Hello, I Love You, Goodbye by Wesley Dean – Exclusive Live Performance Back
‘unknown’ marks the rebirth of an artist who’s scaled the long ladder of success, enjoyed the view from the top, and taken a much-needed breather… only to rededicate himself to the climb all over again.
Singer-songwriter, Wesley Dean is dropping his new album, unknown this Friday (April 29). To celebrate its release, we have an exclusive performance of his latest single Hello, I Love You, Goodbye. The song follows Never Thought Of You, which hit the Countrytown Hot 50 Country Airplay Chart back in December.
Hello, I Love You, Goodbye is about making peace with the fact that nothing ever is forever.
“Ever since leaving Adelaide, I have always had this feeling in my soul that I’ll have to one day pick up and leave again. The one thing that terrified me the most growing up was leaving and that’s the one thing I’ve been doing constantly since I was 14”, says Dean. “Life is just a constant story made up of hello’s and goodbyes… and in between those hello’s and goodbyes, there’s a love story.”
Recorded in his newly adopted hometown of Nashville and written on both sides of his transpacific flight, unknown marks the rebirth of an artist who’s scaled the long ladder of success, enjoyed the view from the top, and taken a much-needed breather… only to rededicate himself to the climb all over again.
He shared on Facebook, “Don’t think I could’ve been any more honest creating this record… so much playing on my mind, am I worthy enough / capable enough… whilst transitioning to America at the height of a pandemic balancing family life and finding sparks of inspiration. It was overwhelming most of the time, but I feel like we captured lightning in a bottle. I think “unknown” is the greatest title for this record, it says so many things…”
With its mix of authentic Americana and modern-day roots music, unknown is an album about departures and arrivals. These 14 songs tell the autobiographical story of Dean’s life-changing relocation, bookended by the cathartic Leave Adelaide Alone — which opens the record with ringing electric guitars, accordion, and a meteoric chorus — and the album-closing title track, a soulful piano ballad that unfolds like a conversation between Dean and the loved ones he’s left behind.
For Dean, the journey began when he was 8 years old. A gifted vocalist, he honed his chops by singing along to Jackson 5 classics like I’ll Be There and Mama’s Pearl at a young age, then became a fixture on Sydney’s barroom stages as, Wes Carr, before he could legally drink. Appearing on Australian Idol made him a household name, and he released two gold-certified singles in the wake of his first-place finish, along with a studio album that peaked at #2 in Australia.
Inspired to blur the lines between roots-rock, soul, and folk with his solo career, he made that initial trip to Nashville not long after winning Australian Idol in search of like-minded collaborators. Years later, he returned to Nashville looking for something else: a new beginning. Starting with Never Goin’ Back to the Darkside and Where Only You and I Remain, a new album began taking shape.
Not long after landing in Tennessee, Dean got back to work, writing more songs about regrets, big risks, and fresh starts. He also reconnected with some of the collaborators he’d met during his first trip to Tennessee, including producer Justin Cortelyou, and forged partnerships with new friends like co-writer Fred Wilhelm. They worked fast, capturing every spark of inspiration and fanning the flames into something big and bright.
Watch Hello, I Love You, Goodbye below!
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Keep up to date with Wesley Dean on his Facebook page here.
