Jean Dawson en concert à Rock en Seine
At 30, Jean Dawson already has five albums behind him and a host of collaborations to his name, with artists like A$AP Rocky, SZA, Lil Yachty, Mac DeMarco and Earl Sweatshirt. But above all, he has carved out a truly unique place in American pop, thanks to his highly personal way of combining elements that are rarely brought together. Try putting a label on his single Pirate Radio, for instance: it’s not quite laid-back hip-hop, not quite dream pop, not quite folk-tinged indie rock, and somehow it is all of those things at once. Far from locking himself into obscure experimentation, this Californian who founded his own label manages to craft music that is both accessible and sophisticated, never unfocused, always impressive.