Dixon Dallas is a country artist who went viral on TikTok for his song "Good Lookin'" back in June. The song may sound like any typical country track on first listen, but pay attention and you’ll quickly realize that Dallas is singing about a relationship between two men, a perspective that isn’t often sung about in country music.
We spoke with Dixon Dallas to learn about his viral song, his music career, his upbringing and why he’s one of the only country artists making music from an LGBTQ+ perspective.
Q: Great to talk with you, Dixon. So what is it that you do online?
A: I'm Dixon Dallas and I am the number one country music artist in the world. I always knew I wanted to be a country artist. I never knew I'd be the number one country artist in the world and I just didn't know exactly when it was gonna happen until about a month ago. I put out my first song “Like Whiskey” and then the second song after that was “Good Lookin'” and it's just going up and up.
Q: So how would you describe your music for first-time listeners?
A: If you never listen to me, it might come as a shock the first time you do. People like to say, “Oh man, what the heck did he just say? Did he just say something about getting his booty cheeks clapped?” My lyrical content can be a little out there, but music was getting a little boring. It's all the same. Dixon Dallas just had to come in and stir up the pot a little bit and just speak from the heart and just make some songs that everybody can relate to, no matter who you are.
I guess [my music is] just your typical love songs with a twist, but not every song's gonna be like that. I'm working on some more music where it's not just gonna be what you hear the first time you hear my song. I'm sure the first time you hear my songs is gonna be probably “Good Lookin'” or “Like Whiskey.” They're not all gonna be that way. I got a bag of tricks up my sleeve. We're gonna make the best songs ever in the world.
@iamactuallyjakehill Dixon Dallas just might be coming to a city near you! 🔥🔥🔥 #fyp #countrymusic #dixondallas #goodlookin ♬ Dixon Dallas Good Lookin – Jake Hill
Q: Are there any artists that inspired your music?
A: Of course, you've got your Hank Seniors and your Hank Juniors, and your Waylands and your Charlie Daniels and your George Straits and all of them. But I like to try to just be myself and just use my own self as inspiration and how I grew up, things like that.
Q: What was your upbringing like?
A: Well, I grew up in South Alabama. A lot of landscaping, lawn care, things like that. Playing outside, riding my bike. Had a few dogs. Nothing crazy. Just your typical boring Southern Alabama childhood. I'm from a small town, not much really going on, so really the only thing I could do is just try to be creative with what I had. I didn't have much but the outside and the woods. I just made the best of what I had in Southern Alabama. There weren't big malls to go to. There weren't all these things these kids have now, you just had to make do with what you had.
Q: You released your first song, “Like Whiskey,” in May. What’s the story behind that song?
A: “Like Whiskey” is just a party song, man. Just to feel good. You can do a little line dance to it. You can just “turn up” as the youth say in the club, drink a little whiskey, a little moonshine, whatever. It's just a good song to just let loose to, you know?
Q: When did you first notice the song going viral and what were the initial responses like?
A: Oh, man, the first day it started doing some numbers that I didn't really expect it to. The response was great, you had the majority of people loving it and then you had the lyrical content, which can be interpreted as a guy dancing with a guy or a girl dancing with a guy. Music's for everybody. But you'll have one side saying, “I love this,” and you'll have another side saying, “Oh, this ain't country. He's talking about two men,” or things like that. So it was met with more positivity than negativity. But with my music, the style I'm doing, you're gonna have mixed responses. But I'm okay with that.
Q: What are the main criticisms you get for the music?
A: Well, you have one side that's saying I'm queer-baiting. You have another side saying that I'm using my music at gay people's expense to make a mockery of it. Then you have another side saying I ain't real country and I’m a joke to country music.
What I'd say to each three of those scenarios: The queer baiting accusations, nobody knows my sexuality. I just did an interview with a big LGBTQ magazine. I'm gonna repeat myself here what I told them: nobody knows my sexuality. People are just assuming my sexuality for some reason. I could be straight, I could be bi, I could be gay. At the end of the day, it shouldn't matter. I'm not using anybody's expense for comedy or a joke. I'm taking this very seriously. I got some shows we're getting worked on. I got some merch coming. I'm full speed ahead with this.
I am very comfortable with my sexuality and the amount of messages I've received from people from the LGBTQ community saying things like, “Hey man, we don't have music like this. Your music helps me feel seen, helps me feel heard and it makes me more comfortable in my own skin.” I'm saying things like “he's bouncing off my booty cheeks,” or I'm saying things that involve two men without worrying about the social backlash and things like that. So the positive messages I get from people saying, “We don't have this music, keep it up, please,” That negates any type of negativity I get from all the queer-baiting accusations to the people telling me to kill myself 'cause it's not real country.
@deez6_9 what the flip 😂😂🤦♀️🤦♀️ #genshinimpact34 #candycrush10 #codsquadup #foryou #fyp #xyzbca #deez6_9 ♬ Dixon Dallas Good Lookin – Jake Hill
Q: Does any of the negativity ever get to you?
A: I don't care about the negativity. Nobody's gonna tell me what I can and can't write about. I'm gonna keep doing this, especially when I have people telling me how special it is for them, for me to make this type of music. I'm gonna keep doing this for the people that love it and appreciate me because I appreciate them too.
I think it's fun to make [this music] and you don't hear it, you don't hear somebody talking about bouncing off your booty cheeks or I put my hands up on his body. You don't hear things like that in country music. It's all mostly heterosexual. I'm just here to try to shake it up a bit and just make music for everybody to relate to.
Q: “Good Lookin’” came out in June. What’s that song about?
A: It's just a song about love. I think most people can relate to it. Maybe most people can relate to being in love, whether it be with a person or just anything. A love of something. But I guess this song goes a little deeper than that. No pun intended. It's just a song about love and just what you do when you're in love and things like that. There's not really a bigger meaning to it. It's just a song I think most people can relate to.
Q: Do you base the lyrics of your songs on real relationships or situations from your life?
A: I've been in a few relationships. I use some past relationships to intertwine into my music, the way I felt in that relationship brings some inspiration. I'm throwing a little bit in there to relate with other people and it's just a mix of things.
Q: This song went viral on TikTok, inspiring thousands of videos. Why do you think people enjoy it so much on TikTok?
A: I just think it's a great song. It's catchy. Lyrical content's great, gets stuck in your head. It's not something you normally hear. When was the last time you heard a song about a guy bouncing off some booty cheeks or a girl bouncing off some booty cheeks, or a guy bouncing on some booty cheeks? Like I said, it can be interpreted however way you wanna take it. No pun intended again, but I just think it's a great song. I'm very happy with the song and I'm glad other people like it too.
Q: What’s the ideal setting, in your mind, for listening to “Good Lookin’?”
A: In the bar, at church, funeral, Walmart, in the car, gaming, football games, hype up music. Say if you're an MMA fighter walking out to the cage, anywhere man, this song's for everybody and anybody, no matter who you are. Black, white, gay, straight, trans, whatever, this song is for everybody in any type of setting.
Q: I recently saw a video of someone playing “Good Lookin’” at a Mormon church dance. What did you think of that video?
A: I thought it was great. Really warmed my heart seeing everybody sing the songs too. I don't know too much about Mormonism if I said that right, so I can't speak on that too much.
Q: Now that you’re a big celebrity, people from Alabama must have some reactions to your music. What kind of reactions do you get in public?
A: I'm from South Alabama, so you can imagine the demographic of people here and their reactions to my music. You got your Christian people and you got your conservative people, which no offense if you are those things, but majority of them might not take kindly to my music. But it's cool to see people that you may have a certain opinion about that wouldn't like that type of music because of their religion, just having a blast.
You got some people saying, “Oh, stop this,” but I think they secretly love it. It just warms my heart man, seeing everybody take to the song and like it and sing the words and dance to it. That's the main goal, just to make some fun music that everybody can relate to and have people tell me they love it, because I love seeing those messages. It makes me wanna keep doing this and it makes me wanna keep spreading the positivity around. It's great and I love it. For the people that have recognized me out in public and talked about the song or whatever, it's always been pretty positive.
Q: What’s your opinion on people who say the music is bad for children?
A: I see the argument a lot, like, “Oh, this is what we're showing our children. Our children are finding this music.” You don't have to censor yourself because we exist in the same world as children do. Find ways to keep your children out of it. Parent your child a little better. Everything does not have to be censored because there are children on the Earth. These children are gonna hear way worse stuff in schools, on games like Fortnite, things like that. Stop with the children argument. It is just annoying in my opinion. But no, my music definitely is not made for children.
Q: People make all types of videos to your song on TikTok. What are your favorite ways that people use the song?
A: I think my favorite ones are when [people] show their parents the song, like their conservative parents and the parents are like, “Oh my God. What is this?” Then some of them laugh and some of them look disgusted. I don't know. I like seeing people's genuine first-time reactions to hearing my music. That warms my heart. I like those.
@gymnastics.mamax3 parents react to Dallas Dixon Good Lookin 🤣😂💀 #blindreact #foryou #fyp #dixondallas #dallasdixongoodlookin #prank ♬ original sound – B
Q: Do you hope your music might inspire more country artists to make similar music from an LGBTQ+ perspective?
A: Yeah, that'd be cool. You don't have to put yourself in a box so much. I know some of these country artists think you gotta just sing about fields and peanuts and tailgates and beer and moonshine and whiskey. I know I do that too, but it doesn't all have to be the same.
I'm already starting to see some Dixon Dallas copycats come along trying to do what I do, but there's only one Dixon Dallas and these copycats I'm seeing just kind of make a mockery of what I'm doing. But for the authentic country artists that wanna bend their lyrics a little bit to make it more out there and acceptable for multiple types of communities, feel free. Let's shake up the country world a little bit. That's what I'm trying to do at least.
Q: What do you think is the main issue with mainstream country music today?
A: Most of these new country artists, it's all mass-produced for streaming and money. A lot of pop country, which I'm doing the same thing, I'm not gonna lie, I'm not saying I'm doing it for money, but I'm saying I am kind of doing the pop country thing 'cause it's catchy. It's fun to listen to. I do everything in my bedroom on my laptop. I don't have some big fancy studio in Nashville and I don't know a hundred writers that write all my songs for me. So it's a little bit more of a grind and stress on my part.
But my goal is just to make fun music. The money that comes with it is cool too. I'll take that, maybe donate to some animal shelters and things like that and LGBTQ+ communities here and there. But a lot of [new country] I feel is, like I said, it's just strictly for money. You see these people putting out albums with 45 songs and it's just strictly for streaming, streaming, streaming, streaming. Rack up the streams and get the money and these big record labels get all this money and then here comes the next country star that they found and they signed to make another 50-song album.
The music industry is kinda ridiculous, but I don't know, I ain't in that situation. Maybe if a big label wants to reach out to me and hook me up with a couple of million, they want me to put out a 40-song album, maybe I'd do it too. Maybe I'd turn into a big hypocrite. But I wanna do positive things with my money, man. I just wanna help out.
@officialwilliammcgee HELP PLS #cheeseescape#cheesemaze#roblox#horror#robloxhorror#dixondallas#goodlookin#dixondallasgoodlookin #funny#scream#singing#joke#rat#fyp#foryou ♬ original sound – williammm
Q: Most recently you released the song “Sleeping All Alone.” What’s the story behind that song?
A: That's a cover of my buddy Jake Hill's song. I did my own little spin on it to where it can be interpreted as a guy that had a boyfriend or from the girl's point of view with a boyfriend. I figured that song needed a little country spin on it. I think I like my version a little more than Jake Hill's. No offense to Jake Hill, but I think I killed it, you know what I'm saying?
Q: What’s next for Dixon Dallas?
A: I'm trying to at least get three to five new songs out before the end of August because, while nothing is confirmed just yet, we're working on getting some Dixon Dallas shows. We're gonna try to get the first Dixon Dallas shows in and see how that goes and if it's a good response and a good turnout, then we might just have to see about a world tour, full US Tour, UK, Germany. Dixon Dallas has got some huge plans. More music tours, merch, a bunch of fun stuff in mind and planned.
Q: What’s your advice for people wanting to get into music production?
A: Well, number one, there's only one Dixon Dallas. Number two, just be yourself. Music is not easy, especially when you're first starting out. You don't have a voice yet. What I mean by that is you actually haven't found your singing voice yet or things like that. It'll take a minute before you settle into what your voice is gonna sound like.
You're just gonna have to pick up a guitar, pick up a laptop and download FL Studio, work on some beats or something like that and just you're just gonna have to put your music out there. It's very easy to get on things like Spotify, iTunes, things like that. You're gonna have people tell you you stink. You're gonna have family members lie to you and say, “This is great, honey, this is amazing.” Work hard, make music, especially if it's a goal of yours and you always wanted to. You will find your voice eventually.
A big thank you to Dixon Dallas for talking with us. You can follow him on Instagram and Twitter at iamdixondallas and YouTube by searching Dixon Dallas. Dallas’ music is also available on Spotify.
