It’s a Jillian Dawn Summer
Nashville-based indie-pop artist Jillian Dawn spoke with Pleaser at her Brooklyn show about new music, touring and what inspires her to continue creating.
PHOTOS BY LEXI YOB
Summertime in Brooklyn means a lot of things: cars driving by with loud music blasting out of open windows, picnics in Prospect Park and humid train stations that dampen clothes from sweat in minutes. It also means many bars finally open their outdoor spaces, bringing musicians to rooftops and backyards across the borough.
At the end of May, I had the pleasure of visiting the Sultan Room rooftop for a performance by Jillian Dawn, an pop-indie artist currently residing in Nashville, Tennessee. Her trip to the Sultan Room was part of a three-show concert series celebrating the release of one of her new songs “Almost Like.” As a Mansfield, Massachusetts native, she also played at Brighton Music Hall in Boston and Milkboy in Philadelphia. Alt-pop artist Dylan Rockoff joined Jillian on all three stages, opening up the night in Brooklyn after a stellar performance by New York City artist Greer Baxter.
In an interview with Pleaser before the show, Dawn said she’s already released three singles so far in 2025: “Almost Like” in March, “Like My Friends Do,” in April and “The Bullet” in May. Before its release, I had the opportunity to listen to "Like My Friends Do" during Dawn's December Baby's All Right show in Brooklyn. When performed at Baby’s, Dawn played an acoustic version of the track, highlighting its introspective and vulnerable nature. The lyrics discuss the ease in which friends cut off a relationship, but how hard it is to separate yourself from a person you once loved (and still kind of do). The first chorus chants,
“Annie hates you
Catherine’s mad
Emily wishes she never had
Gone and introduced us in the first place
Didn’t know how big of a mistake it would be”
Before “Like My Friends Do” was released, Dawn said she only played it acoustic at shows. Now that it's officially released, the performance at Sultan was one of Dawn’s first times playing it with a live band.
“The band brings a whole other energy to it.” She said.
The audience at Sultan had an opportunity to listen and learn the lyrics, making participation much easier. And better yet, Dawn had many friends, her sister Olivia and both parents in the crowd, all of which are mentioned on the track. The ground shook below the vibrations of the guitar, the heavy bouncing of fans, and the loud cheer that erupted after. It was the summation of some of my favorite things about live music: the smiles of fans as they watch someone who means so much to them, an artist who uses their lyrics to connect with the audience and a beautiful outdoor venue that brings it all together.
Dawn wrote “Like My Friends Do” in February 2024, but did not record it until earlier this year. The track passed through multiple producers and arrangements until Dawn felt it was just right. Ultimately, the track landed with Dawn’s friend Parker Mathews, a Nashville based producer and songwriter.
Dawn’s May track, “The Bullet,” explores another familiar topic to those of us with a longing heart: what happens when you fall for a friend. Dawn said she wrote this track way back in 2022, when she walked into a writing session feeling emotionally drained.
“I’m a songwriter, I write about my feelings and emotions all day every day. However, I cannot get myself to tell a boy I like him.” She said as she explained her frustration. She continued, iterating a classic struggle amongst friends: If she told the friend she liked him, it could potentially ruin their relationship. On the flip side, it could spawn an incredible relationship built on the foundation of friendship. “The Bullet” explains it best in the chorus:
“I’d take the bullet if we gave it a shot
Yeah you can blame me if we’re not what we thought we’d be
But I feel these ‘coulda beens’ killing me too
So I’d rather love and lose you
Than never get the chance to”
Dawn said she’s no stranger to these types of relationships, “we dance around the feelings, but I’m a person who needs clarity,” she explained.
On stage, Dawn's performance of “The Bullet” was one of my favorites. Lyrically, the first verse introduces the predicament, two people who avoid their feelings for each other. The band intentionally stays subtle in this section, allowing Dawn’s voice to really shine.
“I don’t care about the girl you like
There’s nothing else that we can do
To keep distracting us from me and you
And we dance around it every single time
Like I haven’t loved you my whole life”
As the song progressed, her band of drums, guitar, bass and keyboard built in intensity, inducing involuntary shouts of excitement from the crowd. The layered instrumental elements created a dynamic listening experience that the audience danced to despite its intentional and introspective lyrics. That’s the beauty of a Jillian Dawn song: both incredibly danceable and authentically relatable wrapped into one.
While asking about her musical inspirations, Dawn explained how she found inspiration from movies, TV shows and books. As she grew, so did her swath of experiences to draw from when creating. “It’s fortunate and unfortunate,” she joked.
In her personal life, Dawn has started to really dive into the dating scene, allowing herself to be open and vulnerable to the rollercoaster exploring romantic relationships can bring. “I learned a lot about what I want and don’t want. I also found a lot of inspiration from those moments,” she said.
Those moments are what she drew from to write “Almost Like,” “Like My Friends Do,” and “The Bullet.” Dawn also has plans to release a new project this fall, continuing her exploration of all things relationships. If you’re in the market for a new artist who makes you want to dance to your heartbreak and sing along to the road bumps that come with growing through your 20s, I just found the artist for you.
