Dawn Richard on honoring & breaking traditions

The New Exchange with Ken Grand-Pierre

I feel that this episode's title might be a paradox to some of you. In all honesty, fair, I mean how could someone straddle that line of tradition? But to hear Dawn Richard talk about it ends up making all the sense in the world. In our hearts we know that people are nuanced, but how often do we come across people who wear that on their sleeves with intense vigor and conviction? That’s one of the many places that Dawn Richard creates from and it’s a massive privilege getting to welcome her on the podcast. From dancefloor anthems that blend R&B with afro-futurism and synth-heavy compositions that evoke her roots in utter brilliance, Dawn is the kind of artist who’s always aiming to challenge herself, her listeners, and inadvertently the world itself. What you’ll learn across this episode is how the journey of that has never been rooted in a mandate and is more tied to a desire to better understand who she is.

The road of that journey has led her to once again work with the talented composer Spencer Zahn for their second album, Quiet in a World Full of Noise (which is out now). The title is beyond fitting not only because of the music but also because of the deep experience of healing and self-exploration that Dawn went on to write these songs with Spencer. On this episode, we chat about that healing, and why making art continues to be life and death for Dawn.

By the way, Dawn and Spencer will be touring the states this autumn, starting on October 22nd in Minnesota at the Dakota. They’ll be playing two shows at National Sawdust in Brooklyn on the 29th and 30th, trust me when I say that you’ll want to be there. Be sure to check out Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn via Instagram for more tour dates.