Jackson Dean is one of country music’s most electrifying rising stars, blending gritty outlaw energy with soulful Southern rock swagger. Hailing from Odenton, Maryland, the 24-year-old singer-songwriter first made waves with his breakout single ‘Don’t Come Lookin’, a rebellious anthem that introduced his raw vocals and authentic storytelling to a national audience. Signed to Big Machine Records, Dean released his debut album ‘Greenbroke' in 2022, earning critical acclaim and solidifying his place as a bold new voice in the country rock scene. His powerful live performances and distinctive sound have landed him major festival slots and tour dates across the U.S. and beyond.
Dean's follow-up album ‘On the Back of My Dreams,' released last year, pushes his sound even further, with standout tracks like the fan-favourite ‘Heavens to Betsy' currently climbing the country radio charts. A dynamic performer, Dean delivers a live show that’s part Skynyrd, part Stones, and entirely his own—a mix of rock grit, swampy funk, and emotional depth. From fiery barnburners to more esoteric, atmospheric cuts like ‘Jane,' Dean commands the stage with a presence far beyond his years. As he continues to evolve, his shows feel less like concerts and more like living, breathing experiences—proof that Jackson Dean is only just beginning to tap into his extraordinary potential. We talked to him at his recent show in Brimingham, UK about his career and the music to come.
Welcome back to England, Jackson! You've been in Europe a while now before the start of this UK leg. Can you share a couple of cool things you've done whilst over here?
Thank you sir! We went to Scotland and saw a lot of awesome things. We went to the Isle of Skye, watched the sun go down, you know? Scotland is one of the places that my dad said he would always love to relocate to. We saw Ben Nevis, we went up to Glencoe where they filmed ‘Skyfall,' too. Incredible man. The weather was beautiful the whole time.
Did you get into any good whiskeys up there?
Not too much. We were pretty jet lagged and driving crazy miles through the mountains. I will say that I have been drinking a lot of gin since we got here. I had a Gin mule in Zermatt in Switzerland – which is as far as the the train will take you in that country and you can see Italy right next door! It blew my mind. I'm on the gin train this trip, for sure! (laughing)
The big news is that you have a song, ‘Be Your Man,' coming out May 9th. It's got this funky, Muscle Shoals-esque vibe to it which is a different sound for you.
My first two albums were pretty heavy and quite intense. This territory that we are just about to crawl into is slightly different for us. Do you know Khruangbin? They are a three-piece groove band that my producer, Luke Dick and I have been listening to and thinking about trying to tap into that world and that sound in a Country way and a way that would make sense to my fans.
So ‘Be Your Man' wasn't written for ‘On the Back of My Dreams' then? It's a new song?
Yeah. I wrote it with Luke and Rodney Clawson. It's all new territory. I'm really excited about the great songs we have already and we are going into the studio in June to cut some more. I went to Nashville to make records and full length projects so I'm hoping it will form the basis of my next album. The newer songs are a little bit more laid back than the first two albums which I'm pretty happy about, we've got some really beautiful new songs that feel right – they also feel like standards, if you know what I mean?
Are you playing ‘Be Your Man' in your set tonight in Birmingham?
Not tonight. We have a habit of playing songs out before people hear them on the records but we've been so tied up with promoting ‘On The Back of My Dreams' and getting over here to play this record for y'all that we don't want to take away from that. The crowds over here in Europe are always incredible and we're so appreciative about that……..
I guess if you play it it's also all over Youtube by tomorrow morning?
Exactly. We kinda just want to let people hear this song as it was recorded first and foremost.
Let's talk about the ‘Heavens to Betsy' journey. I first saw you play that song at CMA Fest in Nashville in 2022 and here we are in 2025 with it in the top 30 at Country radio! What a journey!
From the beginning, even when I was playing it out on the radio tour in the states in acoustic mode, people knew that that was a song! It wasn't on the debut album, I was kinda playing it to kill time out on radio tour but everybody just loved it. It has had it's own life but it really came into its own on the ‘Live at the Ryman' record. It was born as a one-take demo that became one of the most organic things that I've seen happen in this industry.
I get people coming up to me all the time at meet and greets wanting to tell me how it relates to them – it hits both side of the coin, both men and women like that song. It's been awesome to see a song like do so much. It hits so hard.
You've been over here enough now to know that us Brits are a nation of deep-cut, album track lovers. What song from ‘On the Back of My Dreams' are people like me not talking to you enough about that you really love?
One we're playing tonight – I really love ‘Free.' I love that song – it's a lot coming at you, it's fast, you know, I'm spitting bars, right? It's quite an aggressive song but it's like a little peak under the curtain of how it gets to feeling out there and the weight of the life you are holding on your back. It's a shade of darkness that is beautiful but you pay for it – with every feather on your wing, right? There ain't nothing in this world for free.
Is it fair to say that touring with Lainey was absolutely pivotal for you last year?
Absolutely. I mean, we toured with Blake Shelton and that was insane, we played with Eric Church a couple of times, which was huge, but Lainey's crowd really, really loved us. She was incredible, killing it. We also went to some beautiful places with her, even down to Australia!
These artists that you've played with like Blake and Eric and Lainey – what have you learned from them in terms of how to treat your crew and how to connect with your fans?
I've always prided myself on always trying to be a gracious and humble man. I always want to do right by the people with me. I watched my dad be a leader of man my entire life so I've learned a lot from him – he ran about 300 people at a time. I understand a little bit about how to lead from him. Lainey was so good to her people as have all of the big artists I've played with – they have good teams around them that stay the distance – which is always a good sign that they are good leaders. No-one stays if the atmosphere is bad or toxic, right?
My boys are so good, I'm so very lucky there. I let them go ahead and do their thing and they do a damn good job of taking care of me too.
Are you at the stage of your career now where it's better for you to do a 90 minute headline set for your own fans or jump onto an arena tour supporting a bigger artist and play to bigger crowds?
We love our headline shows so much! When you play for someone else's crowd it's different because the crowd aren't there to see you. Don't get me wrong, I love those shows and we've made some people scream at shows like that but when the crowd is yours, it's really yours!
There's no better feeling than that so I wanna headline for the most part although I do also want to go and play with people that I love too and we're getting back with Lee Brice soon, which I'm really looking forward to – he was our first ever six week tour back in the day when we were chasing the buses in a battered van and getting hammered every other night! Let's go! (laughing) I'll do that anytime – if there's a stage I'll play, right? That's always been my motto.
Jackson Dean's new song ‘Be Your Man' is out May 9th and there are still some dates left on his UK tour that you can get tickets for right here.
