A rising pop visionary (and undeniable artist-to-watch) blending disco flair with heartfelt storytelling, Debbii Dawson dives into resilience, reinvention, and radical self-expression as she unpacks her latest songs and shares what’s fueling her bold, genre-blurring music in 2025.
Stream: “You Killed the Music” – Debbii Dawson
Although I don’t always understand the lyrics I’m listening to, I know how a song makes me feel. I’m chasing that magic and I hope listeners can feel it.
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There’s a kind of magic that only Debbii Dawson can conjure –
– the kind that glitters under disco lights, shimmers with heartache, and rises in triumph like a sequin-streaked phoenix from the ashes.
Her single “You Killed the Music” brings that dynamic to life: A dazzling eruption of sound and spirit, pairing cinematic synths with punchy drums, dramatic bass lines, and Dawson’s signature flair for emotional grandeur. Part heartbreak, part rebirth, it’s the kind of full body anthem that makes you feel like the main character in your own coming-of-age movie – dancing in the ruins, glitter catching the light.
You killled the music
Left me in ruins
Wrapped up in quiet
Poison with silence
You killed the music (ooh)
Made me feel foolish (ooh)
What am I fighting? (Ooh)
Major to minor (ooh)
For 29-year-old Dawson – who signed to legendary major RCA Records last year, and subsequently released the EP How to Be Human to critical acclaim – “You Killed the Music” is a story of both pain and perseverance. “Like a lot of breakup songs, the story explains how someone hurt me and I got through it,” she tells Atwood Magazine. “In this particular situation, an individual tainted something so pure for me, my love for music. It got to the point where I couldn’t listen to the radio anymore, let alone write or sing, without feeling sad or angry.”
That hurt cuts deep, but it’s the act of rising up and reclaiming her love that gives this song its power. “You killed the music / Left me in ruins / Wrapped up in quiet / Poison with silence,” Dawson sings, her voice trembling with both grief and fire. And yet, what begins in silence doesn’t end there. “I closed the door / And changed all the chords / Then my feet start to move…”
“You Killed the Music” is a radiant embrace of joy and identity. “Now all these brand-new melodies keep falling off the tip of my tongue… I’m hearing symphonies, you really made me think I was done / But baby, you can’t stop me now,” Dawson rejoices in the song’s chorus, wholeheartedly in her element – and loving every minute of it. It’s a triumphant middle finger and a glistening, glittery catharsis wrapped into one – a reminder that the most powerful kind of healing often comes with a beat you can dance to.
I closed the door
And changed all the chords
Then my feet start to move
Now all these brand-new
Melodies keep falling off the tip of my tongue
Ah-ha, ah-ha, ah-ha
I’m hearing symphonies,
you really made me think I was done
But baby, you can’t stop me now
Melodies keep falling off the tip of my tongue
Ah-ha, ah-ha, ah-ha
I’m hearing symphonies,
you really made me think I was done
But baby, you can’t stop me now
“Every single word in this song is a direct reference to what I was going through,” Dawson shares. “I was having a really hard time, so the emotions are very real. I’m singing about music, but on a deeper level, this song is about any person or circumstance that sucks the life out of you, breaks your spirit, and steals your spark. And then the triumph felt when it doesn’t get the better of you.”
There’s a bold theatricality to Dawson’s style that feels both fresh and timeless.
She’s ABBA reincarnate, a disco-pop dancing queen making feel-good, empowering, larger-than-life pop songs that are simultaneously classic and contemporary. And with her VHS-inspired music video, metallic go-go boots, and a heart on fire, she embodies the joy of liberation and the sweetness of survival. “Making this song was a cathartic experience for me,” she says. “My heart was so heavy when I went into the studio to write this track, and I left that night floating in the air with a smile on my face.”
You killed the music
Pulled my way through it
Now I’m playing all the songs
that I know you wouldn’t like
The day that you left,
oh, I came alive
I closed the door
Yeah, I cut the cords
Then my feet start to move
Now all these brand-new
Between her fearless performance and flawless delivery, Dawson clearly poured her full self into this song – and it shows. “I hope listeners feel empowered and discover resilience they didn’t know they had,” she adds. “For anyone going through something that is leaving you feeling broken, you’re going to be ok. You will be the person you were before again, but whoever or whatever is making you feel that way has got to go!”
There really is a magic to everything Debbii Dawson touches: From last year’s hit single “Happy World” to recent singles “Chemical Reaction” and “Gut Feelings,” her music is invigorating, inspiring, and utterly intoxicating.
“I’m a weird girl who makes weird music for weird people,” she grins. “Music gave me a place to belong, and I hope the songs I make can provide that to the world as well.”
“You Killed the Music” does all that and a whole lot more: Dawson doesn’t just reclaim her spark – she ignites ours, too. She closed the door, cut the cords, and kept the beat – now we’re all dancing in her glow.
A fearless force of style, substance, and sound, Debbii Dawson is quickly establishing herself as one of pop’s most exciting new voices – a singular and undeniable artist-to-watch unafraid to bare her soul, trust her instincts, and dance through the fire. Atwood Magazine caught up with Dawson to learn more about the story behind her latest songs, her inspirations, and what’s coming next in her vibrant, ever-evolving world. Read our interview below and listen to her latest singles wherever you stream music!
Melodies keep falling off the tip of my tongue
Ah-ha, ah-ha, ah-ha
I’m hearing symphonies,
you really made me think I was done
But baby, you can’t stop me now
Melodies keep falling off the tip of my tongue
Ah-ha, ah-ha, ah-ha
I’m hearing symphonies
You really made me think I was done
But baby, you can’t stop me now
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:: stream/purchase You Killed the Music here ::
:: stream/purchase Gut Feelings here ::
:: connect with Debbii Dawson here ::
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A CONVERSATION WITH DEBBII DAWSON
Atwood Magazine: You kicked off the year with the song “You Killed the Music,” an incredibly cinematic anthem full of liberation and an empowering spirit. What's the story behind this song, for you?
Debbii Dawson: Like a lot of breakup songs, the story explains how someone hurt me and I got through it. In this particular situation an individual tainted something so pure for me, my love for music. It got to the point where I couldn’t listen to the radio anymore, let alone write or sing, without feeling sad or angry.
I'm really struck by how freeing this song feels – it's like we're watching a phoenix's rebirth in real-time. What was it about this theme, of renewal and perseverance, that inspired you – in other words, why this topic, why so much passion and emotion behind it?
Debbii Dawson: Every single word in this song is a direct reference to what I was going through, I was having a really hard time so the emotions are very real. I’m singing about music but on a deeper level this song is about any person or circumstance that sucks the life out of you, breaks your spirit, and steals your spark. And then the triumph felt when it doesn’t get the better of you.
I also really love your refrain, “Now all these brand-new melodies keep falling off the tip of my tongue.” It's such a powerful visual, and it brings so much energy to the moment. What do you hope listeners take away from this song, and what have you taken away from creating it and now putting it out?
Debbii Dawson: Thank you! I hope listeners feel empowered and discover resilience they didn’t know they had. For anyone going through something that is leaving you feeling broken, you’re going to be ok. You will be the person you were before again, but whoever or whatever is making you feel that way has got to go!
Making this song was a cathartic experience for me. My heart was so heavy when I went into the studio to write this track, and I left that night floating in the air with a smile on my face.
Now with “Gut Feelings,” you've once again delivered this striking song about self-trust, belief in yourself and your instincts, etc. – it honestly feels like the next step after that initial release in “you killed the music.” What is this song about, for you, and how does it fit into the wider world of Debbii Dawson in 2025?
Debbii Dawson: You’re right! “You Killed The Music” was a song of victory, but “Gut Feelings” is me wishing I never got into that bad situation in the first place. This track is definitely building on the tone of what’s to come both visually and sonically. You can also probably expect more keytar solos in the future.
Just my cornball question over here, but what does trusting your gut feelings look like, for you?
Debbii Dawson: The lyric “trust your gut feeling” is a mantra, a reminder not to doubt myself. I tend to give everyone the benefit of the doubt before I give it to myself. I think for me, it looks like not second-guessing first instincts and being kinder to myself.
You have such an incredible way of harnessing 1980s disco elements and electropop inspired sounds, and bringing them to life in a way that feels fresh and new. Can you talk about your own musical inspirations, and what you hope to convey through these songs?
Debbii Dawson: I grew up listening to a lot of old music, oldies across various genres – country, disco, classical, religious hymns, gospel, jazz… and from several countries/languages as well. Although the range of influences is broad and I don’t always understand the lyrics I’m listening to, I know how a song makes me feel. I’m chasing that magic and I hope listeners can feel it.
For those who are just discovering you today through this writeup, what do you want them to know about you and your music?
Debbii Dawson: I’m a weird girl who makes weird music for weird people. I’ve lived my whole life looking for a place to belong, and music has given that to me. I hope the songs I make can provide that to the world as well.
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:: stream/purchase You Killed the Music here ::
:: stream/purchase Gut Feelings here ::
:: connect with Debbii Dawson here ::
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Stream: “You Killed the Music” – Debbii Dawson
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