Imagine this: You’re looking up at a stage as a woman just over 5 feet tall shimmies into the spotlight, encased in a shell-like oversized suit jacket and silver boots. She has a disco-style blowout and the vibrato of Joni Mitchell. You’re confused by the papier mache-looking suit, but the minute she starts singing, you have no choice but to accept it. The mic is on. Like, really on. Being the support act is a notoriously difficult job — which explains why she has to make an impression with the eye-catching costume. Yet, the moment Debbii Dawson starts singing, the crowd of Role Model fans quiet down to listen, and they immediately respond.
While it’s clear that some in the audience have done their homework and listened to Debbii’s discography beforehand, most are discovering her for the first time. Oh, how I envy them — hearing Debbii’s voice for the first time is an unforgettable experience. Some of us heard her tremulous vocals for the first time in a cover of Abba’s “Dancing Queen” during her American Idol audition. Others might have come across her songs online, thanks to a Spotify or TikTok algorithm that was really in their favor. But, standing in the pit of Los Angeles’s Wiltern Theater, I can’t help but think that there couldn’t be a more perfect venue to be introduced to Debbii Dawson.
We all watched, enraptured, as her voice filled the theater. Its high painted ceilings, ornate crown molding, and iconic Art Deco style cocoon the soft vibrato of her voice, then let it out. It explodes over the crowd like a gift, and they take it — they take it. The murmurs around the room make it clear: they’re impressed.
Dawson’s voice isn’t the only thing that captures the audience’s attention. Neither is her eclectic choice of clothing. Her songs are infectious. They beg to be danced to, and the audience is nodding, swaying, and tapping their feet while looking up at Dawson — all while she wears this David Byrne suit like a full-body cast.
She sings her opening 3 songs before finally addressing the audience, who give her an enthusiastic round of applause. Then, she addressed the elephant in the room: her outfit.
“I was being David Byrne,” she says. “Was” is the operative word here. As her equally melodic speaking voice caresses the crowd, a crew member approaches and lifts the blazer like a Russian doll off Dawson and reveals a glittering green dress worthy of a disco star or Riley Keough’s character in Daisy Jones & the Six. “Do you guys know David Byrne? Me neither,” she jokes.
The show has really begun now, and Dawson launches into the rest of the set.
Dawson sings ten songs total:
- Chemical Reaction
- I Want You
- Mars
- Solitude
- The Great Magician
- Turn the TV On
- Even Heaven Cries
- You Killed The Music
- Gut Feelings
- Happy World
The set is an energizing balance of uptempo disco-tinged country-pop songs — a treat for an audience that was enthusiastically singing along to Chappell Roan’s “The Giver” before the show started — and contemplative ballads that show off her voice. Debbii dances through it all, winning the crowd over on all fronts: her voice, music, and personality. Tens across the board.
Debbii Dawson has been up to a lot since we spoke to her before the release of her second EP, How to be Human, in 2024. She was on tour with Orville Peck — with whom she was about to release the beautiful country duet, “Back at Your Door” — and planning on releasing more singles while working on her upcoming project.
Most of the songs she sang were unreleased and from her upcoming project. But from old songs to upcoming, Debbii’s heart carried the performance and kept the audience’s attention. She even made a paper airplane out of one of her setlists and threw it out into the thrilled crowd.
Her opening slot on Role Model’s tour, it seems, is a stroke of genius. Role Model’s contemporary country has been described as “for the girls.” Debbii’s take on country is similar, but more complex — blending disco influences with classic singer-songwriters and folk artists. The result is something that makes you want to dance like ABBA while also making you contemplate life and love like Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell.
When she wrapped up with her Shrek-inspired (a tidbit she told us in our exclusive interview) hit “Happy World,” the crowd wanted more. Luckily, Debbii is releasing a steady stream of singles, including the most recent “You Killed The Music.”
Watch Debbii Dawson perform “You Killed the Music” for VEVO DSCVR here:
One thing is clear: Debbii Dawson is the fresh take on country we need right now, as all the pop girls dip their toes into the genre. And she’s keeping the music alive.
Catch Debbii live on tour on Role Model’s remaining North America Tour Dates here:
Apr 05 2025 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
Apr 06 2025 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
Apr 07 2025 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
Apr 08 2025 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
Apr 10 2025 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
Apr 23 2025 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
