For Jackson Dean, Magnolia Sage isn’t just another album — it’s a reflection of contrast, growth, and the places life has taken him. Built around the duality of its title, the record balances raw instinct with restraint, pairing the rugged energy fans know him for with a more vulnerable, reflective side. After a year spent touring across 14 countries, Dean returned to songwriting with a fresh perspective, leaning into love, spontaneity, and a sound that pushes beyond anything in his previous catalog. In conversation with BeatRoute, he opens up about the making of Magnolia Sage, the songs that shifted his creative direction, and why this chapter feels like the beginning of something entirely new.

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Magnolia Sage is built on the duality between Magnolia and Sage. When did that concept first click to you, and how did it shape the way you wrote the record?

Jackson Dean: Originally, it was going to be Magnolia Bloom from a lyric in “Hey, Mississippi” — “sweet like that Magnolia Bloom.” Then “Heart on the Range” came, which was the last song on the record, and I was really looking for something that could encapsulate both ends. So half of it is Magnolia, half of it is Sage. That has to do with the places I’ve been in the last couple of years, and it speaks more to the sonic vibe of the songs individually. They fall under one or the other. They just didn’t work out evenly because of math.

You’ve described this album as more animal but also more vulnerable. What challenged you the most creatively around this time?

Jackson Dean: Putting it together was a challenge. Just getting it all done was a challenge because of my schedule. I hit 14 countries last year and toured them all, so it was tough. But the biggest thing I had to get was restraint and control. The first two records were pretty heavy and really hollering, you know. These songs are laid back. The energy is still there, it’s just a little more relaxed, and it’s also a little more direct, which I like. As far as looking for new territory, which we were doing on this record, and keeping it fresh, we really accomplished that. There’s nothing like any of these songs in the rest of the discography, so it’s been exciting to get our hands on them.

Compared to Greenbroke and On the Back of My Dreams, where do you feel you pushed yourself the furthest sonically?

Jackson Dean: There are some pretty huge songs on On the Back of My Dreams — huge. Whether or not they changed the world, they were huge songs for me and my voice. Just to conjure that out of your body and make them happen is a feat in itself. But then again, it took a lot of restraint for this project, which is hard because I just want to go full tilt. I’d say On the Back of My Dreams was probably the most epic.

Was there a moment during the making of this album where you realized you were heading in a completely new direction?

Jackson Dean: The intent was there too, but once “Be Your Man” and “Make a Liar” came together — that was the first batch where we thought, “Okay, we’re going to make something else.” I think that’s when we knew we were headed into different waters. We thought, “Let’s follow the path here and see what else comes.” It was a different process putting it together, which made everything different.

Your music has always been really lyric-driven. What’s your starting point more often — a feeling, a line, or a sound?

Jackson Dean: I’ve had songs fall out in 15 minutes on the end of a dock, and I’ve had them take years to find and settle on the right words. Sometimes it’s three dudes writing on guitars in a room, and sometimes you walk in and the track is already bumping, and it’s like, “What do we got, gentlemen?” I personally like making noise in there. You go get a scratch done, then you start building. It happens in all sorts of ways. It could be a lyric, a verse, or a bit of alliteration where you think, “It’d be awesome if we could do this thing here.” Sometimes you’re trying to get to a moment, and working backwards can help. If you have the title — even if you just have a couple stanzas of verse — it usually gets you where you want to go.

Songs like “Hey, Mississippi” came together in a really raw, stripped-down moment. How important is spontaneity in your process?

Jackson Dean: Inspiration hits you at the most inopportune times. You can write a whole verse and chorus in the truck, step out, and it’s gone. The worst is when they come to you before you go to sleep and you think, “I’ll remember in the morning.” You never do. It’s supposed to be a lightning strike. It’s supposed to feel like that. It doesn’t always happen in the room. That’s why you’ve got to write stuff down on your phone. When you hear it and it strikes you, you have to snag it.

Do you find yourself pulling out your notes or carrying a notepad with you wherever you go these days?

Jackson Dean: I travel pretty light these days. The notes app is just page after page after page. They’re all this long — just one-liners and titles. Usually I’ll have five or six pages full of one-liners and titles. The way you start a new page is when you hit something fresh that beats everything else you had in that moment. There are a lot of little ideas in there that probably look like gibberish at first glance.

“Wildfire” captures that uncontrollable kind of love. What’s the story or feeling that sparked that song?

Jackson Dean: That was Luke Dick’s start. He sent that to me, and I was like, “Dude, that chorus can really come off your tongue like a spell.” I love thinking about music like that — like you’re casting spells up there. That song is about burning with somebody you want to burn with and running wild. It’s just what you want to do.

“Make a Liar” plays with perception and attraction. What drew you to that narrative?

Jackson Dean: I think it was the comedic element. It’s really cheeky and fun. Playing it over the last couple of months has been a lot of fun. People love a turn of phrase, and it’s all about playing hard to get in order to get what you want, which is fun sometimes.

If there’s one song on the album that surprised you most once you finished it, which one is it and why?

Jackson Dean: There’s a song called “Tennessee Moon” on this record, and it feels really old — like it could have been written in the 1930s or 1940s. I built these big vocal stacks for a musical part in it — just this descending line. I built these giant Staple Singers-style stacks, and it’s a lot of fun to play acoustically too. It feels like a standard, like it should have been on somebody’s greatest hits record from the ’60s or something. We’re excited to let that one go.

You’ve mentioned your fiancée Shannon is a big influence. How has your perspective on love and songwriting shifted because of that relationship?

Jackson Dean: For a long time, I didn’t want to write about girls. I didn’t want to put love language in there. I didn’t want it to be gooey for quite a few years. Then it just changed. That’s what we’re doing every day when we walk into the room now. That’s life now. Every writer who steps into a room is writing from their own life, pulling from their own experiences, so it’s automatically about our muses. When you open this record, it says, “This is a record for the muses and the ones that you love.” It’s about who you see when you listen. She’s an incredible muse. One look and you’re like, “Yeah, I love you.”

Your live shows have become a huge part of your identity. How do these new songs translate on stage?

Jackson Dean: There are some really awesome moments created through this record. The songs lend themselves to performance. We always try to take it a step further than the record. Sometimes records are one thing coming down the pike at you, but a live show — we just give you the business. We play the song as best as we can and throw in extras. It’s full tilt. Otherwise, why make a record if you’re not going to go play it? Some songs are for listening, but I want to recreate them live and take them further. Live music is everything I have to give in that moment. It’s slightly different every time because we don’t run a click or tracks. It’s all off my boot heel — that’s where the tempo is. Live action is exciting to me. We’ve got the program, but anything can happen. It’s all hanging by a thread, and that’s exciting.

After touring heavily across Australia, New Zealand, and beyond, what have you learned about your global audience?

Jackson Dean: That they’re crazy, and I love them for it. There’s a lot to say to that question. We really are more alike than we are different. I always dreamed of playing around the world, but when you actually go to the world, it’s a lot to put on a 25-year-old person. You show up on a distant shore in a foreign land, and people give you love. That’s a striking feeling.

Is there a song that consistently hits differently when you perform it live versus when you recorded it?

Jackson Dean: “Betsy” hits every time. We completely did away with the record version and rebuilt it. It’s one of the funnest things that happens on stage during a show. It’s incredible.

What do you hope fans feel after listening to Magnolia Sage front to back?

Jackson Dean: I think my goal with this — I still have the hammer down, but I’m also looking for a little R&R. The goal is for people to fall deeper, to fall further into good things. It’s not just about loving the one you’re with, but about loving more.

If this album is a snapshot of where you are right now, what do you think the next chapter might look like?

Jackson Dean: I think now comes the time for a little fun. I don’t know exactly where we’ll go next. I have a feeling we’ll pivot, but we’re always trying to keep it fresh. People keep telling me to go do a strings record or a bluegrass record, and I’m like, “Okay, that’s awesome.” But then I think desert doom rock sounds really fun too. I don’t know where we’ll go next.

What’s a piece of advice you would give to someone just starting out in the industry?

Jackson Dean: Play until your fingers bleed, then play some more. If you don’t, then who will?

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