Devin Dawson Strips Down ‘I Don’t Care Who Sees’ for the Vault Sessions [Exclusive Premiere]
Devin Dawson doesn't need any high-tech trickery to help him deliver his songs. The country newcomer strips down "I Don't Care Who Sees" to its essence in a very special performance for the Vault Sessions that is debuting on Taste of Country.
The 28-year-old California native counts Johnny Cash and Alan Jackson among his influences, but his songs also contain a healthy dose of modern influences including Keith Urban and Gavin DeGraw. It all comes together in one very unique sound that juxtaposes traditional singer-songwriter elements with edgier sensibilities in the performance above, which features Dawson simply seated on a stool, performing "I Don't Care Who Sees" with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and a single microphone to aid him. The black-and-white shoot serves to underscore the raw simplicity of his performance, but he's always in black-and-white in videos and on Instagram. Once upon a time he bought some colored shirts, but remains reliant on his black duds.
"They are all in bags that I have to take to Goodwill because I never wear them," he tells Taste of Country.
The sultry "I Don't Care Who Sees" has drawn quite a bit of attention for him online.
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The lyrics find him unapologetic about kissing his love right out in the open in a restaurant, singing, "A crowded room don't mean a thing and I don't mean to cause a scene / If you want to we can leave but girl, right now / I don't care who sees us leanin' in for a kiss, I'm givin' in / Even though it ain't like me / See that couple on our right? / No, they ain't thinking twice / So I'm thinking baby why should we / 'Cause everybody here can tell, no I just can't help myself / If they could see the way you look at me."
Viral success is nothing new to Dawson, who first came to attention through a Taylor Swift cover that went viral in 2014. He has since signed with Atlantic Records and Warner Music Nashville, and with the release of his debut single, "All on Me," in 2017, Dawson has become one of the most talked about young artists in country music. He's topped off his year by opening for Maren Morris and a summer stint on the road with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, sealing his reputation as one of country music's hottest young artists to watch.
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