Earlier this year, the Americana world was introduced to Dustin Brown, a new name that quickly captured widespread attention. His self-titled album arrived quietly but made a major impact, earning praise from many outlets. With sharp songwriting and a distinct artistic voice, the project climbed into the Top 40 of the Americana Music Chart, an uncommon achievement for someone so new to the scene.
A dedicated student of lyrics, melody, and the creative process, Brown is deeply immersed in the songwriting community. That constant flow of ideas led to his latest collaboration, “Ballerina,” which arrives today. The track is co-released with Billy Hartman and Rachel Cole.
Inside “Ballerina”: Three Voices, One Story
Produced by Ben Hussey and released on New Usual Records, “Ballerina” unfolds like a parable told from three distinct viewpoints. Brown, Hartman, and Cole each portray a character with a unique perspective on the same situation, their voices weaving together to create a vivid, lonesome tale of wandering hearts and emotional crossroads. Brown and Hartman co-wrote the track, which evolved over nearly a year with multiple restarts, rearrangements, and refinements right up to the moment they stepped into the studio.
The result is a haunting recording elevated by the hypnotic vocals of Rachel Cole, an Americana artist who released her debut album on Todd Snider’s Aimless Records in 2024. The single is now available on all digital and streaming platforms.
In describing the creative process, Brown shared, “Writing a song can be as complex as the characters in it. Some fall out on the table, but this one definitely reflects it’s process as much as it’s meaning. The turmoil behind the writing of this song influenced its jaded undertones. It’s a tale as old as time. A love triangle between two souls and freedom. A dilemma, of one’s resolve an another’s yearning.”
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Credits and Musicianship
“Ballerina” features:
- Dustin Brown (vocals, guitar)
- Billy Hartman (vocals, guitar)
- Rachel Cole (vocals, guitar)
- Joel Allen (lead guitar)
- Gus Miller (mandolin)
- Hunter Napier (drums)
The track was produced by Ben Hussey at New Usual Records and written by Dustin Brown and Billy Hartman.
Dustin Brown: A Winding Road Back to Music
Brown’s artistry is shaped by an unconventional life path that began in the small, one-light town of Moody, Texas. As a latchkey kid who spent much of his childhood alone, he learned introspection and self-reliance early. He describes those years as a gift that allowed him to understand himself before the world got louder.
By age twelve, Brown was writing songs. In high school, he and his band played biker bars, chasing the raw songwriting spirit of artists like Blaze Foley, Steve Earle, Billy Joe Shaver, and Townes Van Zandt. After the band dissolved, he moved from Austin back home and eventually stepped away from music altogether.
He became a commercial diver, working on boats while music faded into the background. Inspired by parents who never got the chance to retire and travel, he left everything behind and backpacked through South America and the Philippines. He later lived in Louisiana and returned to Texas, taking a job in the oil and gas industry.
That full-circle journey eventually led him back to music, where he realized that leaving had only been temporary. The detour shaped him, but music had never let him go.
