Jean Dawson

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Jean Dawson
Dawson in November 2022
Dawson in November 2022
Background information
Birth nameDavid Sanders
Born (1995-12-22) December 22, 1995 (age 28)
San Diego, California
OriginLos Angeles, California
GenresExperimental pop
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)
  • Piano
  • guitar
LabelsP+
Websitejeandawson.com

David Sanders (born December 22, 1995), better known by the stage name Jean Dawson, is a Mexican-American experimental pop musician. Since 2018, he has released three albums and over a dozen singles via his own record label P+, and toured across the US and Europe with artists including Brockhampton.

Early life[edit]

Dawson was born David Sanders[1][2] on December 22, 1995,[1][3] in San Diego, California[4] and grew up in Tijuana, Mexico[a] and Spring Valley, California.[4] He is of mixed heritage, with an African-American father from Long Beach, California and a Mexican mother from Sinaloa.[7][8] His mother learned English by listening to West Coast hip hop.[7] He would cross the border to San Diego every day since he went to elementary school there,[9] requiring him to wake up at 3 a.m.[10] He would spend those long bus rides listening to a wide variety of music, including grunge, hip hop, Britpop, new wave, and rock en español.[8] In an interview with MTV's Patrick Hosken, Dawson described himself in school as having never been "the popular kid in school", instead "the kid in the library with one friend. And we'd sit, we'd talk every day about the internet and what we saw on the internet."[11]

Dawson grew up in a musical family, with his parents' interest in each other's culture having been what connected them. This led him to deciding he wanted to make a career out of music at age 13. Growing up in poverty meant he couldn't afford his own instruments, so he would take the bus to a local Guitar Center every day after school and practice piano there.[12]

Career[edit]

After finishing high school, Dawson moved to Los Angeles to study film at California State University, Los Angeles.[7] He would buy studio equipment with the money that he was given to buy books, which led to him dropping out to pursue a career in music. While still in college, he recorded Bad Sports in his dorm room with his roommate, Lecx Stacy.[13] Essence interviewer Sydney Scott notes the project's influences as including "sonic and visual nods to Outkast, the Cure, Kid Cudi, and Kanye West with the singer-songwriter's taste later being informed by groups like Disturbed, N.E.R.D. and random CDs purchased from thrift stores."[14] The album had a vinyl run, with Dawson later finding a collection of unsold vinyls which he autographed and listed for sale at US$1000, being met with criticism from fans for the high price.[15]

On October 23, 2020, he released his second studio album, Pixel Bath via his independent record label P+.[16]

On June 8, 2021, Dawson was announced as a support act for headliner Brockhampton's US and Europe tour that ran from August 2021 through June 2022.[17] On June 16, Dawson released the Apple Music-exclusive single "Ghost", as part of the music streamer's Juneteenth-inspired Freedom Songs series. Dawson described the song as being "for the people who've felt unseen and unheard", and explained his personal perspective on the holiday, saying it "should never have needed to exist. My ancestors should have never been slaves and built a country that would show to be a curse to my Black skin. Nevertheless, I live in this version of reality where Black folk were and are seen as beasts, devils, and animals. So the day my beautiful Black ancestors were freed is the greatest cause for celebration and reflection."[18] "Ghost" was released on all streaming platforms on February 17, 2023.[19] The music video for Pixel Bath track "Dummy" was also released June 8, 2021, directed by Mowgly Lee and Bradley J. Calder.[18]

In April 2022, Dawson performed at Coachella.[12] On August 19, he announced his third studio album, Chaos Now and released lead single "Three Heads".[20] Chaos Now released October 7, via P+.[21] Also on August 19, he announced his first headlining US tour for October and November, supported by LA-based duo Junior Varsity.[22][20] The tour completely sold out,[23] and left Dawson feeling "like I made thousands of friends in the span of a month."[24] Reviews of the tour were positive, highlighting Dawson's stage presence and the audience's polite but high-energy moshing.[25][26][27]

On February 22, 2023, Dawson was announced as part of the lineup for that year's edition of When We Were Young, set for October 21 and 22 in Las Vegas.[28] The next month, Lollapalooza announced their 2023 lineup including Dawson, with the festival held in Chicago August 3–6.[29]

On May 11, Dawson announced a new trilogy of singles, with the first released the same day. Those songs, "Youth+" and "Delusional World Champion", were collected as "Xcape Pt. 1", and feature Dawson assuming the character of Phoenix. Dawson also announced a headlining US tour for September and October.[30][31] The second set of the trilogy, now called Destruction for Dummies, sees Dawson assuming the character of Nightmare on the songs "No Scope", "X-Ray", and "Vexed".[32] He was also set to support Trippie Redd on select dates of his Take Me Away tour running from August through October[33] before that tour was cancelled.[34]

On September 17, Dawson announced a new single with SZA called "No Szns", which released on September 22.[35] Dawson first teased the song via TikTok in May.[35] The release came with cover art drawn by Josh Brizuela which was compared to art from the children's book Where the Wild Things Are.[35] The song came with a music video directed by Dawson and Calder.[36]

On January 31, 2024, Dawson was announced as one of the 16 artists covering a song from the Talking Heads album Stop Making Sense for the 40th anniversary tribute album Everyone's Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense, set to be released by A24 Music.[37] On March 6, Dawson released the single "New Age Crisis", one of three tracks from his EP Boohoo.[38] The full EP was released the following day.[39] One of the songs, "Divino Desmadre", is Dawson's first with lyrics in Spanish.[1] The EP was intended as an overture to an album planned for release later in the year.[1] On April 19, the film Abigail was released, featuring a new Dawson song called "Burn My Tongue" which plays over the end credits.[40][41] The film's soundtrack album, featuring "Burn My Tongue" and the film's original score by Brian Tyler, was released the same day.[41]

Other ventures[edit]

In 2021, Dawson launched his clothing and merchandise label Turbo Radio, including collections of face masks, shirts, sweatpants, crew necks, and sweaters that he designed.[42][43]

On February 25, 2021, Dawson released a seven minute documentary short about himself titled Burnout, which he directed himself. The film, featuring "Blade Runner-esque" visual effects and a music score by frequent collaborator Zach Fogarty, sees him discussing his personal life in an intimate, vulnerable way. Topics include his past, being "anti", and getting happier as he gets older.[44][45][46]

Style[edit]

In an interview with DIY's Elly Watson, Dawson listed his influences as including Kanye West; The Smashing Pumpkins; "Warped Tour shit"; "anything from Manchester" such as the Smiths; New Order; and "all the stuff that felt really Britpop-py", noting that when working on Bad Sports single "Napster" he asked his British producers Hoskins to make the song "feel like Manchester and Compton had a baby", "like if Morrissey was Black."[47] Dawson described his intent for Pixel Bath to sound like "Rick Ross at a '90s rave" or "the Pixies, but the Pixies are at the most trapped-out environment that the Pixies can be at."[11]

Dawson has been described as a "genre-shattering polymath"[48] with an "ability to blend [genres which] comes more naturally than most",[49] having employed a long list of sounds including early 2000s indie rock, trap, R&B,[48] bedroom pop, pop-punk, industrial hip hop, glitch-pop,[50] grunge, shoegaze,[49] alternative rock, hardcore hip hop, underground hip hop,[51] emo, country, and classical.[7] Dawson is also commonly referred to as simply an experimental pop artist.[52][5] Dawson describes his approach by saying "When people ask me what genre I make, I'm like, dude, I don't know" and "What genre of music did Prince make? I'm not comparing myself to Prince—he is a god among humans. But his music was just Prince. It was everything you needed it to be at the time."[7]

Dawson's lyrics cover topics including anxiety, depression, feeling like an outsider, fragile masculinity,[7] drug addiction, gang life, spirituality, and morality.[53]

Personal life[edit]

Dawson has three dogs: a Dobermann named Midnight, a French bulldog named Mala, and an English bulldog named Oz.[47] He lives in Inglewood, California.[7]

Dawson has struggled with depression, including a period of persistent suicidal ideation when he was 21 which led him to start therapy and taking SSRIs.[1]

Discography[edit]

Albums[edit]

EPs[edit]

  • Boohoo (2024)

Singles[edit]

List of singles, showing year released, selected chart positions, and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
Alt.
[54] 		US
AAA
[55] 		NZ
Hot
[56]
"Glacier Gallery"[57] 2018 — — — Non-album single
"Bullfighter"[58] — — — Bad Sports
"Napster"[5] 2019 — — —
"Blame by Me"[59] — — —
"Ooga Booga"[60] — — — Non-album single
"Bruise Boy"[61] 2020 — — — Pixel Bath
"Power Freaks"[62] — — —
"Policía"[63] — — —
"Clear Bones"[64] — — —
"Starface"[65] — — —
"Devilish"[66] — — —
"Ghost" 2021 — — — Non-album singles
"Menthol" (featuring Mac DeMarco)[67] — — —
"Porn Acting"[68] 2022 — — — Chaos Now
"Three Heads"[69] — — —
"Pirate Radio"[70] — 11 —
"Sick of It"[71] 29 — —
"Bad Fruit"[72] — — —
"'Xcape', pt. 1 Jean Dawson as 'Phoenix'"[73] 2023 — — — Non-album singles
"Spotify Singles"[74][75] — — —
"'Destruction for Dummies', pt. 2 Jean Dawson as 'Nightmare'"[32] — — —
"No Szns" (with SZA)[35] — — 18
"New Age Crisis" 2024 — — — Boohoo
"Fit Check Freestyle" (with 1999 Write the Future)[76] 2024 — — — TBA

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ It has been claimed that Dawson was born in Tijuana[5][3] but he calls this a common misconception.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Pearlman, Mischa (April 2, 2024). "Jean Dawson: The Art of Being Yourself". Flood. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  2. ^ Carcoba, Gabriel (August 24, 2022). "Jean Dawson alcanza su mejor momento en "Three Heads*"" [Jean Dawson hits his prime in "Three Heads*"]. JeNeSaisPop.com (in Spanish). Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Jean Dawson Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Osei, Sarah (June 15, 2021). "Jean Dawson Is a World Unto Himself". Highsnobiety. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Ely, Paulette (February 15, 2019). "Flaunt Premiere | Jean Dawson "Napster"". Flaunt. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  6. ^ Fantano, Anthony (January 21, 2021). Jean Dawson Interview. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Wally, Maxine (October 6, 2022). "Jean Dawson Controls the Chaos". W. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Fernández, Stefanie (October 23, 2020). "A "Black Björk": Jean Dawson Reintroduces Himself on Pixel Bath". Remezcla. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  9. ^ "Best New Artists of the Month (August)". Complex. August 26, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  10. ^ Fairbrother, Logan (March 8, 2023). "Jean Dawson Is Creating Characters With His Music". Hypebeast. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Hosken, Patrick (July 27, 2020). "Jean Dawson Wants His Debut Album to Sound Like Rick Ross at a Rave". MTV. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Rising Artists Who Rocked Coachella: Get to Know Holly Humberstone, Wallows and Jean Dawson". Variety. April 25, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  13. ^ Deaderick, Lisa (April 11, 2021). "San Diego Singer-Songwriter Explores Ethnicity, Social Justice in His Music". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved October 31, 2022. In college, Stacy executive produced the critically acclaimed album (Bad Sports) of his college roommate, Jean Dawson.
  14. ^ Scott, Sydney (December 6, 2020). "Jean Dawson Is Open to Interpretation". Essence. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  15. ^ Fine, Freddie (March 14, 2022). "How Musicians Can Learn From Jean Dawson's $1,000 Limited Edition Bad Sports Vinyl Release". Sheesh. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  16. ^ Williams, Jenessa (October 27, 2020). "Jean Dawson – Pixel Bath review: LA-based innovator comes good on an expansive expression of the self". NME. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  17. ^ Rossignol, Derrick (June 8, 2021). "Brockhampton Announces a Bunch of 2022 Tour Dates With Support From Jean Dawson". Uproxx. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  18. ^ a b McInnes, Laura (June 16, 2021). "Jean Dawson shares Apple Music exclusive single "Ghost*" + "Dummy" music video". Sniffers. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  19. ^ Gonzalez, Alex (February 17, 2023). "Jean Dawson Shared a Fan-Favorite Song, "Ghost*" on All Platforms, and Teased More New Music". Uproxx. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  20. ^ a b "Jean Dawson Announces New Album Chaos Now*". DIY. August 19, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  21. ^ Swann, Emma (October 7, 2022). "Jean Dawson - Chaos Now*". DIY. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  22. ^ Velasco, Matthew (August 19, 2022). "Jean Dawson Announces New Album Chaos Now* and Headline Tour". VMan. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  23. ^ Rouhani, Neena (November 7, 2022). "Jean Dawson on Letting Go of Genre and the Narrative: "Whatever You Need Me for, That's What I'm Here For"". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  24. ^ Havens, Lyndsey (December 12, 2022). "Jean Dawson on His First Headlining Tour — And What Made It a Success". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  25. ^ Smith, Suzette (November 15, 2022). "The Mosh Critique: Jean Dawson at Holocene—November 13, 2022". Portland Mercury. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  26. ^ Lindsay, Evan (November 11, 2022). "Concert Review: Jean Dawson Lights Up Le Belmont". The Concordian. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  27. ^ Deeny, Atticus (November 4, 2022). "Jean Dawson promotes chaos on tour". The Triangle. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  28. ^ DiVita, Joe (February 22, 2023). "When We Were Young Festival Adds Second 2023 Date". Loudwire. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  29. ^ Farrell, Margaret (March 21, 2023). "Lollapalooza Announces Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and More as 2023 Headliners". Flood. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  30. ^ Chelosky, Danielle (May 11, 2023). "Jean Dawson Launched "Xcape Pt. 1", the First Installment of a Trilogy, With a Pair of New Songs". Uproxx. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  31. ^ Darville, Jordan (May 11, 2023). "Jean Dawson Does Chiptune, the Cure, and Everything in Between on Two New Songs". The Fader. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  32. ^ a b Schube, Will (August 17, 2023). "Jean Dawson Returns with Second Installment of Destruction for Dummies Trilogy". Flood. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  33. ^ Paul, Larisha (June 28, 2023). "Trippie Redd Announces 2023 "Take Me Away" North American Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  34. ^ G-Moniy (September 1, 2023). "Travis Scott Adds Extra Show in Raleigh; Trippie Redd Cancels Entire Tour". WZFX. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  35. ^ a b c d Pointer, Flisadam (September 18, 2023). "Jean Dawson and SZA Are Joining Forces for a Duet Titled "No Szns"". Uproxx. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  36. ^ Skinner, Tom (25 September 2023). "SZA teams up with Jean Dawson on reflective new single "No Szns"". NME. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  37. ^ Carter, Daisy (January 31, 2024). "Artists Unveiled for Talking Heads Tribute Stop Making Sense Compilation Album". DIY. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  38. ^ Horvath, Zachary (March 6, 2024). "Jean Dawson Delivers Chaotic but Cohesive Piece of Art on "New Age Crisis"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  39. ^ Schube, Will (March 7, 2024). "Jean Dawson Shares New Three-Track Project Boohoo". Flood. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  40. ^ Shaw-Williams, Hannah (April 5, 2024). "Abigail Directors Tease a Brain-Melting Soundtrack and Jean Dawson's End Credits Song". /Film. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  41. ^ a b "Abigail Soundtrack Album Details". Film Music Reporter. April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  42. ^ Balasundar, Gautam (February 28, 2021). "Jean Dawson Merges Chaos and Control Into a Singular Sound". VMan. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  43. ^ Okon, Wongo (April 9, 2021). "Jean Dawson Returns With a Striking Collection of Merchandise Through His "Turbo Radio" Line". Uproxx. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  44. ^ Rashed, Ayana (February 25, 2021). "Jean Dawson Shares His Striking Self-Directed Documentary Burnout". Respect. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  45. ^ Rossignol, Derrick (February 25, 2021). "Jean Dawson Lets Fans Into His World With the Creative New Documentary Burnout". Uproxx. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  46. ^ Alston, Trey (February 25, 2021). "Jean Dawson Pulls Back the Curtain in His Burnout Doc". Paper. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  47. ^ a b Watson, Elly (November 11, 2020). "Jean Dawson: "I Want It to Feel Like Manchester and Compton Had a Baby. I Want It to Be Like if Morrissey Was Black"". DIY. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  48. ^ a b Thomas, Fred. "Jean Dawson - Pixel Bath". AllMusic. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  49. ^ a b Williams, Jenessa (October 27, 2020). "Jean Dawson - Pixel Bath review: LA-based innovator comes good on an expansive expression of the self". NME. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  50. ^ Kohner, Kyle (October 28, 2020). "Album Review: Jean Dawson - Pixel Bath". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  51. ^ Helfand, Raphael (August 19, 2022). "Jean Dawson Announces New Album, Shares "Three Heads*"". The Fader. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  52. ^ Bloom, Madison (December 10, 2021). "Mac DeMarco Joins Jean Dawson for New Song "Menthol"". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  53. ^ Meara, Paul (October 7, 2022). "Interview: Jean Dawson's Chaos Now* Is Tumultuous Mayhem Cloaked in the Desire to Be Heard and Inspire". BET. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  54. ^ "Jean Dawson (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  55. ^ "Jean Dawson (Triple A)". Billboard. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  56. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 2, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  57. ^ Prickett, Macon (April 11, 2018). "Jean Dawson Releases Debut Single "Glacial Gallery"". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  58. ^ Tulay, Rasheed (May 31, 2018). "Jean Dawson debuts boastful new single "Bullfighter"". Earmilk. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  59. ^ ""Blame By Me"". Spotify. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  60. ^ Aku, Timmhotep (December 2, 2019). "Jean Dawson Defies Genre and Expectations With "Ooga Booga"". Afropunk. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  61. ^ Hahn, Bryan (February 12, 2020). "Jean Dawson Is Carelessly in Love in His "Bruise Boy" Video". The Fader. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  62. ^ Kayden, Sean (April 14, 2020). "LA-via-Tijuana Juggernaut Jean Dawson Explores Self-Control on Blazing Single "Power Freaks"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  63. ^ Ingvaldsen, Torsten (June 9, 2020). "Jean Dawson Targets Police Brutality in New Single "Policía"". Hypebeast. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  64. ^ Scott, Ruby (June 25, 2020). "Jean Dawson Ponders Life and Death in "Clear Bones"". Ones to Watch. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  65. ^ Lim, Eddy (September 23, 2020). "Jean Dawson shares new single "Starface*", announces debut studio album". NME. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  66. ^ Droke, Carolyn (October 23, 2020). "Jean Dawson Runs Away From Personal Demons in His Monster-Filled "Devilish" Video". Uproxx. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  67. ^ Robinson, Ellie (December 11, 2021). "Jean Dawson links up with Mac DeMarco for gritty new single "Menthol*"". NME. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  68. ^ "Jean Dawson Bring Us a New Massive Single "Porn Acting*"". Out Now. February 27, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  69. ^ Helfand, Raphael (August 19, 2022). "Jean Dawson Announces New Album, Shares "Three Heads*"". The Fader. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  70. ^ Chelosky, Danielle (September 16, 2022). "Jean Dawson Shows His Serious Side on the Emotionally Charged "Pirate Radio*"". Uproxx. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  71. ^ Cotter, John (September 29, 2022). "Jean Dawson is "Sick of It*" ahead of upcoming album Chaos Now*". Our Generation Music. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  72. ^ ""Bad Fruit*"". Spotify. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  73. ^ ""'Xcape', pt. 1 Jean Dawson as 'Phoenix'"". Spotify. May 11, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  74. ^ Gonzalez, Alex (June 14, 2023). "Jean Dawson Gave 50 Cent's "Window Shopper" an Alt-Rock Spin in Honor of Black Music Month". Uproxx. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  75. ^ "Spotify Singles". Spotify. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  76. ^ Horvath, Zachary (April 13, 2024). "1999 Write the Future & Jean Dawson Make Perfect Sense on "Fit Check Freestyle"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
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