October 27th, 2025
In 2024, singer-songwriter Dustin Dale Gaspard received a professional scholarship from CODOFIL to study at Université Sainte-Anne. Now, he’s making history on “The Voice” as the first contestant ever to sing in Cajun French on the show—a truly unique talent shining a national spotlight on Louisiana’s Francophone culture.
Dustin and seven other finalists will gather in Asheville on Thursday, December 11, to connect and perform at the 24th annual NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition, held at The Grey Eagle. Tickets are on sale here.
NewSong Music: What sort of music was playing in your house when you were growing up?
Dustin Dale Gaspard: Swamp pop, vintage soul, trad Cajun, and ’90s country — a whirlwind of sounds.
What was your journey to music — were you classically trained? From a family of musicians? Self-taught?
No training, no family musicians. I was a drunkard kid and street rat trying to make art through pure discovery and conviction.
What is the first song you wrote that you were proud of, and why?
I’m proud of every song in the moment, it’s a testament to my life and the story. Early on it was emotional, then came an overcompensation of density, now it’s in reverence and hopefully a little more digestible.
What is your writing process like?
I compartmentalize my steps, but it’s a structured chaos. There’s all this paint to choose from and sometimes it’s splattered in a plate, or it’s kept in its proper container but it’s definitely all color-coded correctly. Lyrics, then music, then organized thoughts — but it starts when a melody smears through those colors. It’ll dictate which palette it wants to be born from. That spark will tie itself to some words, or a guitar line, or even a story that needs to be told.
Share a musical adventure from this summer with us — an experience that really stood out for you.
Well, I was on a TV show called “The Voice” and it absolutely has sky-rocketed what I thought was a pretty normal artistic life into a possible opportunity to legitimately change the world. The most beautiful take-away was seeing other artists making those same sacrifices and risking it all, and even in our despair there remained vulnerability and triumph. That’s the artist’s way.
