Devon Gilfillian covers Marvin Gaye, talks Stephen King in newest Mighty SONG Writers video

Last month, Mighty Writers and LitHub announced a new collaboration, called Mighty SONG Writers, a weekly video series showcasing literary musical performances. This week’s guest is Nashville singer-songwriter Devon Gilfillian.

In the video, Gilfillian plays stripped-down versions of a few songs, including his new single “The Good Life” and a cover of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” He also talks about writing lessons from his fourth-grade teacher, and his love of Stephen King’s On Writing.

“One of the great things he says is that, writing is telepathy,” Gilfillian says. “You are literally telling somebody what is in your brain. You are putting what is in your head on a page and then someone else is taking that in. One of the greatest tips in the book is to just put your head down, and write. Write for hours, or 30 minutes, but just don’t critique it until you’re done. Write for you.”

Mighty SONG Writers showcases a different artist every week, having them play a few songs and talk about their writing process. Previous contributors include Phil Augusta Jackson, Jewel, Marcus Roberts, and Amanda Shires and Jason Isbell. Gilfillian, meanwhile, recently contributed a new song called “Cracks in the Ceiling” to NPR’s Morning Edition Song Project. He also played a set for this year’s virtual XPNFest from his Nashville apartment.

Watch Devon Gilfillian’s Mighty SONG Writers session below, and check out the rest of the series here.