The Sit Down with Jackson Dean
Since the release of his album Greenbroke in March 2022, it has been 14 months on non-stop high moments for Maryland native Jackson Dean. His debut single, “Don’t Come Lookin’”, was the fastest debut to reach No. 1 in 2022 and cemented Jackson as the youngest solo male Country artist to reach the top of the charts with a debut. He has found himself on tour with Brooks and Dunn; getting his Opry debut; recording a live album from The Ryman; added to numerous artist to watch lists for 2023; and now we are lucky enough to welcome him to the UK twice this year as part of the line-up for the inaugural Highways Festival and later in the year he will return to play at The Long Road as part of a UK tour. We sat down with Jackson backstage at the Royal Albert Hall before he took to the stage for the Highways Festival, on a bill with Stephen Wilson Jr., Morgan Wade and Kip Moore.
The last time you spoke with us was just as the album was released, so fast-forward 15 months from the album release and it’s great to say welcome to England. Did you picture yourself being here back then?
Thank you, it’s cool to be here. Honestly, I wasn’t thinking about it! I had a lot on my mind, but once they told me this was a possibility, I was ecstatic. Since we got boots on the ground here, I was just so excited. It’s not nerves at all, it’s just that I get itchy, and I want to go do it.
Has it been a whirlwind for you since last March?
I knew it was going to be crazy and it has been crazy. It’s been a lot to handle. It takes a lot to be at the centre of this thing and you’re taking your men with you, and you’ve suddenly got a whole lot of people working for you, but it’s a lot. I don’t want to say that I expected to be here because there’s a hell of a lot of people who have done a lot more than me and not made it over here, so this is a dream come true. Not just me, but for my band to as a lot of people that we idolise have played this venue – Zeppelin; Clapton; The Beatles – so many people have played here and to get to play this spot with Stephen, who I absolutely love as he’s a good friend of mine, and Morgan and Kip is so cool. I’ve been listening to Kip since I was 10, so it’s pretty wild to wake up and realise I’m in London, watch the sun come up and realise I’m going to play the Albert Hall today! This is pretty dope and crazy when your dreams come true.
The last time you spoke with us was just as the album was released, so fast-forward 15 months from the album release and it’s great to say welcome to England. Did you picture yourself being here back then?
Thank you, it’s cool to be here. Honestly, I wasn’t thinking about it! I had a lot on my mind, but once they told me this was a possibility, I was ecstatic. Since we got boots on the ground here, I was just so excited. It’s not nerves at all, it’s just that I get itchy, and I want to go do it.
Has it been a whirlwind for you since last March?
I knew it was going to be crazy and it has been crazy. It’s been a lot to handle. It takes a lot to be at the centre of this thing and you’re taking your men with you, and you’ve suddenly got a whole lot of people working for you, but it’s a lot. I don’t want to say that I expected to be here because there’s a hell of a lot of people who have done a lot more than me and not made it over here, so this is a dream come true. Not just me, but for my band to as a lot of people that we idolise have played this venue – Zeppelin; Clapton; The Beatles – so many people have played here and to get to play this spot with Stephen, who I absolutely love as he’s a good friend of mine, and Morgan and Kip is so cool. I’ve been listening to Kip since I was 10, so it’s pretty wild to wake up and realise I’m in London, watch the sun come up and realise I’m going to play the Albert Hall today! This is pretty dope and crazy when your dreams come true.
Kate Green, Getty Images
You’ve just finished your soundcheck, what was it like standing there, getting ready to play tonight?
I was kind of speechless at first. It was kind of quiet when we walked in there at first and I started humming a little bit for no real reason and I could hear it bouncing off the back wall coming back at me, which for a singer like me is something that you crave. To be in a room so good that the sound comes right back at you, and I wasn’t even going at any real volume. Once we got going, I was like bring it on man, bring it on.
In a few hours’ time it’s going to be full right up to the Gallery. What have you been told to expect?
I’ve not asked. I like to walk into things and have the experience of not knowing, I find that better. We’ve been thinking about it though for a couple of months since we’d been booked. Of this place, they told us it’s like an arena and it’s big and boomy. We did six weeks of arena tours with Blake Shelton so we’re good to go. I didn’t ask too many people about how it was playing there, as I wanted to find out for myself as ain’t nobody me and I ain’t nobody else as it will be different for everybody. We are a full band tonight and I think with Morgan and Stephen being smaller scale tonight, if I had come here with my guitar and my guitar player it would have been a different thing. This is my first time across the Atlantic, it’s our first time playing together overseas – it’s all of our first times playing overseas period – so to get to do that is pretty awesome, and to get to do it with my men is hugely important. I’ve been with Sean since I was 13 and Brandon and Rich since I was about 15, so it’s a really dam cool thing that we’re doing today together.
Was it important to introduce yourself tonight with a full band and offering the full experience?
Absolutely. It’s a different animal as I can hold my own with a guitar and I would’ve had a great time if it as just me and Brandon, but I couldn’t leave the other two. That wouldn’t have been cool of me though. We’re not coming back over here till August, and the fact we are coming twice this year is nuts, but I didn’t want anybody to not get what we do up there. A lot of the songs from the record have evolved since it was released and it’s because of the four of us up there doing it. It is a thing that happens when the four of us take the stage and if I didn’t bring them with me, I don’t think it would mean as much as it does right now.
I was kind of speechless at first. It was kind of quiet when we walked in there at first and I started humming a little bit for no real reason and I could hear it bouncing off the back wall coming back at me, which for a singer like me is something that you crave. To be in a room so good that the sound comes right back at you, and I wasn’t even going at any real volume. Once we got going, I was like bring it on man, bring it on.
In a few hours’ time it’s going to be full right up to the Gallery. What have you been told to expect?
I’ve not asked. I like to walk into things and have the experience of not knowing, I find that better. We’ve been thinking about it though for a couple of months since we’d been booked. Of this place, they told us it’s like an arena and it’s big and boomy. We did six weeks of arena tours with Blake Shelton so we’re good to go. I didn’t ask too many people about how it was playing there, as I wanted to find out for myself as ain’t nobody me and I ain’t nobody else as it will be different for everybody. We are a full band tonight and I think with Morgan and Stephen being smaller scale tonight, if I had come here with my guitar and my guitar player it would have been a different thing. This is my first time across the Atlantic, it’s our first time playing together overseas – it’s all of our first times playing overseas period – so to get to do that is pretty awesome, and to get to do it with my men is hugely important. I’ve been with Sean since I was 13 and Brandon and Rich since I was about 15, so it’s a really dam cool thing that we’re doing today together.
Was it important to introduce yourself tonight with a full band and offering the full experience?
Absolutely. It’s a different animal as I can hold my own with a guitar and I would’ve had a great time if it as just me and Brandon, but I couldn’t leave the other two. That wouldn’t have been cool of me though. We’re not coming back over here till August, and the fact we are coming twice this year is nuts, but I didn’t want anybody to not get what we do up there. A lot of the songs from the record have evolved since it was released and it’s because of the four of us up there doing it. It is a thing that happens when the four of us take the stage and if I didn’t bring them with me, I don’t think it would mean as much as it does right now.
Kate Green, Getty Images
Did the excitement between you all build knowing that you’re wanted back before even performing once over here as you return in August?
Yeah man, the fact that you all bring it on is incredibly humbling and it’s a really awesome thing because we are so far away home. That next round is all headlines, except for some dates in Sweden, we are coming back to headline some clubs as Britain wants to get down! We went past the Garage yesterday and it’s wild to think we’ll be back.
Is it weird knowing there’s that demand, despite not having previously been?
Yeah, I know that the UK and Europe has its own country market, but it also has a different animal as you all are selective. I know Europe is big on guitars, and I’m big on guitars, so it makes so much sense. I’m just glad it’s making sense to everybody else over here too.
As you look to the future, you are on the Highways bill tonight with artists like Kip Moore, who started out at a similar point to you on his first visit. Do you see yourself following those footsteps with the European market?
Absolutely. We got to do Canada last year and we were received very well up there, which was really pleasant, but building an empire outside of your own country is pretty dang cool. I’d love to headline across Europe and do our own stuff here. I want to come back next year, heck I want to come back every year! I want to be over here and be Mr Worldwide (a little Pitbull attitude!).
Yeah man, the fact that you all bring it on is incredibly humbling and it’s a really awesome thing because we are so far away home. That next round is all headlines, except for some dates in Sweden, we are coming back to headline some clubs as Britain wants to get down! We went past the Garage yesterday and it’s wild to think we’ll be back.
Is it weird knowing there’s that demand, despite not having previously been?
Yeah, I know that the UK and Europe has its own country market, but it also has a different animal as you all are selective. I know Europe is big on guitars, and I’m big on guitars, so it makes so much sense. I’m just glad it’s making sense to everybody else over here too.
As you look to the future, you are on the Highways bill tonight with artists like Kip Moore, who started out at a similar point to you on his first visit. Do you see yourself following those footsteps with the European market?
Absolutely. We got to do Canada last year and we were received very well up there, which was really pleasant, but building an empire outside of your own country is pretty dang cool. I’d love to headline across Europe and do our own stuff here. I want to come back next year, heck I want to come back every year! I want to be over here and be Mr Worldwide (a little Pitbull attitude!).
Kate Green, Getty Images
You are probably one of only a few people who can say they’ve played The Opry, Ryman and Albert Hall in the space of 12 months.
Another one is getting checked off the bucket list!
Will we get a live UK album next then?
I was literally just up there talking to Brandon, and I was like when we come back and headline this place in a couple of years, live record! And he was like, and one from Red Rocks! It would be like trilogy! We would love to do a live record from here. Time to get a new bucket list started as the only thing on mine in the foreseeable is playing Red Rocks as we’ve gotten to do so many things that so many people will never get to do in their life. I’ve gotten to do so much and busted my ass so I can do it and it’s just a testament to your spine.
Good luck out there tonight and we are looking forward to seeing the full Jackson Dean experience with a full band taking over the Royal Albert Hall.
Thank you, we’ve decided to do Wings tonight, as that song in this room is going to be pretty epic! That song was written for a room like this. It’s going to be one hell of a show.
Another one is getting checked off the bucket list!
Will we get a live UK album next then?
I was literally just up there talking to Brandon, and I was like when we come back and headline this place in a couple of years, live record! And he was like, and one from Red Rocks! It would be like trilogy! We would love to do a live record from here. Time to get a new bucket list started as the only thing on mine in the foreseeable is playing Red Rocks as we’ve gotten to do so many things that so many people will never get to do in their life. I’ve gotten to do so much and busted my ass so I can do it and it’s just a testament to your spine.
Good luck out there tonight and we are looking forward to seeing the full Jackson Dean experience with a full band taking over the Royal Albert Hall.
Thank you, we’ve decided to do Wings tonight, as that song in this room is going to be pretty epic! That song was written for a room like this. It’s going to be one hell of a show.
Kate Green, Getty Images