Behind the Song
Jackson Dollinger

Best known for his series regular role as the skateboard-loving Young Max in Disney’s "Sydney to The Max", captivating the room by landing an “ollie” over a Disney VP on his skateboard at his final audition. Other notable roles include guest spots on great projects such as "Loosely", "Exactly Nicole", and "Jimmy Kimmel Live". In his latest role, he recurs as Gavin in the hit new Apple TV+ show "Life by Ella". Jackson is passionate about using his platform to advocate for the elimination of single-use plastics and other environmental causes. He serves as an Ocean Ambassador for Footprint Foundation and adopted Surfrider Beach in Malibu for 2020 through Heal the Bay. Outside of the entertainment industry, Jackson is a talented athlete, a stellar student, and a classic California kid with an avid interest in skateboarding, surfing, and basketball.
For fans who have never heard your music, can you pick three words to describe it?! If three words just aren't enough then tell us more!!
Melodic, warm, natural.
What is your favorite part about being an artist? Is it songwriting, performing, recording, something else?) Tell us why.
My favorite part about being an artist is definitely recording. It is a very therapeutic process for me.
Can you tell us what being in the recording studio is like for you?
I actually create all of my songs in my home studio. I always start off with the beat, which could be produced by me or one of my friends. Next, I lay down one long take of “melodic mumbling” over the entire length of the beat and use that to choose the vocal melodies that I want to use for each part of the song. Then, I fill in these mumbles with lyrics, and am left with a song! That is a loose outline of my process, but I am constantly switching up little things to keep it fresh.
Okay, this a fun question. When you are not doing music, what else do you enjoy doing?
I love skateboarding, surfing, and playing basketball. In fact, being a surfer and seeing firsthand the impact of single use plastics inspired me to advocate for the elimination of them.
Who do you admire most in the music scene today and why?
I really admire The Kid LAROI because he started making music around the same age that I did and he hasn’t stopped since.
Can you tell us what song you've written that is the most emotional and describe the meaning behind it?
The most emotional song I have ever written is actually my upcoming release. It is untitled at the moment, and I can’t say too much about it, but it is most likely coming out on my 16th birthday, 1/19/23.
Are you working on any new material right now or what's in the works for the upcoming year?
I am currently working on "Pretty Freekin' Scary," a new Disney Channel series that will debut in the summer of 2023. I also played Gavin in the recently released "Life by Ella" show on Apple TV+. There will be a ton of new music as well!
Tell us where fans can access your music.
My music is on all platforms and below is the Spotify link to my latest release “One and Only” and the link to my Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/jacksondollinger/
http://www.jacksondollinger.com/
#JacksonDollinger #BehindTheSong