Divine Reo isn’t just an artist; she’s a declaration. The independent singer and songwriter, backed by a strong 73.5K following, isn’t waiting for permission. She asserts herself as the “NEXT BIG THING,” with a sound so fiercely original, she fully expects to be accused of being an “industry plant” when her true power is revealed.
We sat down with Divine Reo to discuss the difficult battle to protect her unique voice, her ultra-practical business blueprint for independent artists, and her powerful, surprising vision for her long-term legacy outside of music.
The Next Big Thing: Preparing for the Accusation
Divine Reo’s vision for her impact is less about applause and more about seismic, bone-deep resonance.
“I’m the next big thing ’cause the world isn’t ready for what I’m about to bring to them,” she declares. “They’d feel every bit of ‘Reo’ in their bones… The moment I’m accused of being an industry plant would be just the beginning of everything, ’cause the main thing is yet to be seen.”
This massive confidence, however, has to contend with a unique hurdle: the perception of success. She admits that the 73K+ follower count often leads people to think she’s already “made it,” dismissing the continuous “hustling and bustling” required to reach her true goal.
The Origin Story: Finding the “Reo” Sound
The biggest early-career challenge for Divine Reo wasn’t technical—it was identity. She spent time experimenting with various genres, noting they “definitely sound good but they never feel like me.”
This struggle was compounded by external pressure: “The people I have worked with… always want me to do patterns of songs they feel they like better, and they never really think about me connecting my originality to sounds.”
Her debut single, “Cello,” was a direct result of this compromise, which is why she only rates it a 6/10 today. That experience taught her the lesson that shaped her entire career: “I don’t necessarily have to sound like every other person, i can be just that unique version of myself i have always wanted to be.”
This realization pushed her away from writing “mostly heartbreak songs” toward embracing all life experiences—a vital evolution driven by the mix of rejection and appraisals she’s received.
The Independent Blueprint: Quality and Community
If she were starting fresh, Divine Reo’s strategy would be ruthlessly focused on budget-conscious quality and organic community-building, not expensive vanity projects. Her advice is golden for any emerging artist:
- Prioritize Production Quality: “Gather your funds well and meet a good producer, ’cause a song production is like the backbone of how people would view your song.”
- Reject Vanity Videos: “Don’t go around paying huge sums for viral videos or music videos… gather good friends shoot videos with them instead, do proper editing, and keep posting… do collaborations too with people online to build a community.“
Her most personal track, “Rule,” perfectly embodies this approach to art. She is most proud of its symbolic meaning, which “requires your soul to read into it,” even if the production was a motivational setback.
Beyond the Charts: A Legacy in Education
While Divine Reo is fully committed to her music, her long-term vision is built on giving back. Inspired by her father who owned a school, she sees her ultimate purpose in education.
“I too love helping people learn, I love sharing knowledge… and one thing I look forward to doing is opening branches of schools across the country, and even across borders.“
For now, the mantra for the next generation remains simple but powerful: “just keep doing what you’re doing and do it even better, leave those baby steps you’re comfortable with, and do something even you couldn’t imagine you could do.”
With more crafts and songs in the pipeline, Divine Reo is giving “everything I have to make sure they eventually make it to where I want them to be.” The world, ready or not, will soon hear the results.
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