Dean Ford

Dean Ford was making records by 15 — he didn’t want to do anything else. He was enthralled with the likes of David Bowie, Prince, Freddie Mercury, Madonna, and James Brown, artists who were bigger than their music, personas and cultural markers all unto themselves.

With his newest EP, “Dream Fever,” he builds on the dance-pop and effervescent rock of “CTRL” and “Get Messy” thanks to a new collaboration with Bleu, a songwriting and production genius behind the likes of Demi Lovato, Jonas Brothers, and Selena Gomez. These are synth rock rave-ups, built for the radio, the club, and wherever you’re looking to move your ass.

Ford’s live show is electric, with a charisma and style formed by countless cross-country gigs and his “Beautiful Ones” side project, where he brings the very essence of Prince to the stage in a tribute act that is as much devotional as performance. A showman in the classic sense, Ford is one of those rare few who seem more comfortable on the stage than off it, backed by a powerhouse band that knows how to make him look good.

Inspired by the isolation of the pandemic, which kept him from the stage where he feels most at home, Ford has written a slew of new music that builds on “Dream Fever” and the infectious dance-pop of “Electromagnetic” and “CRZMKR” and then tears everything down and introduces him to the world anew. The fuse is lit and Ford is ready to explode.