WHAT IT IS: The 28-year-old Orangevale, California, native grew up just outside the gates of Folsom Prison. He heard the sirens at night, and sang along to Johnny Cash, Alan Jackson, Marvin Gaye and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Arriving in Nashville in 2012, he used his unique skills to author songs for other artists. When it came time to put together his own debut album, he teamed with equally daring producer Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Little Big Town, Brothers Osborne). Having co-written every track, the result is a mix of organic roots and high-voltage country, full of romance and delivered with a distinctive saw-toothed vocal. His look is dark and bold. His sound is sleek and raw. He has a knack for writing razor-sharp stories that cut straight to the heart, full of detail and clever turns of phrase. And his songs speak the language of a new generation. Dawson is an edgy study in contrasts, poised as the next bolt of lightning to hit country’s family tree.
ALBUM: TBA
SINGLE: “All On Me”
TV: Seth Meyers 5/4
LIVE: Maren Morris Hero Tour, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill‘s Soul 2 Soul Tour opener; SXSW
INTERNET: 1.5m single streams on Spotify, 813k+ monthly listeners
RADIO: 4/3 impact date
PRESS: People Country (“2017 Artists to Watch”), CMT (“2017 Artists to Watch”)
BOOKING: Jeff Krones/CAA
PUBLISHING: Travis Carter/Warner/Chappell
MANAGEMENT: Todd Ramey, Jason Owen/Sandbox Entertainment