FEATURE: Spotlight: Debbii Dawson — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Debbii Dawson

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WITH one of the best…

PHOTO CREIT: isstudio

official websites I have seen from any artist, it is clear that Debbii Dawson takes care when it comes to every aspect. She is a Minnesota-born artist whose most recent E.P., How to Be Human, was released last year. Next month, she has a string of U.S. dates that will see her take her incredible music to new places. There are not that many interviews from this year. However, I want to include a couple of particularly interesting ones. First, I am heading back to last year and Pop Dust. They spoke with Debbii Dawson around the release of the How to Be Human E.P. This is an artist I feel everyone should listen to:

“For her second EP, Debbie Dawson set herself a just about impossible task: figure out how to be human. Yet, the result, How To Be Human, doesn’t purport to have all the answers. Instead, it offers scenes and sentiments of a person simply trying to live in the world — torn between the comfort of solitude and the call of the unpredictable outside world.

One of her major inspirations for the album is Emily Dickinson, she tells me. After grappling with her own reclusive tendencies, Dawson dug into Dickinson’s life and work. In the end, she has resolved not to end up like Dickinson. So she leaned away from her desire to isolate and into her need to create. And we, the audience. are so lucky to reap the benefits.

How To Be Human follows her 2023 debut EP, Learning, a folk-tinged proclamation of her utterly unique singer-songwriter voice. The songs convey the stumbling first-steps of establishing one’s own personhood, filled with musings that are raw and never pedantic. Although the title was exploratory the songs hold clear truths about lessons learned. Dawson’s wisdom is inherited from legendary country songwriters like Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline while her ear for melody was honed by hymns and sharpened by classical music. The result is 70s-inspired folk-pop with songs fit for a cinescape. They’re songs of yearning, but also songs for dancing around your bedroom just to remind you that you’re alive.

Her eclectic influences get even more surprising as she tells me about her writing process — sometimes humming over dishes, sometimes inspired by art she’s consuming. Yes, the Dickinson, but also movies like Shrek. You’ve heard of a wall of sound? Dawson combines her unique musical background, diverse influences, and personal identities to create a tapestry of sound that cocoons its listener and welcomes them into her world”.

“POPDUST: The sound really shifts from the first EP to this one. Learning was more folk-inspired, but How To Be Human sounds like ABBA meets Kasey Musgraves. Can you talk through the choices that you were making on both and why you gravitated to this new sound?

Debbii Dawson: When I was trying to find my sound when I first started doing music, I thought I had to pick one lane so as not to confuse people. A lot of that was me actually trying to come to terms with my own identity. And until I did that, the sound didn’t come. So I had to be comfortable being a person in multiple worlds — being a first generation American, being a person of color, growing up in a white town. I had a lot of things to deal with internally. Once I accepted that, the sound came and I realized I didn’t have to pick parts of myself. I could do more than one thing at a time and people would be fine with it.

POPDUST: How did those different parts of your identity impact you as a musician?

Debbii Dawson: Being South Asian, I had a different cultural upbringing and realities than my peers, so my version of what it means to be an American looks different from someone else. Even with other South Asians, it varies so much between us. Musically, I also had so many influences. I grew up with old country music like Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline because that’s the western music my parents, who are immigrants, had access to. And then I grew up listening to a lot of hymns and classical music. And I think you can hear all of those present in the stuff I make. And, of course, older songs like ABBA and later, QUEEN, and really amazing musicians really resonated with me.

POPDUST: When did you start picking out the music that you were listening to, and what were you gravitating to?

Debbii Dawson: I had more of a religious upbringing, so I wasn’t exposed to music a lot of other kids my age were. So I started listening to music for myself probably in middle school. I listened to Coldplay for the first time, and John Lennon, and a lot of Muse. And because I loved classical music too, it was really cool how these people could take from their influences, like blues influences — and I know Coldplay had a lot of influence from hymns as well — and see them make something palatable for people.

POPDUST: Connecting to people and connecting to fans is so special. How do you keep that alive on stage?

Debbii Dawson: It’s a different connection. I was super shy. I didn’t know if I could perform live. I wanted to throw up thinking about it, but I remember doing my first show last year and realizing that I really loved it, and it was different when people are connecting with the music. It’s not about me standing and having people look at me — it’s about what I’m bringing to them. It’s like, here look at this thing. So it’s been nice to connect with people in that way. It’s not me and listeners connecting, but me, the listeners, and the music. So it’s less scary”.

There are a couple of 2025 interviews I really need to get to. I am starting off with Atwood Magazine and their chat from July. Highlighting the track, You Killed the Music - which Debbii Dawson kicked the year off with -, we get to know this incredible artist a bit better. One that has such clear passion and focus. I am really interested to see where she heads now and what her future holds:

“For 29-year-old Dawson – who signed to legendary major RCA Records last year, and subsequently released the EP How to Be Human to critical acclaim – “You Killed the Music” is a story of both pain and perseverance. “Like a lot of breakup songs, the story explains how someone hurt me and I got through it,” she tells Atwood Magazine. “In this particular situation, an individual tainted something so pure for me, my love for music. It got to the point where I couldn’t listen to the radio anymore, let alone write or sing, without feeling sad or angry.”

That hurt cuts deep, but it’s the act of rising up and reclaiming her love that gives this song its power. “You killed the music / Left me in ruins / Wrapped up in quiet / Poison with silence,” Dawson sings, her voice trembling with both grief and fire. And yet, what begins in silence doesn’t end there. “I closed the door / And changed all the chords / Then my feet start to move…”

Atwood Magazine: You kicked off the year with the song “You Killed the Music,” an incredibly cinematic anthem full of liberation and an empowering spirit. What's the story behind this song, for you?

Debbii Dawson: Like a lot of breakup songs, the story explains how someone hurt me and I got through it. In this particular situation an individual tainted something so pure for me, my love for music. It got to the point where I couldn’t listen to the radio anymore, let alone write or sing, without feeling sad or angry.

I'm really struck by how freeing this song feels – it's like we're watching a phoenix's rebirth in real-time. What was it about this theme, of renewal and perseverance, that inspired you – in other words, why this topic, why so much passion and emotion behind it?

Debbii Dawson: Every single word in this song is a direct reference to what I was going through, I was having a really hard time so the emotions are very real. I’m singing about music but on a deeper level this song is about any person or circumstance that sucks the life out of you, breaks your spirit, and steals your spark. And then the triumph felt when it doesn’t get the better of you.

I also really love your refrain, “Now all these brand-new melodies keep falling off the tip of my tongue.” It's such a powerful visual, and it brings so much energy to the moment. What do you hope listeners take away from this song, and what have you taken away from creating it and now putting it out?

Debbii Dawson: Thank you! I hope listeners feel empowered and discover resilience they didn’t know they had. For anyone going through something that is leaving you feeling broken, you’re going to be ok. You will be the person you were before again, but whoever or whatever is making you feel that way has got to go!

Making this song was a cathartic experience for me. My heart was so heavy when I went into the studio to write this track, and I left that night floating in the air with a smile on my face.

Now with “Gut Feelings,” you've once again delivered this striking song about self-trust, belief in yourself and your instincts, etc. – it honestly feels like the next step after that initial release in “you killed the music.” What is this song about, for you, and how does it fit into the wider world of Debbii Dawson in 2025?

Debbii Dawson: You’re right! “You Killed The Music” was a song of victory, but “Gut Feelings” is me wishing I never got into that bad situation in the first place. This track is definitely building on the tone of what’s to come both visually and sonically. You can also probably expect more keytar solos in the future.

Just my cornball question over here, but what does trusting your gut feelings look like, for you?

Debbii Dawson: The lyric “trust your gut feeling” is a mantra, a reminder not to doubt myself. I tend to give everyone the benefit of the doubt before I give it to myself. I think for me, it looks like not second-guessing first instincts and being kinder to myself.

You have such an incredible way of harnessing 1980s disco elements and electropop inspired sounds, and bringing them to life in a way that feels fresh and new. Can you talk about your own musical inspirations, and what you hope to convey through these songs?

Debbii Dawson: I grew up listening to a lot of old music, oldies across various genres – country, disco, classical, religious hymns, gospel, jazz… and from several countries/languages as well. Although the range of influences is broad and I don’t always understand the lyrics I’m listening to, I know how a song makes me feel. I’m chasing that magic and I hope listeners can feel it.

For those who are just discovering you today through this writeup, what do you want them to know about you and your music?

Debbii Dawson: I’m a weird girl who makes weird music for weird people. I’ve lived my whole life looking for a place to belong, and music has given that to me. I hope the songs I make can provide that to the world as well”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Carianne Older for NME

I will end things with NME’s interview from earlier this month. An artist that is “embracing life outside her comfort zone, trading hushed confessionals for glittering pop fused with retro grooves”, I do hope that we get more interviews with Debbii Dawson soon. For anyone who has not discovered her music, do make sure you check her out as soon as possible:

“Dawson’s sound is rooted in the eclectic soundtrack of her upbringing: a mix of retro sensibilities and contemporary storytelling that resists easy categorisation. One weeknight might have been spent around the table with her family singing old bluegrass songs in three-part harmony, instruments in every hand. The next, they would be belting gospel standards she learned growing up in the church, or performing for tight-knit congregations at Congolese, Nigerian, Korean, Indian, and Mexican churches.

Those experiences weren’t just musical; they were cultural immersions, each one deepening her understanding of how community and sound intertwine. “It’s a really good way to experience a culture,” she says. “You get to be part of their traditions, and the music is so tied to that.”

Her influences stretch beyond those church halls. She grew up listening to American, Spanish and Italian oldies, classical compositions, religious hymns and old country music. These days, she’s been diving into Japanese city pop and Italian disco, sometimes through hours-long YouTube deep dives. She doesn’t track the Billboard charts obsessively – in fact, she admits she rarely listens to much current pop, which may be why her songs avoid the trappings of trends.

Instead, she treats every element, from chords to production, as part of the storytelling process. “Even if the lyrics are gone, I want the song to still portray the emotion I’m trying to get across,” she says. The studio, she adds, is her playground, a place to be meticulous and experimental, where a track might be stripped back to its essentials or layered until it shimmers.

For Dawson, the true measure of a song has nothing to do with genre or trends. She judges music by a transcendent quality that’s hard to put into words. “The magic is that feeling when something reaches through the speakers and touches you,” she says. “Or makes you smile. I’m always chasing that.” It’s what drew her to the aching ballad ‘Back At Your Door’, her 2024 collaboration with Orville Peck, whose own brand of cinematic country felt like a natural extension of her storytelling instincts.

Her touchstones are as varied as her influences: Whitney Houston for her undeniable, unreplicable presence; the sweeping drama of Hans Zimmer’s Lion King score; James Horner’s romantic swashbuckling in The Mask of Zorro. Film scores were an early lesson for her in how to evoke emotion without words, a skill she now brings into her own songwriting.

PHOTO CREDIT: Carianne Older for NME

When she talks about music, it’s with a mix of spirituality and playfulness. She describes it as something elemental, “like electricity” – a force that existed before humans and was discovered rather than invented. Writing a song, then, is about “tuning into the station” with like-minded collaborators, catching the wavelength that already exists. That process, she says, works best when approached with a childlike spirit: curious, open and always willing to play.

“There’s horrible stuff going on, but I hope what I’m making contributes some light,” she adds. “If someone can listen and feel like they’re not alone, that would feel magical.”

She knows that for her, growth isn’t about abandoning the quiet; it’s about finding ways to carry it into the crowd, then back home again. Sometimes that means company in unexpected forms – like the blue-eyed mannequin head she spotted on the street on her way to a concert. Her best friend named him Fernando, and now he travels with her, tucked neatly into a road case. “He’s usually hanging out during rehearsal,” she says, holding him up to the camera. “He has a secret Instagram page. The fans found out about it. They think it’s me running it, but it’s really Fernando”.

Go and spend some time with Debbii Dawson. Even if I am new to her work, I can identify the fact that she is going to be a huge name. Making music that is irresistible and highly memorable, everyone needs to get behind her. I do hope there are plans to come to the U.K. in the future. People here would love to see her. It is only right that we get to salute…