The C2C Sit Down with Dawson Anderson
Even though Dawson Anderson may be a new name to many at this year’s C2C Festival in Berlin, he should previously have played the festival 6 years ago in 2020 as part of the three-piece Temecula Road. Fast-forward to this week, Dawson is now a solo artist and arrived in Berlin ready to make his mark on the European crowd with 6-sets across the 3 day festival – including closing out the daytime stages on the Sunday at the Town Square Stage. We invited Dawson to join us on the boat to find out what he has been up to since the split of Temecula Road and look ahead to what we can look forward to.
Thank you for joining us on the boat, Dawson.
Thanks, man; this place is awesome.
Let’s start about seven years back, which was actually the last time we sat down in a hotel somewhere in Shepherd's Bush!
Was it the K-West? That's where we stayed when we went to London—the K-West. Funny story: the first time we stayed there—this was probably 2017 at our first time in C2C—we were 17 and 16, so our parents were there, and Salt-N-Pepa walked out, and my mum goes, "You know who that is?" I said no, and she said, "That's Salt-N-Pepa!" And I'm like, "Who's Salt-N-Pepa!" That hotel is apparently off the charts for all the artists. That's where they stay, so they say!
As you mentioned 2017 C2C, you must’ve been very close to getting on the plane for 2020, as the Berlin weekend did happen, but Temecula Road pulled out. How close were you to getting on a plane?
We were pretty much out the door to the airport! We had the flights ready, and I actually remember talking to my manager at the time, and I had my big suitcase open because we were going to be here for two weeks. We had C2C here, and then we had five days off before C2C in London, and we were going to go to Paris too on the days off because I've never been to Paris and it was cheaper to go there than it was to stay here or go to London. We had this whole trip planned, and it was going to be amazing. I literally remember calling him at 9:30 at night and the next morning at 7:00 a.m. we were supposed to fly out! I called him. I said, "What are we doing? All the borders are closing in countries. The world is going to shit! What are we doing?" And they were like, "I think we gotta pull out of this festival." I was like, "I don't want to do that." He goes, "I don't think we have a choice," and, sure enough, it got cancelled the next day. We had to stay, which was such a bummer as we had been to Berlin with Scottie McCreery, opening for him back in October 2019, and got to play one show in Berlin. It was awesome. Everyone here was so cool. We went to Cologne too, and then we had two in London and one in Manchester. It was amazing, and I was devastated to not get to come back. I always told myself, "You know what? Once this is all done, and we kind of get back to somewhat of a normalcy, I'm going to come back. We're going to come back. We're going to play." Fast-forward: the band had broken up, I'm re-signing deals, getting new things sorted, and going. So, it's truly such a dream to be here, and the weather is incredible; the people are just as incredible as I remember. To be able to be back here six years later is like a dream, man. It's so awesome. I'm happy to be back.
When you come back to these places as a solo artist for the first time, does it feel a bit strange standing on your own and you've not got someone to your right and your left?
Yeah, a little bit. We were in a band for eight years. It's a long time to be with a band and all my life I dreamt of winning Grammys, CMA Awards, and Billboard Awards, and having number ones and selling out these venues with this band. So, when we broke up, I had to kind of redream the dream! I had to think about what that was going to be like, but I'll tell you what, man, I've enjoyed it. I've really enjoyed it, and it's nice to be able to control the pace of the show myself. I miss those days for various reasons, but I'm happier now, and I think they're happier, too. We're all good friends. Everyone's great, but it's nice to be back and being up there and seeing that I actually have some fans is just the best. I had a guy at the meet-and-greet today; I looked at him and I was like, "I know you... I know you..." and he goes, "It's been six years!" It's been six years since I've seen you, and I was like, "Oh my god, dude." I was like, "Remind me your name again," but I know you because I saw you six years ago when you came out here with the old band, and I was like, "Dude, thank you so much for coming out!" It's cool as I've seen a couple of fans that have stayed with me since those band days, which was awesome. It's like the best feeling in the world, as these really are, honestly, my number one day-one fans. It's amazing.
It’s been two years now since you dropped your first single as a solo artist. How was that initial transition?
Yeah. Two years—you do your homework! It is two years; it would have been in June '24 when I released my first song, "Hearts and Horses." The band ended things and I became a solo artist in April of 2023, so it was about a year later that I released my first song. It took some time to figure out who I am, what that's going to look like, and what I want to say. I had to sort out re-signing some deals—a new publishing deal and a new label deal—before the first release. It's been amazing, dude. It's interesting, though, as in a male-female harmony group, there's only so many things you can sing about because it's got to play to everybody. If it's a song about a girl that's broken my heart, you've got to make sure that that fits well with two other girls singing the song. Now there's this new creative freedom that I have, and I feel that with everything that I do, it's been awesome, and I love it. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Thank you for joining us on the boat, Dawson.
Thanks, man; this place is awesome.
Let’s start about seven years back, which was actually the last time we sat down in a hotel somewhere in Shepherd's Bush!
Was it the K-West? That's where we stayed when we went to London—the K-West. Funny story: the first time we stayed there—this was probably 2017 at our first time in C2C—we were 17 and 16, so our parents were there, and Salt-N-Pepa walked out, and my mum goes, "You know who that is?" I said no, and she said, "That's Salt-N-Pepa!" And I'm like, "Who's Salt-N-Pepa!" That hotel is apparently off the charts for all the artists. That's where they stay, so they say!
As you mentioned 2017 C2C, you must’ve been very close to getting on the plane for 2020, as the Berlin weekend did happen, but Temecula Road pulled out. How close were you to getting on a plane?
We were pretty much out the door to the airport! We had the flights ready, and I actually remember talking to my manager at the time, and I had my big suitcase open because we were going to be here for two weeks. We had C2C here, and then we had five days off before C2C in London, and we were going to go to Paris too on the days off because I've never been to Paris and it was cheaper to go there than it was to stay here or go to London. We had this whole trip planned, and it was going to be amazing. I literally remember calling him at 9:30 at night and the next morning at 7:00 a.m. we were supposed to fly out! I called him. I said, "What are we doing? All the borders are closing in countries. The world is going to shit! What are we doing?" And they were like, "I think we gotta pull out of this festival." I was like, "I don't want to do that." He goes, "I don't think we have a choice," and, sure enough, it got cancelled the next day. We had to stay, which was such a bummer as we had been to Berlin with Scottie McCreery, opening for him back in October 2019, and got to play one show in Berlin. It was awesome. Everyone here was so cool. We went to Cologne too, and then we had two in London and one in Manchester. It was amazing, and I was devastated to not get to come back. I always told myself, "You know what? Once this is all done, and we kind of get back to somewhat of a normalcy, I'm going to come back. We're going to come back. We're going to play." Fast-forward: the band had broken up, I'm re-signing deals, getting new things sorted, and going. So, it's truly such a dream to be here, and the weather is incredible; the people are just as incredible as I remember. To be able to be back here six years later is like a dream, man. It's so awesome. I'm happy to be back.
When you come back to these places as a solo artist for the first time, does it feel a bit strange standing on your own and you've not got someone to your right and your left?
Yeah, a little bit. We were in a band for eight years. It's a long time to be with a band and all my life I dreamt of winning Grammys, CMA Awards, and Billboard Awards, and having number ones and selling out these venues with this band. So, when we broke up, I had to kind of redream the dream! I had to think about what that was going to be like, but I'll tell you what, man, I've enjoyed it. I've really enjoyed it, and it's nice to be able to control the pace of the show myself. I miss those days for various reasons, but I'm happier now, and I think they're happier, too. We're all good friends. Everyone's great, but it's nice to be back and being up there and seeing that I actually have some fans is just the best. I had a guy at the meet-and-greet today; I looked at him and I was like, "I know you... I know you..." and he goes, "It's been six years!" It's been six years since I've seen you, and I was like, "Oh my god, dude." I was like, "Remind me your name again," but I know you because I saw you six years ago when you came out here with the old band, and I was like, "Dude, thank you so much for coming out!" It's cool as I've seen a couple of fans that have stayed with me since those band days, which was awesome. It's like the best feeling in the world, as these really are, honestly, my number one day-one fans. It's amazing.
It’s been two years now since you dropped your first single as a solo artist. How was that initial transition?
Yeah. Two years—you do your homework! It is two years; it would have been in June '24 when I released my first song, "Hearts and Horses." The band ended things and I became a solo artist in April of 2023, so it was about a year later that I released my first song. It took some time to figure out who I am, what that's going to look like, and what I want to say. I had to sort out re-signing some deals—a new publishing deal and a new label deal—before the first release. It's been amazing, dude. It's interesting, though, as in a male-female harmony group, there's only so many things you can sing about because it's got to play to everybody. If it's a song about a girl that's broken my heart, you've got to make sure that that fits well with two other girls singing the song. Now there's this new creative freedom that I have, and I feel that with everything that I do, it's been awesome, and I love it. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
What is coming next, though? Because so far you've done an EP and a few singles to give yourself this steady momentum and get your name out there.
Yeah. That's funny you say "steady," because it's not going to be steady moving forward! It's going to be a lot of music, all the time! I want to release a song—if I can make this happen—every month. I want to get lots of music out there. I've been writing since I started music, and that's the one thing that I've never stopped doing--I've never stopped writing. I've always loved the creation of these songs. I get pitched songs, too, and a lot of them are really great. I want to continue to get the music out there. I want to build the audience as I feel like finally, for the first time in my life, I'm connecting with an audience. I feel like I have a real audience—small but mighty—and I'm feeling that it's growing and I'm building a real foundation. The goal is to get the music out there, play to those fans, and gain new ones along the way. Of course, there’s a dream to be headlining out here—even if it's a small club, 200 to 300 people. I want to headline in Germany; I want to headline in the UK, in the Netherlands, new corners of Europe, and all over the U.S. I'm going to continue to release music and be all over social media, as I'm posting all the time and I'm just trying to maximize the eyes and ears on my music. I love meeting new people and I'm a people guy. My social battery gets filled when I talk to people; when I hang out, I want to be alone one hour a month--that's all I need! That's my alone time, one hour a month, and every other time I just want to meet people and hang out. I want to bring people together and make you forget about the real world for two hours when you come to see my set. I want you to just forget about the struggles of life and paying taxes and whatever you got to do. Everyone's got their shit going on and their own struggles, and I'm just like, "I want you to forget about that, make a good memory, be the soundtrack to your summer, and I can help you get over that breakup, that divorce, whatever it might be, and make sure you have a good time."
Even though you're only doing C2C Berlin this time around, how important was it for you to come over so early? No one would blame you had you just stuck as the opening act for bands across America for the next couple of years, but you’re here and you’ve put life on hold for a few weeks to entertain us.
Coming this way couldn't be more important to me. There is such an untapped market here for country music, and it's growing and growing. It's going well here. It's going well in the UK. It's going all over Europe and Australia and Canada, too. It's growing like crazy, and I want to be a part of that. There's so many amazing fans here, and I feel like a lot of artists overlook that and they don't think about that, and I think that's a mistake. I think if you don't come here and solidify yourself and make friends with these fans and become a part of this culture and this movement, it’s a mistake. I think it's important to be a part of that, and I want to play here and everywhere else my whole life. This is one of those things where it was important to me to get here, and now that I’m here, I don't want to stop playing here. I want to play here for the rest of my life. I want to play everywhere for the rest of my life! It’s so important to be here. When I got the opportunity, first I was nervous because it can be expensive to fly here, and C2C is taking such good care of me, and they made sure that it was worth my while, and I'm forever grateful for that.
Yeah. That's funny you say "steady," because it's not going to be steady moving forward! It's going to be a lot of music, all the time! I want to release a song—if I can make this happen—every month. I want to get lots of music out there. I've been writing since I started music, and that's the one thing that I've never stopped doing--I've never stopped writing. I've always loved the creation of these songs. I get pitched songs, too, and a lot of them are really great. I want to continue to get the music out there. I want to build the audience as I feel like finally, for the first time in my life, I'm connecting with an audience. I feel like I have a real audience—small but mighty—and I'm feeling that it's growing and I'm building a real foundation. The goal is to get the music out there, play to those fans, and gain new ones along the way. Of course, there’s a dream to be headlining out here—even if it's a small club, 200 to 300 people. I want to headline in Germany; I want to headline in the UK, in the Netherlands, new corners of Europe, and all over the U.S. I'm going to continue to release music and be all over social media, as I'm posting all the time and I'm just trying to maximize the eyes and ears on my music. I love meeting new people and I'm a people guy. My social battery gets filled when I talk to people; when I hang out, I want to be alone one hour a month--that's all I need! That's my alone time, one hour a month, and every other time I just want to meet people and hang out. I want to bring people together and make you forget about the real world for two hours when you come to see my set. I want you to just forget about the struggles of life and paying taxes and whatever you got to do. Everyone's got their shit going on and their own struggles, and I'm just like, "I want you to forget about that, make a good memory, be the soundtrack to your summer, and I can help you get over that breakup, that divorce, whatever it might be, and make sure you have a good time."
Even though you're only doing C2C Berlin this time around, how important was it for you to come over so early? No one would blame you had you just stuck as the opening act for bands across America for the next couple of years, but you’re here and you’ve put life on hold for a few weeks to entertain us.
Coming this way couldn't be more important to me. There is such an untapped market here for country music, and it's growing and growing. It's going well here. It's going well in the UK. It's going all over Europe and Australia and Canada, too. It's growing like crazy, and I want to be a part of that. There's so many amazing fans here, and I feel like a lot of artists overlook that and they don't think about that, and I think that's a mistake. I think if you don't come here and solidify yourself and make friends with these fans and become a part of this culture and this movement, it’s a mistake. I think it's important to be a part of that, and I want to play here and everywhere else my whole life. This is one of those things where it was important to me to get here, and now that I’m here, I don't want to stop playing here. I want to play here for the rest of my life. I want to play everywhere for the rest of my life! It’s so important to be here. When I got the opportunity, first I was nervous because it can be expensive to fly here, and C2C is taking such good care of me, and they made sure that it was worth my while, and I'm forever grateful for that.
It must also help having six sets, as this is where a festival here can be so different to a festival in America where you fly in, do one short set, and fly out.
Oh my god, of course, although you've got to pace yourself because the Germans know how to have a good time! You are right, though; one of the cool things about C2C is that you get to play a lot of shows. It's cool because I've had fans that have come to multiple shows. I'm on day two now; I've played four shows total and I've got two more tomorrow. I've played for fans that maybe just happened to be at the bar and they didn't know who I was on the first show of the first day, and I'm seeing them at shows number three and four, and they might even be there tomorrow! It’s cool because you get a real-time view as these fans move over with you. I've talked to so many incredible people here, and they're like, "Where are you playing next? Where are you playing?" And I'm like, "I'll be here at the pub or I'll be at the FM stage, or I'm going to be at the Town Square." I've talked to almost a dozen people just today who said, "Okay, we're going to come to the Town Square tomorrow to see you," and that's cool. If you only played one show and they maybe caught the last song or they ran into me after the set while I was just hanging out, I’d hate to say I've not got any more shows at the festival and would just have to say, "See you next time!" These are some of the best fans I've ever been around, and they're refreshingly honest at the end of a set, too.
They'll come straight up to you as well here!
I had a girl today, literally today. She said, "You're better when you stand up!" I said, "That's so funny because you're so right." I'm better; I'm more energetic. The pub—which was an amazing show—and the Pindeck stage were probably my two best shows of the four that I've played so far, and literally it was so funny because I was sitting down at the pub because it's a very small stage. I saw the stool and decided I'd sit. It was high-energy, but she was at the pub and she saw me at Pindeck, and she goes, "You do better when you stand up," and I said, "You're so right—God, you're so right." I love that honesty. I think that those are the people that you're playing for. Those are the people that you're making music for, and I want to know their feedback. If I want to hear that I'm great all the time, I'll call my mom. She'll tell me how great I am! If I need some love, that's who I call, but with the fans and with my team and around my peers, I want to know the truth. I want to know what you like, because I want to play to you. I want to make the music for me, as it's my stories and my experiences. When it comes to who I'm trying to please, it's y'all. One day, I want to buy a nice fancy house and I want to have some land out in Nashville--maybe a house in Florida or back in California where I lived for a long time. I won't be able to do that if these fans aren't supporting what you do. It drives me nuts when artists are shitty to their fans and don't take pictures or give autographs. Whether you're in music or if you're an NBA player or a soccer player, be good to these fans because I promise you, all that money, all the success that comes from the fans—these clubs, these teams, these artists, the labels—they won't have any money if you didn't listen to their music and you didn't come to their shows or buy their merch. This is what it's about. It's about these people, and I want to bridge the gap between the fans and the artists. That's always what I've tried to do. I love it. If there's 500 people outside, I'm tired, I need to go to bed, I can't even speak—it doesn't matter. I'm going to sit there and talk to every single fan for as long as they're there.
Oh my god, of course, although you've got to pace yourself because the Germans know how to have a good time! You are right, though; one of the cool things about C2C is that you get to play a lot of shows. It's cool because I've had fans that have come to multiple shows. I'm on day two now; I've played four shows total and I've got two more tomorrow. I've played for fans that maybe just happened to be at the bar and they didn't know who I was on the first show of the first day, and I'm seeing them at shows number three and four, and they might even be there tomorrow! It’s cool because you get a real-time view as these fans move over with you. I've talked to so many incredible people here, and they're like, "Where are you playing next? Where are you playing?" And I'm like, "I'll be here at the pub or I'll be at the FM stage, or I'm going to be at the Town Square." I've talked to almost a dozen people just today who said, "Okay, we're going to come to the Town Square tomorrow to see you," and that's cool. If you only played one show and they maybe caught the last song or they ran into me after the set while I was just hanging out, I’d hate to say I've not got any more shows at the festival and would just have to say, "See you next time!" These are some of the best fans I've ever been around, and they're refreshingly honest at the end of a set, too.
They'll come straight up to you as well here!
I had a girl today, literally today. She said, "You're better when you stand up!" I said, "That's so funny because you're so right." I'm better; I'm more energetic. The pub—which was an amazing show—and the Pindeck stage were probably my two best shows of the four that I've played so far, and literally it was so funny because I was sitting down at the pub because it's a very small stage. I saw the stool and decided I'd sit. It was high-energy, but she was at the pub and she saw me at Pindeck, and she goes, "You do better when you stand up," and I said, "You're so right—God, you're so right." I love that honesty. I think that those are the people that you're playing for. Those are the people that you're making music for, and I want to know their feedback. If I want to hear that I'm great all the time, I'll call my mom. She'll tell me how great I am! If I need some love, that's who I call, but with the fans and with my team and around my peers, I want to know the truth. I want to know what you like, because I want to play to you. I want to make the music for me, as it's my stories and my experiences. When it comes to who I'm trying to please, it's y'all. One day, I want to buy a nice fancy house and I want to have some land out in Nashville--maybe a house in Florida or back in California where I lived for a long time. I won't be able to do that if these fans aren't supporting what you do. It drives me nuts when artists are shitty to their fans and don't take pictures or give autographs. Whether you're in music or if you're an NBA player or a soccer player, be good to these fans because I promise you, all that money, all the success that comes from the fans—these clubs, these teams, these artists, the labels—they won't have any money if you didn't listen to their music and you didn't come to their shows or buy their merch. This is what it's about. It's about these people, and I want to bridge the gap between the fans and the artists. That's always what I've tried to do. I love it. If there's 500 people outside, I'm tired, I need to go to bed, I can't even speak—it doesn't matter. I'm going to sit there and talk to every single fan for as long as they're there.
One final question. Why Arsenal?
Why Arsenal? I used to play FIFA growing up, and when I first started playing FIFA, I was always Arsenal. It's the only team I used to play with.
Were you being lazy and just went for the first team on the list – "Cool, I’ll be Arsenal done, let’s play"?
If you want to know the truth, the first team I technically played with was Real Madrid as it was always me and my buddy, and I had to beat him, so it was Barcelona vs. Madrid and I had Karim Benzema, Di Maria, Cristiano Ronaldo—the best of the best. But then Arsenal would have guys like Olivier Giroud on the team at the time. He was a good striker. I used to crush with that guy! It was a couple of years ago, and I was like, "I want to be a fan for real." I've always kept up with the soccer leagues in other countries—Spain and the Premier League—and I finally was like, "I want to commit to a team," because I have a basketball team. I've got a football team. I need a soccer team, and that’s now Arsenal. We're going to win this year! It's time for Arsenal to win!
How about NFL and NBA then?
Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Lakers. I'll tell you what: Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, and Derek Fisher—that was when I started watching the Lakers. When Kobe tore his Achilles and he shot two free throws with a torn Achilles on the court and sank them both, I was like, "This guy has the Mamba mentality." He was the best. My dad is one of the best men I've ever met, and he was a Cowboys fan. He bandwagoned the team in the '90s when they used to win, so they had Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, and Troy Aikman. I can't forget Deion Sanders—Prime Time. He bandwagoned the team in the '90s because they were winning all these Super Bowls and they were the coolest people on the planet. I was born in '99; they won in '92, '93, and '95! My whole life, all I've ever known from the Cowboys is mediocrity and losing. It's been bad, but Cowboys nation forever and always, and I'll never switch up. I'm from North Carolina, and the Panthers one year with Cam Newton were doing their thing, and all my friends are like, "Dude, be a Panthers fan, be a Panther fan," but I said, "Nope, I'm not switching up. Cowboys for life, man, Cowboys nation." I have no official affiliation with Texas or Dallas; I love Texas, I'm not from there, but I became a Cowboys fan because of my dad. Arsenal, Lakers, Cowboys, baseball. To the original question, Arsenal was just one of those teams that I wanted to be a part of, man, and a couple of years ago I declared it. The best thing about life is you can just declare something. Whenever you want, you can declare that pizza is your favourite food; you can declare that this German Pilsner is the best you've ever had, because it kind of is! I love it.
Next trip includes England, please.
Yes, please. I’m in. I want to see you guys soon in London. We've had a great time in Berlin; we’ve got two shows left to play, and we will be back and I hope I can bring some of the guys with me next time.
Why Arsenal? I used to play FIFA growing up, and when I first started playing FIFA, I was always Arsenal. It's the only team I used to play with.
Were you being lazy and just went for the first team on the list – "Cool, I’ll be Arsenal done, let’s play"?
If you want to know the truth, the first team I technically played with was Real Madrid as it was always me and my buddy, and I had to beat him, so it was Barcelona vs. Madrid and I had Karim Benzema, Di Maria, Cristiano Ronaldo—the best of the best. But then Arsenal would have guys like Olivier Giroud on the team at the time. He was a good striker. I used to crush with that guy! It was a couple of years ago, and I was like, "I want to be a fan for real." I've always kept up with the soccer leagues in other countries—Spain and the Premier League—and I finally was like, "I want to commit to a team," because I have a basketball team. I've got a football team. I need a soccer team, and that’s now Arsenal. We're going to win this year! It's time for Arsenal to win!
How about NFL and NBA then?
Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Lakers. I'll tell you what: Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, and Derek Fisher—that was when I started watching the Lakers. When Kobe tore his Achilles and he shot two free throws with a torn Achilles on the court and sank them both, I was like, "This guy has the Mamba mentality." He was the best. My dad is one of the best men I've ever met, and he was a Cowboys fan. He bandwagoned the team in the '90s when they used to win, so they had Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, and Troy Aikman. I can't forget Deion Sanders—Prime Time. He bandwagoned the team in the '90s because they were winning all these Super Bowls and they were the coolest people on the planet. I was born in '99; they won in '92, '93, and '95! My whole life, all I've ever known from the Cowboys is mediocrity and losing. It's been bad, but Cowboys nation forever and always, and I'll never switch up. I'm from North Carolina, and the Panthers one year with Cam Newton were doing their thing, and all my friends are like, "Dude, be a Panthers fan, be a Panther fan," but I said, "Nope, I'm not switching up. Cowboys for life, man, Cowboys nation." I have no official affiliation with Texas or Dallas; I love Texas, I'm not from there, but I became a Cowboys fan because of my dad. Arsenal, Lakers, Cowboys, baseball. To the original question, Arsenal was just one of those teams that I wanted to be a part of, man, and a couple of years ago I declared it. The best thing about life is you can just declare something. Whenever you want, you can declare that pizza is your favourite food; you can declare that this German Pilsner is the best you've ever had, because it kind of is! I love it.
Next trip includes England, please.
Yes, please. I’m in. I want to see you guys soon in London. We've had a great time in Berlin; we’ve got two shows left to play, and we will be back and I hope I can bring some of the guys with me next time.
