Debbii Dawson Draws From Cult Past on New Single “Kool Aid”

Today, LA singer and producer Debbii Dawson released “Kool Aid,” a new single from her upcoming EP Where Have All The Good Men Gone? The track, out now via RCA, layers a bouncy 1980s synth framework over Dawson’s examination of influence and submission.

Dawson co-wrote “Kool Aid” with Justin Tranter and Tommy English, and the production she and English steered gives the song a hard-to-shake shimmer. The hook, “I’d do anything that you say/I would drink your Kool-Aid,” ties romantic fixation to something more predatory, a direct pull from Dawson’s own past. Speaking about the single, she explained: “I used to be in a cult. It sounds like a unique ordeal, but this brief time in my life taught me that the experience of being influenced and controlled to your detriment is more common than you think.” She adds that the song aims to get listeners asking themselves questions about belief before it’s too late. The video, directed by Aaron Sinclair, is out now.

The EP arrives June 26, marking Dawson’s first project for RCA. Her previous single, the title track, drew comparisons to Chappell Roan for its crisp, vivid pop craft. On “Kool Aid,” Dawson pushes further, turning a dark chapter into something that is at once a warning and an earworm.