Since he was a child, Dalton Dover knew he had a love for music and entertaining. On his seventeenth birthday, his grandfather bought him a guitar that led him to his calling and began his career as a country music artist. In 2019, he starred on The Voice which gave him new insight into his future in music. Dalton also grew popularity through his TikTok song covers and garnered the attention of producers who eventually got him signed.
His love for classic country music, talent, and drive led him all the way to the Grand Ole Opry in 2022, the CMA’s, touring with other country artists, as well as performing at music festivals across the country. Dalton is currently on his first headlining tour, “Never Giving Up On That.” We caught up with Dalton and talked about his favorite California city, his popular Alicia Keys cover, and his early country artist inspirations.
You’ve had a big year. I saw you at CMA Fest last year. What was your favorite CMA Fest moment?
My favorite CMA moment was probably getting to play the Chevy Vibes stage right before Uncle Kracker. That was pretty cool. I’ve always been a huge Uncle Kracker fan, so it’s kind of cool seeing him sing “Drift Away” and go out there right after.
You also just finished a huge tour that included opening for Chase Rice, and then a big show with Luke Combs up in Boston. What were some of the highlights of the tour?
Going out there and meeting fans that I didn’t even know I had. Honestly, it was pretty cool to go out there with my boys and just experience a whole different side of the road that we had not seen yet. I mean, we’ve been on the road, but going out there was a little different for us just because we were going to new places. Just a lot of places we haven’t ever seen.
You filmed “Giving Up On That” in your hometown. Was it filmed in Rome, Georgia?
Yeah, it was filmed in Rome. Rome was kind of where I started playing shows, and that’s kind of where everything really started for me.
What would your perfect day in your hometown of Rome look like?
A perfect day in Rome is probably a good Friday night. I would have to say getting ready for a show or something at Peaches. Back in the day it was called Brew House. But, you know, getting ready to go out on the town with some friends, bar hopping, just whatever the night brings.
When you were out on the road last year, you made your way across the whole country. Were there any hidden gems you found or any towns you found anything cool in?
For sure. I really, really love Bakersfield, California. I loved it up there. I think it stood out because it’s the home of Merle Haggard. I think that had a little bit to do with it. Merle Haggard is probably one of my favorite artists next to Keith Whitley. It was cool seeing the places where he played and seeing the grounds he grew up on. The history is so cool.
You have your first headline tour coming up in 2024. Any cities you’re looking forward to?
Honestly, I’m looking forward to every single one of them. There’s not one just yet that specifically stands out. There are places on the tour that I’ve not been to, but I’m really excited for all of them. I’m really excited to get out there and take what we’ve learned on the road over the last year and a half with Priscilla, Luke, all these artists, Parker McCollum, and put it into our own show.
What do you like to do on your days off on the road?
Honestly, just hang out. I don’t really get into much when I’m home. I just kick back, really.
What is your favorite song to play live off the new record?
Probably “If I Ain’t Got You”, the Alicia Keys cover.
Why did that song stand out to you to do a cover?
Since I was a kid, that’s the kind of stuff that I came up on, the old Alicia Keys. That song has always been one of my favorites. My guitar player started playing and I don’t know, I just started singing. I was like, “an, we gotta play that live.”
The next night we got up on stage I was like, y’all, we’re going to do something we’ve never done before. Everybody went crazy and I started singing it and somebody videoed it. I think they posted it on TikTok. At every show that we play now, people were just like, I want you to play the Alicia Keys song. They come to the show to hear that now. So that’s pretty cool.
Has she noticed it at all or reached out?
She’s not reached out yet, but I feel it coming.
Your Georgia Bulldogs beat my Tennessee Vols this year in football. Did you watch the game? What does your perfect tailgate experience look like?
Perfect tailgate experience is a Yeti full of Busch Lite, a grill lit up, cooking whatever, and then some damn good friends around. Sounds like a good time to me.
Your career blew up when you were on The Voice. What lessons did you take away from being on the show that you’ve put into the rest of your career?
Probably just being the best singer that I can be and taking care of my voice. When I was on The Voice, I didn’t make it far at all on the show. If I took anything away from it or gained anything from it, it was definitely just protecting my voice and just being the best that I can be when I sing in front of people. You have to learn to not over sing.
These TV shows have been the jumping off point for so many people’s careers, starting with American Idol and then The Voice. What advice would you give people if they want to be on one of these shows?
Just do it. I mean, it can’t hurt anything. Just remember, pretend you’re sitting in the living room with your friends and family or singing at a bar or something, you got to do that same thing there. Be yourself.
Do you have any new music coming in 2024?
We got new music that I’m really excited about. We actually have a lot of new music that’s not out yet, that I really just can’t wait to get out. There’s so many great songs and I can’t wait for the world to hear them.
What’ve been your inspirations for putting some of that new music together?
I grew up listening to 90’s country music like Keith Whitley. My list of inspirations go from Keith Whitley to Merle Haggard to Vince Gill. The music that I’ve been writing lately really reflects back on that early country that they were doing back in the day like “I’m A Ramblin’ Man” and “Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox.”
I feel like now we’ve kind of gotten to a spot where that’s what we want to do. That sound is something that I want to keep around. That’s the stuff that I grew up on. I’ve been finding inspiration definitely from a lot of the people that I’ve looked up to over the years.
When you write, does the music or the words come first?
The words come first sometimes, but it really just depends. It depends on what kind of day everybody’s having, really.
I was listening to Dolly Parton in an interview the other day, and she said when she gets an idea she always has a little notepad, and she writes on mirrors with makeup. When it comes to her, she has to write it down right away. Do you have situations like that where you’re like, I got to write this down?
Most definitely. I’ve got so many notes in my phone of ideas. At random times it just pops up. I’ll be thinking about something or I’ll be doing something, and then I’ll just have to write it down because it’s so cool. Most of the time if I have an idea, I take it to some of my friends that I write with in Nashville and we just write the songs. Sometimes we write songs we love, and sometimes we write songs that just might not be for me. If you don’t write it down, you can lose the thoughts for sure.
If you are in a city on Dalton’s tour make sure to check out this rising star in 2024.