David Dunn, recently signed to BEC Recordings, releases his debut label album on July 15th. I recently had the privilege in undertaking an email interview with David, as we discussed the album, the themes within the 5 tracks, as well as his hopes of what he wants the album to convey as people listen to it. Check out the interview below.
1. Your first label self-titled album releases on July 15th on BEC Recordings. How has it been with the recording process of the album, and what do you hope listeners can gain when they hear it?
The recording process was pretty tough….only cause it took forever (for a bunch of different reasons), but I am very proud of the way the record ended up sounding! I hope listeners get a sense of what I’ve been learning about life in the last few years…Crystal Clear is work that mostly deals with the question of “God why did you let THIS happen to me”…which I ask all the time.
2. You released an album in 2012 independently. How is it, releasing something independently as opposed to on a label? Do you think the process of your album has been smoother or rougher because of the label connection?
Releasing an indie album is much like releasing a label album…the only real difference is that you have multiple people on a team pushing your material, instead of doing most of it on your own…but the end result is always the same…your fans either buy, or don’t buy the record.
3. Because you’re a new artist in the industry, it is almost natural to compare you to other established artists with a similar sound. From just hearing the EP, I’d say you are similar to artists like Abandon, Matthew West, or Josh Wilson. How would you describe your sound (both in a general sense and how the debut album sounds like)?
I’ve actually never heard a comparison to any of those artists! Although I’m flattered to be mentioned along side songwriters like West and Wilson…both are great (don’t know Abandon). I describe my sound as an infusion of heavy beats with melodic synth/piano undertones…but really my music is a conduit for me to tell the truths I’ve found, and tell them in a beautiful way.
4. From both a musical and lyrical sense, how does Crystal Clear capture the experience of you throughout the last few years of your musical journey? What has God shown you, as you step into the career path of Christian inspirational music?
The record really is a few songs encompassing things I’ve experienced and learned in the last few years. What has God shown me…too loaded of a question to answer succinctly. Listen through the record and you’ll get the gist.
5. The first single on the album is “Today is Beautiful”. From my interpretation, the song gives us a sense of us appreciation, that today is a beautiful gift given by God, and meant to be embraced and enjoyed for whatever it brings along. What does the song mean to you personally, and what was the process of picking “Today is Beautiful” as the lead single?
The idea behind the song is that the thing you think is such a terribly big problem, viewed from God’s perspective, is either an opportunity to become more like Christ, or a tiny problem not worth freaking out over. An encouragement to myself and other to “lift our eyes, and see it (the thing making us miserable) in a different light”. Consider that there is a God who cares about us no matter what the problem…and just behind the clouds is always a beautiful blue sky.
6. Is there any artist or band that you admire within the music industry currently? Who has influenced your music the most (either through songwriting, recording, singing)?
Oh man…so many. Off the top of my head… phil wickham, david ramirez, SCC, coldplay, ryan tedder, imagine dragons, ellie goulding, the script…
7. What has God showed in your personal life that has crept into your album somehow? Which song are you excited for when you perform live concerts and which song do you believe will impact listeners the most when they hear it?
The song I’m most excited about is “Nothing Left” – it’s a tune from the c.s. lewis quote: “to love at all is to be vulnerable”. If you look around the world, the number one thing that people think about and talk about and exist to do are relationships. Most of the time if you’re willing to love somebody the way God intended, however, it’s going to be difficult, and you’re really opening up yourself to be squashed… what if the other person doesn’t reciprocate? What if they take advantage of your love? The conventional perception of love is that it’s the thing that makes you “feel happy”…Love isn’t about making the lover “happy”, even though that may be an occasional perk, love is about fulfilling our design…and the most worthwhile thing ever…
8. You are just starting out in the music industry. What keeps you all grounded and places things in perspective as you travel and create music? Is there any song, or Bible verse, or even famous quote that reminds you about why you do what you do and the motivation behind it all?
I’m going to quote one of my own song lyrics in response –
when your heart stops beating, the end of all you know, has the life ya just stopped living, left anything to show, have you wasted so much time? Do you know what it’d be like when your heart stops beating?
9. To young musical artists wanting to break into the music industry, is there any advice that you can give as to how to succeed in the industry yet also keep your beliefs, values and integrity intact?
Keep in mind that fame is an illusion of happiness…the unbelievably famous kurt cobain killed himself because of depression…there’s only One Thing that can satisfy, and it’s not the things that “doing music” offers. Live for more.
10. For anyone who is reading this interview and are feeling discouraged about a season in life they are in, what advice can you give them?
Man, I’ve totally been there…actually I’m there all the time. That why “Today is beautiful” means so much to me. He cares and He is in control…lets just keep reminding each other.
11. What do you do in your downtime when you’re not recording/touring? Any fun fact that no one knows about you that you would love to share with us?
I love lifting weights and playing video games with my roommates…and there are tons of weird facts about me…off the top of my head – I am currently wearing my third nose…yes, THIRD. In college I tried to catch a softball with my face during intramurals, and my nose paid the price…two nose jobs later, I can breathe!
Be sure to check out David Dunn’s new album releasing July 15th. Check out the lyric video of ‘Today is Beautiful’ below.