IRISH PREMIERE: Janet Devlin shares video for 'Big Wide World'

Following the release of her highly anticipated new concept album, Confessional, last week, Janet Devlin is back with a music video for the project's final single, 'Big Wide World'.

The album, which debuted at No.1 on both the UK and Irish iTunes Singer-Songwriter charts, coincided with the release of My Confession – Janet's soul-baring book about her struggles with identity and alcoholism.

The music video for 'Big Wide World' was born from a concept devised by Janet: a joyful homage to the famous running sequence in Forrest Gump.

“When I was in rehab, I re-watched this particular film numerous times," she explains. "There was something about this scene that spoke to me. I felt the urge to run – not away from something… but towards something. Now with the world having been cooped up for so long I wanted to take this song for a run in the great outdoors – stretch its legs. At my lowest points, running was always the best way to keep my mental health in check; it was a great way to connect with the world.”

The video was directed by Katie Ganfield – using creative social distancing techniques, and featuring heart-warming snippets submitted by fans around the world.

As well as Janet's signature ukulele, the feel-good track features bodhrán and percussion from Irish musician Brian Fleming.

The track began life in 2018, when Janet was standing above the world at the Rockefeller Centre, New York. After a decade-long battle with several self-destructive demons, as described in My Confessional, the singer had an exhilarating revelation while looking out over the metropolis, that would come to define her future: she was finally free of her troubled past.

“I bathed in euphoria for the first time in forever,” she says of the moment.“If I could live within a memory, this moment would be my home. All I could see in front of me was a big wide world. And that's when the song’s title and melody popped into my head. It became my attempt at bottling sunshine and pure happiness.”

Take a look at the video for 'Big Wide World' below, and discover Janet's music here.

Revisit our recent interview with Janet Devlin here, and our review of Confessional here.