Soul Artist Devon Gilfillian on 'Full Circle Moments' with New Album 'Love You Anyway' (Exclusive)

The Nashville-based R&B singer-songwriter met fellow soul artist Emily King when he was a server at City Winery, and now, he's going on tour with her

For Devon Gilfillian, some things are just meant to be.

The R&B artist, whose work spans the soul, rock and hip-hop worlds, released his 10-track album Love You Anyway on Friday, but it's the journey Gilfillian has been on since he first moved to Nashville to pursue his dream that makes the album's debut all the more meaningful.

"I wanted to go somewhere where music was everywhere," Gilfillian, a Philadelphia native, exclusively tells PEOPLE. "I did AmeriCorps in Nashville for a year, helping rebuild homes for low-income homeowners. And then I started working at a restaurant, City Winery, and that's where I met my drummer, who's also my manager now."

Soon after, the two became roommates (and basement jam-session partners) while Gilfillian tried to find a way to take his SoundCloud recordings big-time.

But, as it turned out, City Winery wasn't done giving Gilfillian serendipitous gifts.

"I saw Emily King as I was working and got to go backstage and briefly meet her, which was amazing. And I'm just a huge fan," Gilfillian says. "I get to open for her on May 26th at the Ryman this spring. It's crazy. It's mind-blowing to me. It feels so full circle, and to me, it's the magic of making music and why I love this job."

Gilfillian's list of other classic career influences reads like a musical hall of fame: Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway, Bobby Womack.

His biggest idol of all, however, can be found much closer to home.

"My dad was my first musical influence and is my inspiration and really is the reason why I have the taste of music that I have," Gilfillian says of his father, Nelson. "He's the reason why I look at music as a career that is doable and realistic and something that I fell in love with."

Gilfillian is also proving to be a Renaissance man, with current-chart topping influences like Steve Lacy and Kendrick Lamar and even Thundercat serving as "some of my modern-day heroes," he says. "Those guys are pushing R&B and hip hop and music in general in a way that's beautiful."

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Love You Anyway pushes boundaries, too, as Gilfillian leans into his affinity for political activism through music.

"What [Love You Anyway] is about is really being split apart from friends and family that I love because of having a different opinion and because of not being able to have a real conversation," he says of the title inspiration.

"We've got to listen and critique and think critically, and we can't villainize each other for having different opinions, or we'll never get on the same ground. Politics are a part of our lives and they make it into who we are and they make it into our art. And music is a weapon and music is a powerful tool. It can heal people and it can make people listen," he adds.

The album as a whole also embodies "Black joy," which "sounds like the enjoyment of the every day of life. With Black music, there's an expectation of grief and sorrow, and of hard times," Gilfillian shares. "And I don't want that always to be the case when it comes to listening to a Black artist. I want there to be Black art out there that you can listen to that makes you forget about the hard things happening and really just have songs on the album that make you dance and go, 'Man, I'm just having a good time.'"

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Ultimately, Gilfillian hopes his work brings people from all walks of life together, and that his authenticity shines through in the songs.

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"No matter who it is, whether it's someone who's on the left or the right, I hope that they can listen to it and be like, 'You know what? I want to have a conversation with this guy.' And they feel like it's coming from a real place," he says when asked about his dreams for the album.

"That's all."

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