Devin Dawson Shares Story Behind 'Asking For A Friend'

Building on the success of his debut single "All On Me," Devin Dawson takes a different approach at relationships with his second single "Asking For A Friend."

“Asking For A Friend was a title that I had been trying to write for a while and I couldn’t quite figure out the angle, and I got together with Connie Harrington and Brett Beavers and we decided to write it about a guy trying to apologize for messing up without actually having to say sorry, because guys are never good at that.”

The twenty-eight years old and from Orangevale, California, Dawson grew up just outside the gates of Folsom Prison. He heard the sirens at night, and sang along to Johnny Cash, Alan Jackson, Marvin Gaye and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Just out of high school he played bass in a touring death metal band.

But in the midst of a breakup, he discovered the need to express himself through songwriting that metal didn’t fully facilitate. Translating his hardcore roots into stories that stirred his soul, Dawson traded furious guitars and pounding drums for intense emotion and clever wordplay.

“I’m such a lyric guy,” he explains, “and with the element of storytelling, that’s what really drives country music. I needed that. It’s a completely different feeling being vulnerable onstage singing a song about your heart instead of head banging with your friends.”

Listen to "Asking For A Friend" below.

Photo: Getty Images