20/20 Vision With Dawson Fuss

“Being a full-fledged artist means you have a clear vision,” explains Dawson Fuss, who has been singing and writing music for years and, according to his Spotify biography, has been humming since before he could speak.

The young singer-songwriter resides in Santa Barbara but is video calling me from Nashville, Tennessee, on one of the stops of his college tour. The most surprising moment of our entire interview came toward the end, when I asked Fuss how old he was. “Seventeen,” he said casually, and my eyes widened. He carries himself as if he were in his twenties, and he has the work ethic and introspection to show for it.

Dawson tells me that the first spark that started his musical journey was during a nonprofit Santa Barbara singing competition called Teen Star. He always loved music, but getting a positive comment from famed American Idol judge Randy Jackson gave him the confidence to believe in himself. “It was insane to have this dude I’d watched all of my childhood affirm and kind of validate my music,” he explained excitedly. “It was such a cool, out-of-body experience.”