Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Dunbar.
Sean, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I used to listen to the same CD in my dad’s old car on my way to hockey and soccer games as a kid. This CD had artists like George Strait, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, and Vince Gill. I loved the music and initially fell in love with music after hearing the song “Don’t take the Girl” by Tim McGraw. I remember watching American Idol with my parents every week growing up. I remember having to beg my parents to be able to “wait until the next commercial break comes” to go to bed. Although I wasn’t necessarily hoping to be the next big singer, I fell in love with music as a whole. I remember watching YouTube videos and vines of people writing songs and thought that it was the coolest thing. A little while later my father bought a guitar and didn’t want my mom to know he spent a lot of money on it so we hid it. My dad never got around to playing it, but I took it and started learning. I practiced and played for about two months until anyone noticed. I quickly fell in love with playing and practiced every single day. I used to stand on the coffee table in the basement and play while pretending to be a country star. When high school came and I was met with the ups and downs of growing up I began writing my own music as a way to cope with different situations. I wrote all through high school but never really had the courage to show anyone except my super close friends. After high school, I made the move to Nashville to pursue this crazy dream of mine.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I quietly struggled through high school trying to fit in with the “cool kids”. I was afraid to share my music and got kind of embarrassed when people asked me about it. I got picked quite a bit for writing music. However, senior year of high school a very close friend of mine Jill passed away after a long hard battle with ALS. This was devastating to my friends, family, and I. People knew I was hurting from this loss. I sunk deep into a non-healthy mental state. I had support of friends and family but I never really told anyone how much I was truly feeling. After all, she seriously was one of the best people I have ever known or ever will meet. This is when I began writing more and more every day to try to cope with this loss. She was a big supporter of mine and when she passed away, I had a big moment while writing a song in my car after her funeral where I realized that songwriting was not only something that I wanted to do, it was something I NEEDED to do. It was in that moment I realized I needed to move to Nashville. Things have been going great down here now. Ironically enough, a lot of people from high school that reach out now to say they think “it’s so cool” what I’m doing or want to give me their “100% support* are the same ones that used to pick on me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a songwriter from Boston, Massachusetts. A lot of people wouldn’t expect me to be big into country music but I love it so much. I love how country music tells stories that some other genres of music don’t do. I listen to all music and respect music all around but country music just gives me a feeling other music can’t. I loved writing pop country music but also tend to write songs in an older style. I definitely get this from some of my musical inspirations like George Strait and Tim McGraw.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seandunbarmusic/?hl=en
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/seandunbarmusic
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@seandunbarmusic?lang=en
Image Credits
Thomas Clark
