents grew up in the Valley. Close to where I grew up. They met in high school and were each other’s first boyfriend and girlfriend. They’re still together to this day. They make me believe in long-lasting true love. My dad considers himself “punkrock”. As a kid that would always make me laugh because he was such a dad to me. I couldn’t picture him being hardcore. Working in the warehouse of a local printing company he learned graphic design, he worked there for a while until he decided to start his own company with a friend. He found such a passion for the internet, he told us about tumblr, Snapchat, and even pushed me to start a YouTube channel when I was 14. He was always ingraining a hustle mentality in us. My mom is a fiery sweetheart. She was an art teacher when she was pregnant with me and is the queen of crafts. My mom could make anything cute. She learned a lot from her mom who was a sewing master. She’s so major and I loved girl-time with her. I remember when I’d do well on a test or at dance, I’d come home to a tiny gift, wrapped to perfection, sitting on my bed. Bribing me worked. Big time. I love my mom a lot.
“My relationship with Gucci started a couple of years ago. The first show I went to, the soundtrack was a remix of I’m a slave 4u by Britney Spears and I think my jaw was on the floor the whole time. It was a lot of fun.”
Tell me about the competitive dancing world. What type of dance did you do? What was that life like?
DLC I love dance so much… I studied ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, and tap. It made me feel beautiful. Some of the best times of my life. I lived for competitions. I trained everyday after school for at least 2 hours. Every weekend our team travel around Southern California and compete against other teams. I loved those days, all wearing matching tracksuits, and cozy slippers! I helped everyone do their hair and makeup so we can look perfect. Putting on my costume and listening to our songs through my headphones going over the dance over and over. Stretching and then all holding hands together before we go on!! And winning was just the best. I miss dance a lot.
Which Hollywood movie about dance would correlate most with your experience? It seems like a really fun world to be a part of.
DLC Bring it on!!!!!! With a sprinkle of Black Swan.
Read the full interview on Muse September Issue 64.
