going the distance:
“TOP TEN VOCAL ALBUMS OF 2008.”
— Talkin’ Broadway
Before stepping into the work I do today, I spent 12 years as a performing artist. I began singing at age five — quite terribly I might add — yet somehow honed my skills enough through high school that I earned nearly a full ride to attend Pepperdine University, a proud recipient of the prestigious John Raitt Musical Theatre Scholarship. From there, one experience led to the next.
As fun and kind of cool as it is, I rarely lead with this chapter of my life with teams I work with. And that’s because so often people’s first response is, “Oh, so facilitating is how you satisfy your need to be on stage these days?”
And the answer is a big “NO.” Listen to my approach for just a few seconds and you’ll see nothing about my style is really about jazz hands or “Look at me! Look at me!” It’s always been about connecting with people and sharing an authentic experience together.
I wrapped my performing career by recording an album in exactly the way I wanted to do it: a nostalgic collection of acoustic covers of songs that have meant something to me during my young adult life.
Released on an independent Broadway / Cabaret label, the music garnered critical acclaim and some international airplay, receiving praise from Wicked’s Stephen Schwartz, Footloose’s Dean Pitchford, and Disney’s Hercules & Mulan lyricist David Zippel.**
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“This album is too good to be simply played in the background.”
— The Stage (UK)
“To quote a Billy Joel song from his debut album, Dwayne Britton ‘has a way about him… and he’s got a way of pleasin’,’ especially on a beautiful ballad. His sensitivity and sincerity shine through in each song…”
— NY Daily News
“TOP TEN VOCAL ALBUMS OF 2008.”
“WINNER: BEST MALE DEBUT 2008.”
— Cabaret Hotline
“Dwayne Britton’s debut CD is terrific. His vocals are expressive, emotional and beautifully sung. He has put together a marvelous collection of songs with intimate, elegant arrangements, and I am delighted that his touching rendition of ‘Go The Distance’ is among them.”
— David Zippel, Composer (City of Angels, The Woman in White, Disney’s Hercules & Mulan)
“Please thank Mr. Britton for his excellent rendition of my song, ‘More Than This.’”
— Stephen Schwartz, Academy Award-Winning Composer (Wicked, Enchanted, Godspell, Pippin)
“I can understand why Stephen Schwartz, when he first spoke to me about Dwayne Britton, was reaching for superlatives to describe his talent. I’ve played ‘More Than This’ for many, many friends and visitors and have created, I hope, a few more fans to add to his legions — of which I am one.”
— Dean Pitchford, Writer (Fame, Footloose)
“Britton’s delivery is precise and powerful, as best exemplified in his winning rendition of Tori Amos’s ‘Baker Baker.’”
— OUT.com
“Dwayne’s interpretations come out as communicative rather than navel-gazing self-involvement… He sounds equally convincing on songs that hark back to simple child-friendly innocence and hope… to the more complex, like the very grown-up ‘Baker Baker’ by Tori Amos… Sincerity is the key word here all around, but it isn’t insincere sincerity that feels like artificial sweetener… an intimate introspection… an impressive first album.”
— Talkin’ Broadway (full album review)
*“Earlier this year, Dwayne Britton released his impressive debut album on LML Music. (He was equally impressive at The Duplex this past May.) What jumps out first is his unadorned interpretations that are compelling. Starting with a lilting ‘Pure Imagination’ (Bricusse-Newley), the listener is swept on a journey of story songs by this weaver of dreams.
Then, there is the voice; an expressively warm, lyric baritone that he uses tenderly, recalling balladeers of another decade like Judy Collins, Gordon Lightfoot, and the late Dan Fogelberg. Britton has a tendency to twist melodies just enough to personalize them, giving each lyric an imperative that fuses gently into something bucolic. This is his strength, and the end results are spellbinding interpretations from a singer who is emerging as one of today’s serious new male vocalists.
Superb highlights include ‘Run Away With Me’ by Brian Lowdermilk and Kait Kerrigan. This folksy ballad builds with a frenetic intensity. A wistful reading of the Annie Lennox classic ‘Why,’ devoid of its usual histrionics, was risky. It is the album’s strongest cut. Accompanied only by a guitar, he draws out crucial words that almost bring the song to a halt. It’s an exercise in drama, restraint, and minimalism that is hard to top — as is this debut album.”*
— Cabaret Scenes
a selection of tracks from the album:
**Fun fact: I was cast as the Walt Disney’s Company’s first live “Young Hercules,” singing as the awkward underdog (and as myself) on stage and in special events. “Go The Distance” is the last track on the album.
My music earned a few independent cabaret awards, was reviewed by The Stage in the UK — even played on BBC Radio by theatre legend Dame Elaine Paige.
It’s also not totally uncommon for a friend to message me even today to say something like, “I’m driving in the mountains in Wyoming and you’re on the radio,” or “They played your version of ‘Run Away With Me’ in this theatre before the show started.
It all feels a bit distant to me now. Sometimes I even forget this part of my life happened. I joke that I was 🤏 this famous, for 🤏 this long, in an industry 🤏 this big.
My recording work wasn’t just the way I punctuated that chapter. It’s also when I realized my unique perspective and approach to work held value. That project was received better than anything I had done during my performer years. And I think it’s because I really just did it my way (please forgive that awful reference).
Since then, I’ve continued to honor my voice — another terrible play on words, I know — by leaning into doing things just a little bit differently: creative angles & authentic connection.
So the content’s changed, yet the approach hasn’t.
People feel it when we create from a place of authenticity & joy. And they remember it. That’s as true in learning & leadership today as it was singing these tunes back then.
Today, I channel that same spirit into DAY|WON: holding space for others to get clear on what matters most and to move forward in ways that feel true to them.