Welcome to Devolved: My story so far, from music to journalism and back again

Welcome to Devolved - documenting music culture is what we believe in.

My name is Alex Cooper, and I'm a journalist based in the UK. As a student in Manchester, I wrote prolifically about music, covering all angles of the scene in the city.

Music is woven into the fabric of life, wherever you go. But the truth is, only a fraction of it ever gets covered. At Devolved, we aim to find stories that are yet untold, and celebrate people who go out on a limb - who decide to show the world a part of themselves.

As well as music coverage, I aim to take readers behind the scenes as well - the world of journalism is often shrouded in mystery, and I intend to make Devolved as accessible and interactive as possible.

I love music and have done so since I can remember. From my first gigs aged 12 (Status Quo?!), to the first time I went into a mosh pit (IDLES), to discovering the joys of dance music in university (Joy Orbison, Nia Archives), it has run parallel to my life. I remember my life in songs - and I've been incredibly lucky in what I've witnessed.

From this, I took my passion, and I've been able to construct the start of a career - from interviewing Noel Gallagher for a front cover story, to speaking to my heroes with a cup of tea and a Twix, to buying a notepad from my corner shop in Withington because the Bob Dylan show didn't permit phones, so I couldn't take notes!

My writing has led me to write across print and online, which has been a privilege.

At Devolved, we're building something from the ground up. We're built on journalistic values of openness, honesty and fearlessness, but also human values of empathy, compassion and love. I want to build a space for people to be able to contextualise music, to understand music more - to bear witness to the extraordinary world around us.

An arena show will be given the same amount of space as a basement gig. A legend will be spoken to in the same way as a band with no singles. The power is back in the hands of where it truly belongs - to those who make the music.

Devolved is simply a conduit.