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Henry J. Star, the creative alias of Knoxville, TN-born singer-songwriter Devin Badgett, was born out of an offering to his younger self. The debut project of the visionary creative, Henry J. Star is a rich tapestry of sonic and personal influences—drawing from Japanese adventure games, ambient music, and Southern literature—to chronicle a powerful journey toward understanding and healing.
Earlier this summer, Badgett announced his debut album, The Soft Apocalypse, out October 17 via Acrophase Records, and introduced the world to Henry J. Star through lead single “Greenway”—a track that earned him early comparisons to Youth Lagoon and Alex G.
Today, Henry J. Star shares “Petrichor,” a heavy and powerful reckoning on what it means to navigate the world as a Black individual. The track opens with a gut-punch question:
“What if I die today?”
It’s a song about the exhausting calculus of simply existing — the weight of everyday decisions, and the real, lived consequences they carry.
Badgett shares, “In memory of Ahmaud Arbery. A story about running while black & the paradox of choice. This song was written in an attempt to underline how grandiose seemingly simple decisions can be for certain folks.“
Written, produced, and largely performed by Badgett in bedrooms and basements across Tennessee, The Soft Apocalypse is a fearless realization of his singular creative vision. The album draws from the complex weight of Badgett’s past—including his father’s incarceration, the intricacies of his multi-racial identity, and the quiet isolation of suburban life. For Badgett, music became a lifeline—a way to build a world beyond what he could see.
A worn VHS copy of The NeverEnding Story sparked that sense of wonder early on. “It was perhaps the first time I believed that a better world was not only possible, but worth fighting for,” he says.
