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Jean Dawson Is Just Getting Started
“I’m Always in a Place Where God Want Me to Be”
Jean Dawson doesn’t fit neatly into any one genre—or narrative. He’s the type of artist who thrives on blending styles, experimenting without fear, and letting intuition guide his path. Fresh off a string of sold-out shows across the country, Dawson sat down to reflect on where he’s at, what he’s learned, and why he’s perfectly content flying under the radar, as long as he’s making music on his own terms.
On Being “Criminally Underrated”
Fans often call Dawson “criminally underrated,” but he’s nonchalant about the label.
“I think underrated overrated is just a subject of like whether you’re widely known or not, and like the fact that we can tour around the entire country and sell out shows everywhere feels great. So I don’t know if I’d rather be over or underrated.”
For Dawson, it’s about faith and following his own path. “I’m always in a place where like God want me to be,” he says. “The fact that I can make music for the rest of my life, it’s just what makes me happy.”
Influences and Inspiration
Dawson’s a student of music history, but he’s also tapped into the now. “There’s a band called high viz. They’re from the UK. They’re really awesome. They dropped a record the same day I dropped a Glimmer of God. It’s called guided tour. That shit is amazing,” he says, adding that he’s been listening to their work on tour. He also shouts out his friend Bones: “I always listen to the Homie Bones. He just dropped as well.”
As for big names who’ve shaped his sound, he doesn’t limit himself: “The stuff that does inspire me that’s like contemporary would be the Kendricks, the J. Cole’s, the Drake’s Kanye, and like Clairo.” Ultimately, he’s open to whatever moves him. “I don’t really unlike anything, so it’s kind of a hard question.”
Constantly Evolving, Never Pre-Planned
Dawson’s not the type to sketch out his next move in detail. “I don’t know until I’m doing it. You know what I mean?” he explains. “It’s not something that I’m preemptively deciding.” His last record leaned into an ’80s influence—“using the rolling drums or using, um, you know, specific synths”—and that vibe helped him tap into a brighter mood. “I wanted to make something that was full of like happiness in a way,” he says. “A lot of my records are pretty sad.”
Looking ahead, Dawson wants to break even more boundaries.
“I do want to make electronic music at some point, but with like no lyrics, like ambient shit, just under a different moniker,” he reveals. “And I do want to make like Spanish focused music.”
Finding Meaning in the Process
When it comes to visuals, Dawson embeds personal significance into every cover. “I wanted to rediscover male beauty in terms of my own, and being okay with being like, no, we’re mad handsome out here,” he says of his latest look. There’s always more beneath the surface, but he’s not rushing to explain it all. “I won’t necessarily say it yet. I’ll say it when the next album comes out.”
For Dawson, making music is cathartic: “There’s a lot of things that don’t make sense until I fully explained the sentence out and I’m like, okay, that makes sense to me now.” He likens his process to an old-school medical practice: “I have to let blood and if I don’t, then I clog and then it’s just bad.”
What’s Next for Jean Dawson
Once his current tour winds down, Dawson’s got big plans: “I’m gonna go fuck off to Japan for a little bit. Work on some stuff that I have like in the back burner working on a movie. Um, working on comic book and an anime.” Even as he pursues these creative ventures, he’ll still be making music: “While I’m doing that, I’m going to be working on some more music. I’m pretty excited about.”
It’s clear that Dawson’s journey is one of perpetual reinvention, guided by instinct and a desire to keep pushing forward. As he says, “Underrated, overrated is just a subject” and his mission isn’t about fitting anyone’s definition of success. He’s exactly where he needs to be—head down, creating without compromise, and letting the music speak for itself.
