Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Dawson Wayne of American Idol Season 21

American Idol returns to ABC on Sunday, Feb. 19 for its Season 21 premiere.

Here’s more about Dawson.

* His full name is Dawson Wayne Rice and he’s a singer-songwriter from Katy, Texas.

* He’s featured on one released song to date, “With All My Heart,” which came out in October.

* It’s part of an annual youth album released by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

* Dawson previously attended Brigham Young University in Hawaii and, after the song was released, said he planned to move to Utah and attend BYU in Provo.

* He also participated on a mission with the church in historic Nauvoo (Illinois), where missionaries performed eight to 10 shows a day to help demonstrate the life of pioneers in the church.

* Dawson said recording the song for the youth album was an enlightening experience.

* “It was the coolest thing I’ve ever done.” he said in a 2022 interview. “I’ve always had such a passion for music, and I’ve wanted to make a career out of it, and so getting to go to this huge recording studio with this producer (Mitch Davis), who is so talented, it was life changing.”

* He also said he’s looking forward to pursuing a career in music in Utah because “the music scene out there is just so positive and encouraging.”

* In the same interview, Dawson described his goal as a performer: “I want to look at the audience and give them a good show and bring them something that they can feel and would bring a smile to their face.”

* “With All My Heart” was written by someone else, but you can check out songs Dawson has written on his TikTok. You’ll also find a wide range of covers there.

Dawson on social media:
Instagram
TikTok
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube