Devin Tailes – a.k.a Devin Starr or just plain old Dev – is a young lady on a mission.

While most of her classmates are still finishing up their first two years of junior college or getting ready to enter the workforce after completed trade or technical school, Tailes – who goes by her stage name Dev – has already toured around the West Coast and has teamed up with the Berkeley based club staples The Cataracs to lend her vocals on a song that has not only become a huge hit on Bay Area dance stations but has reached the furthest points of the globe.

Not bad for a member of Sierra High’s Class of 2007.

During her days as a Timberwolf, Tailes spent her after-school hours during the spring in the pool – contributing to her Sierra swim team and earning her varsity letter in the process.

But her true passion rested in the things that the mob mentality of most modern high school campuses tend to overlook – citing some of her favorite things on her MySpace page as singing, music, clothes, fashion, coffee, inspiration, shoes, sarcasm, skating, chocolate, and RED NAIL POLISH.

She also took the time to show the strong roots of her Portuguese and Mexican heritage and how she appreciates the traditions that come with both.

And if the songs on her page like The Cataracs’ “2Nite” featuring Dev are any indication, she’s got a bright future ahead of her in the world of entertainment.

According to underground music blog The Slap Report, Dev is “one of the baddest young singers that I’ve come across in a while, rising pop superstar from the Indie-Pop camp. She’s an A&R’s dream: her voice is on point, her songs are catchy, danceable, and well produced, and most importantly, her mind is right in that her approach to music comes unencumbered by the kinds of petty hang-ups that destroy truly promising young careers.”
The Slap Report also stated that her music has already made her an International club sensation in places like Rio de Janeiro and Milan.

Dev just moved to the music-centered world of Los Angeles to finish her CD (which according to a press release should be out this summer) that will be produced and marketed by the label that signed her just a couple of months after she posted some of her songs on her MySpace page (a new MySpace music page is under construction.)

All it takes is one visit to her site – www.myspace.com/devinstaarr  – to see what the hype is all about.
Her smooth and melodic voice at the beginning of the club staple 2Night shows why The Cataracs took a chance on such a young and as-of-then unproven singer – her raw talent shines through and the end result is a fluid and almost dream-like voice that helps add an element to calm to the high-energy backbeat.

And even her first tries at recording music with “the BLAST OFF kids” – a low budget collaboration with friend, photographer, and beat maker Shane Crislip – yielded a sound that was far more mature than what you’d expect to find from two kids messing around with a music program. Dev’s voice brought a unique element to the trip hop back beats and served as impressive demo for any future foray into the further reaches of the music industry.

It won’t be long before Dev will be making a pass through California on a mini-tour with The Cataracs, Dizzy Balloon, and The Pack as they wind their way down and back up the state playing four shows over a week-long period.

The Traveling Dance Party Tour will kick-off on Friday, April 17, at the Senator Theater in Chico where The Pack will be performing. A stop at Storke Plaza on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara on Tuesday, April 21 at 12 p.m. will give students of one California’s most naturally beautiful campuses a chance to take in some free music before the tour continues on to Hollywood on Thursday, April 23 for a 7 p.m. show at The Knitting Factory on Hollywood Boulevard with The Pack. DJ Havoc of the Cataracs will be spinning between sets. The tour will end on Friday, April 24 at an 8 p.m. show at Slim’s in San Francisco – giving Dev’s friends and family members the chance to attend. Special guest DJ Aaron Axelsen of San Francisco rock station Live 105 will be on hand for that performance.

Ticket information can be obtained at www.thecataracs.com. To view Dev’s MySpace page and hear some of her music, visit either www.myspace.com/devinstaarr or www.myspace.com/theblastoffkids.