Jean Dawson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jean Dawson
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Dawson in November 2022
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | David Sanders |
| Born | December 22, 1995 San Diego, California |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Experimental pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
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| Years active | 2018-present |
| Labels | P+ |
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Jean Dawson, whose real name is David Sanders, is a musician known for his unique experimental pop music. He was born on December 22, 1995. Since 2018, he has released several albums and many songs through his own record label, P+. He has also toured across the United States and Europe, performing with other artists like Brockhampton.
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Early Life
David Sanders was born in San Diego, California, on December 22, 1995. He grew up living between Tijuana, Mexico, and Spring Valley, California. His father is African-American from Long Beach, California, and his mother is Mexican from Sinaloa. His mother learned English by listening to West Coast hip hop music.
Every day, Jean would cross the border to go to elementary school in San Diego, which meant he had to wake up very early, at 3 a.m. During these long bus rides, he listened to many different types of music. This included grunge, hip hop, Britpop, new wave, and rock en español. Jean once shared that he was not a popular kid in school. Instead, he was "the kid in the library with one friend," and they would talk about things they saw online.
Jean grew up in a family that loved music. His parents' shared interest in each other's cultures brought them together. This musical background inspired him to want a career in music when he was just 13 years old. Because his family faced financial challenges, he could not afford his own instruments. So, he would take the bus to a local Guitar Center every day after school to practice piano there.
Music Career
Early Albums and Tours (2019–2022)
After finishing high school, Jean Dawson moved to Los Angeles to study film at California State University, Los Angeles. However, he used the money meant for books to buy studio equipment instead. This led him to leave college to focus on his music career. While still in college, he recorded his first album, Bad Sports, in his dorm room with his roommate, Lecx Stacy. This album showed influences from artists like Outkast, the Cure, Kid Cudi, and Kanye West.
On October 23, 2020, Jean released his second studio album, Pixel Bath, through his independent record label, P+.
In June 2021, it was announced that Jean Dawson would be a supporting act for Brockhampton's tour. This tour took place across the US and Europe from August 2021 to June 2022. On June 16, 2021, he released a song called "Ghost" as part of Apple Music's Freedom Songs series, which celebrated Juneteenth. Jean said the song was for "the people who've felt unseen and unheard." The music video for his song "Dummy" from Pixel Bath was also released in June 2021.
In April 2022, Jean Dawson performed at the famous Coachella music festival. On August 19, he announced his third studio album, Chaos Now, and released the first song from it, "Three Heads." Chaos Now was released on October 7, 2022. On the same day, he announced his first tour where he was the main performer in the US. This tour happened in October and November and was supported by the duo Junior Varsity. All the tickets for this tour sold out, and Jean felt like he made "thousands of friends." People who saw the tour gave it great reviews, praising Jean's stage presence and the audience's energetic dancing.
Recent Projects (2023–Present)
In February 2023, Jean Dawson was announced as part of the lineup for the When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas. The next month, he was also included in the lineup for Lollapalooza in Chicago.
On May 11, 2023, Jean announced a new series of three songs. The first two songs, "Youth+" and "Delusional World Champion," were released together as "Xcape Pt. 1." In these songs, Jean takes on the character of "Phoenix." He also announced another tour across the US for September and October. The second part of this series, called Destruction for Dummies, featured Jean as the character "Nightmare" on songs like "No Scope," "X-Ray," and "Vexed."
On September 17, 2023, Jean announced a new song with SZA called "No Szns," which came out on September 22. The cover art for the song was drawn by Josh Brizuela and reminded some people of the children's book Where the Wild Things Are. A music video for the song was also released.
On January 31, 2024, it was announced that Jean Dawson would be one of 16 artists covering a song from the Talking Heads album Stop Making Sense. This was for a special tribute album celebrating the album's 40th anniversary. On April 24, it was revealed that Jean's song would be a cover of "Swamp."
On March 6, 2024, Jean released the song "New Age Crisis," which was one of three tracks from his EP Boohoo. The full EP was released the next day. One of the songs, "Divino Desmadre," is Jean's first song with all the lyrics in Spanish. This EP was meant to be an introduction to a new album planned for later in the year.
On April 19, 2024, the film Abigail was released. It featured a new song by Jean Dawson called "Burn My Tongue," which played during the end credits. The film's soundtrack, including Jean's song, was released on the same day.
On August 16, 2024, Jean Dawson announced his fourth studio album, Glimmer of God. He also released the first song from it, "Die for Me," which features Lil Yachty. He announced a tour across the US for October through December. The album was released on October 18, 2024.
Other Projects
In 2021, Jean Dawson started his own clothing and merchandise brand called Turbo Radio. He designed collections that included face masks, shirts, sweatpants, and sweaters.
On February 25, 2021, Jean released a short, seven-minute documentary short film about himself called Burnout. He directed the film himself. In it, he talks openly about his personal life, including his past and how he has become happier as he gets older.
Music Style
Jean Dawson's music style is very unique. He has mentioned many artists and genres that inspire him, such as Kanye West, The Smashing Pumpkins, and bands from Manchester like the Smiths and New Order. He once described a song he made as sounding like "Manchester and Compton had a baby," or "like if Morrissey was Black." For his album Pixel Bath, he wanted it to sound like "Rick Ross at a '90s rave" or "the Pixies, but the Pixies are at the most trapped-out environment."
People often describe Jean Dawson as an artist who breaks through different genres. He can mix many sounds, including early 2000s indie rock, trap, R&B, bedroom pop, pop-punk, industrial hip hop, glitch-pop, grunge, shoegaze, alternative rock, hardcore hip hop, underground hip hop, emo, country, and classical. He is often called an experimental pop artist. Jean himself says that when people ask him what kind of music he makes, he doesn't know. He compares his approach to Prince, saying Prince's music was just "Prince" and "everything you needed it to be."
Jean Dawson's song lyrics often talk about feelings like anxiety, feeling like an outsider, and spirituality.
Personal Life
Jean Dawson has three dogs: a Dobermann named Midnight, a French bulldog named Mala, and an English bulldog named Oz. He lives in Inglewood, California.
Jean has openly shared that he has faced challenges with his mental health. When he was 21, he started therapy and medication to help him.
Discography
Albums
- Bad Sports (2019)
- Pixel Bath (2020)
- Chaos Now (2022)
- Glimmer of God (2024)
EPs
- Boohoo (2024)
Singles
- "Glacier Gallery" (2018)
- "Bullfighter" (2018)
- "Napster" (2019)
- "Blame by Me" (2019)
- "Ooga Booga" (2019)
- "Bruise Boy" (2020)
- "Power Freaks" (2020)
- "Policía" (2020)
- "Clear Bones" (2020)
- "Starface" (2020)
- "Devilish" (2020)
- "Ghost" (2021)
- "Menthol" (featuring Mac DeMarco) (2021)
- "..." (2022)
- "Three Heads" (2022)
- "Pirate Radio" (2022)
- "Sick of It" (2022)
- "Bad Fruit" (2022)
- "'Xcape', pt. 1 Jean Dawson as 'Phoenix'" (2023)
- "Spotify Singles" (2023)
- "'Destruction for Dummies', pt. 2 Jean Dawson as 'Nightmare'" (2023)
- "No Szns" (with SZA) (2023)
- "New Age Crisis" (2024)
- "Fit Check Freestyle" (with 1999 Write the Future) (2024)
- "Die for Me" (featuring Lil Yachty) (2024)
- "Houston" (2024)
- "P4in" (featuring Bones) (2024)
