Stephen Dawes tells a coming-of-age story set against a backdrop of handcrafted alternative pop rooted in loose beat-craft and breezy Stratocaster-spun riffs. Balancing growing up, playing music, after attending the New York University, the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer tells this tale in real-time with 21st century candor. Born in New York, he spent his early childhood in a small town on Cape Cod. Mom and dad played music constantly as Stephen began piano lessons at four years old. By fourth grade, his family traded the East Coast for the West Coast, settling in San Francisco. After moving, he started writing original songs. In High School, he joined jazz band, kept up the piano lessons, and learned how to produce on Ableton from a teacher who he was introduced to through an artist named Underscores. During freshman year at NYU, he covered Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" for a school project. His acoustic cover (recorded on a phone) earned a "B," but his rendition eventually overtook TikTok. It exploded with over 117 million Spotify streams and counting as he inked a deal with Republic Records. He maintained his momentum releasing "Friends Don't Keep Secrets," "It Could Be Me," and "Lose My Mind." In the wake of the latter, OnesToWatch predicted, "Stephen Dawes is ready for his big breakthrough with his latest release." After piling up hundreds of millions of streams and earning acclaim from the likes of OnesToWatch and more, Stephen's vision lives and breathes with its own pulse (much like one of these characters) on his 2023 debut EP [Republic Records] introduced by the single "19."
