Rising to local fame after an impromptu performance with Bebe Rexha at a sold-out show on the Jonas Brothers’ Happiness Begins Tour, budding singer-songwriter, Jason Dawson immediately went back into the studio to finish the final touches on his debut EP.
Pushing back his release date due to COVID-19 forcing the world into a lockdown, Jason Dawson scrapped the release of this project and went into writing mode. Using his quarantine time to create more songs, Jason Dawson also began working on his production skills with the help of his friend and long-time collaborator Brent Wirth in order to bring forth the Electro-Pop passion within.
In the dark soundscape of his most recent single “Anchor,” we’re greeted by an empowering pull that immediately has us drawn to the overall composition of this release. Jason Dawson exudes a blatant offering of enticing timbres that bellow in the depth of intrapersonal perspectives through the songwriting.
Using a seamless blend of timing and spatial ratios, the impact of these words lingers on your mind as you grasp lyrical motifs such as ‘I can feel the sharks closing in on me.’ What we adore the most about “Anchor,” has to be the manner in which Jason Dawson’s robust vocals effortlessly glide on a composition that has its own evolution of beat progression.
From the moment you press play, you’re latched into the ride of a lifetime with “Anchor,” pulling you into its highs and lows through a display of heightened senses. There’s little left to your own imagination as Jason Dawson gracefully beams down and paints the picturesque vivacity of his own experiences through a portal of vulnerable wording straight to the point.
As a listener, you get to rise and fall in the sonic embrace of “Anchor.” Jason Dawson has fashioned a song to cater to all across the globe as they bounce to the effervescent waves of vibrations.
Hello Jason Dawson, welcome to BuzzMusic, and congratulations on the release of “Anchor.” We love the manner in which this song takes over our very being. What was your inspiration behind a masterpiece of this caliber?
Hi! Thank you so much for the kind words. I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying the song! “Anchor” was inspired by a previous relationship I had, in which my partner was playing mind games with me consistently and basically me knowing this and wanting to get out but also feeling like I needed this person in my life.
Could you please share a glimpse of what the creative process looked like when bringing this song to life?
So I wrote “Anchor” about 6.5 years ago now with my longtime friend and collaborator, Brent Wirth. It was our second writing session we ever had together and I remember being very stumped on what to write about. I ended up opening the notes app on my phone and going through a bunch of different song titles and little bits and pieces of songs that I had written down. I believe I had the chorus lines “anchor, an anchor I can feel your pull weighing down on me” and “I can feel the sharks closing in on me”. I showed it to him and he really liked it, so we just went for it and it worked! Now the actual recording process is a whole different story! I recorded this in my bedroom with Brent in April 2020. We had facetime sessions during quarantine. He would be in his home studio and I would be in my little bedroom studio. The process for us was actually quite easy! I’ve been doing virtual writing/producing sessions for the last 6 years over Skype so it was always easy for me to articulate what I wanted or how I wanted a certain part to sound. I tracked all the vocals in my bedroom, he produced and mixed everything at his studio.
In your own words, what does “Anchor” mean to you? What are you hoping that your audience grasps from this record?
To me, “Anchor,” personally means feeling weighed down by someone. Whether it’s weighed down by negativity or toxicity by an individual and that it’s always best to get out of that situation if you feel that way. I’m hoping people enjoy the record, have fun with it and dance their hearts out, or blast it on a road trip.
What is your mission statement as an artist? How does it tie into the release of “Anchor?”
My mission statement as an artist is to have my listeners be authentically themselves and to always inspire them. I’m really focusing on the “micro” and building a personal community with my listeners. I’m planning on having my personal number out so fans can text me, have a little discord chat going, have bi-weekly or monthly movie nights on Twitch. Just ways that we can connect because nothing upsets me more than when artists don’t even take the time to thank these people for listening to their music, buying their merch, or coming to a show. It’s just my way of consistently saying thank you to them. I’m tying this into my current release by doing a little merch giveaway. My team chose 5 lucky people (at random) that pre-saved my single and I’m personally mailing them handwritten and signed lyric sheets of my song and an exclusive t-shirt. Just as a thank you for pre-saving, sharing it, and ultimately spreading the word about the release.
What's next from you Jason?
I’m planning to release my next single in the summer and hopefully another one in the fall. If things start to open again (we’re still in lockdown here in Toronto), I hope to play some shows and go on a little mini socially distance tour.