David Dunn

In a world where conformity is often the path of least resistance, singer/songwriter David Dunn has always managed to stand out in a crowd. And considering he grew up with three brothers and two sisters in a city where working in the oil industry is practically a given, that’s really saying something.

In music, as in life, there are people who fit well within established parameters, people who know the status quo and who are happy to meet, even sometimes exceed it. People who appreciate that the status quo exists. They see the box, fit neatly within it, and feel good because the box is established, understood and comfortable.

David Dunn isn’t one of those people.

A brilliant, soulful singer/songwriter, this Midland, Texas native writes in unfiltered, human terms, mirroring doubt and faith in a single stroke. He doesn’t use churchy language, and he ignores sonic blueprints, fusing and confusing genre confines. And he does this with great intention, valuing art as the context for music, as much as for conveying a spiritual message.

For Dunn, seven records and 14 tattoos down the road less traveled, the goal is always: “To tell the truth and do it in a beautiful way.”

Set for release later this year, David Dunn’s upcoming album follows the trajectory 2017’s Yellow Balloons, with every composition a reflection of the current season. "Every song on the record is about perspectives, how the way we view the world shapes our understanding of it.” says Dunn, whose career officially launched in 2015 after appearing on NBC’s The Voice. “We all have different perspectives. Some are opposing and yet still valid. And everyone thinks they are the hero of their own story. Even history’s most evil villain, Hitler, was a savior in his own mind. And why? Because of perspective. It’s important — viewing things differently than we are used to viewing them, questioning things we never normally think to question. Things like: time, church, love, pain, prayer, truth, and reality itself."

Case in point: Compelling, soulful pop, “Spend a Life” finds Dunn at his lyrical, honest best, wrestling with how a good man invests his days.

“I’ve been thinking a ton about how I spend my time,” Dunn explains. “When my kid was born, it was like a timer started in my head that was counting down the 18 years I had to help prepare this little human to make his own decisions. And because that timer became real to me, I could clearly see my own mortality for the first time. I became aware of the finite number of seconds I had left on earth. And that realization led me to this: Time is our most precious, God-given resource, and I refuse to go on spending it like it’s cheap.”