Dessa is a force on stage, on the page, and on record. Working as a singer, rapper, and writer, she's made a career of bucking genres and defying expectations. The LA Times says simply she "sounds like no one else." NPR's All Songs Considered deems her "a national treasure."
"Language was my first love," says Dessa. And her style turns on her wordcraft; in her lyrics you can hear the deftness of an emcee and the observational acumen of a fiction writer. Her albums have a wide wingspan sonically, including rap bangers; a cappella arrangements; and big, catchy pop hooks. On the invitation of Lin-Manuel Miranda, she contributed a track to gold record The Hamilton Mixtape; she covered a Mountain Goats song released by Merge Records, and through her home label, Doomtree, she released a live album with the GRAMMY-winning Minnesota Orchestra.
Dessa grew up in the 80s in South Minneapolis as a strong-willed, brainy, sometimes troubled kid. Both parents were musical--her father played classical guitar and medieval stringed instruments and her mom came up in the Bronx, in an apartment where someone was always singing. After earning a philosophy degree, Dessa began competing on the slam poetry circuit. There she met members of the Minneapolis rap scene and was soon invited to join Doomtree, the hip-hop collective known for bold production, charismatic lyricists, and explosive live shows. Dessa's songs are the product of her unusual trajectory: she remains part academic and part hip hop artist, a lute player's daughter who spent her formative professional years touring the world in a grimy van and learning how to run a business from her backpack. Wearing said backback, she's now performed at gritty underground rock clubs in Central Europe; velvet-lined theaters in Australia and China; standing atop a chair in South Africa, and at top-tier festivals like Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, and Riot Fest.
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Singer, rapper, and writer Dessa has made a career of bucking genres and defying expectations--her résumé as a musician includes performances at Lollapalooza and Glastonbury, co-compositions for 100-voice choir, performances with the Minnesota Orchestra, and a top-200 entry on the Billboard charts for her album Parts of Speech. She contributed to the #1 album The Hamilton Mixtape; her track, "Congratulations," notched over 5 million streams. As a writer, she's been published by The New York Times Magazine, broadcast by Minnesota Public Radio, published two literary collections of her own, and is set to release her first hardcover collection with Dutton Books in the fall of 2018. She's been covered by Pitchfork, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal amongst others. The LA Times says Dessa "sounds like no one else." The Utne Reader calls her a "one-woman powerhouse." On the stage and on the page, her style is defined by a ferocity, wit, tenderness, and candor. Dessa's third full-length album Chime (Doomtree Records) was listed by NPR as one of 2018's most anticipated albums. In March, she embarks on a world tour through the US, Europe, and Asia.
show less
"Language was my first love," says Dessa. And her style turns on her wordcraft; in her lyrics you can hear the deftness of an emcee and the observational acumen of a fiction writer. Her albums have a wide wingspan sonically, including rap bangers; a cappella arrangements; and big, catchy pop hooks. On the invitation of Lin-Manuel Miranda, she contributed a track to gold record The Hamilton Mixtape; she covered a Mountain Goats song released by Merge Records, and through her home label, Doomtree, she released a live album with the GRAMMY-winning Minnesota Orchestra.
Dessa grew up in the 80s in South Minneapolis as a strong-willed, brainy, sometimes troubled kid. Both parents were musical--her father played classical guitar and medieval stringed instruments and her mom came up in the Bronx, in an apartment where someone was always singing. After earning a philosophy degree, Dessa began competing on the slam poetry circuit. There she met members of the Minneapolis rap scene and was soon invited to join Doomtree, the hip-hop collective known for bold production, charismatic lyricists, and explosive live shows. Dessa's songs are the product of her unusual trajectory: she remains part academic and part hip hop artist, a lute player's daughter who spent her formative professional years touring the world in a grimy van and learning how to run a business from her backpack. Wearing said backback, she's now performed at gritty underground rock clubs in Central Europe; velvet-lined theaters in Australia and China; standing atop a chair in South Africa, and at top-tier festivals like Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, and Riot Fest.
~~~~~~~~
Singer, rapper, and writer Dessa has made a career of bucking genres and defying expectations--her résumé as a musician includes performances at Lollapalooza and Glastonbury, co-compositions for 100-voice choir, performances with the Minnesota Orchestra, and a top-200 entry on the Billboard charts for her album Parts of Speech. She contributed to the #1 album The Hamilton Mixtape; her track, "Congratulations," notched over 5 million streams. As a writer, she's been published by The New York Times Magazine, broadcast by Minnesota Public Radio, published two literary collections of her own, and is set to release her first hardcover collection with Dutton Books in the fall of 2018. She's been covered by Pitchfork, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal amongst others. The LA Times says Dessa "sounds like no one else." The Utne Reader calls her a "one-woman powerhouse." On the stage and on the page, her style is defined by a ferocity, wit, tenderness, and candor. Dessa's third full-length album Chime (Doomtree Records) was listed by NPR as one of 2018's most anticipated albums. In March, she embarks on a world tour through the US, Europe, and Asia.
Dessa is a force on stage, on the page, and on record. Working as a singer, rapper, and writer, she's made a career of bucking genres and defying expectations. The LA Times says simply she "sounds like no one else." NPR's All Songs Considered deems her "a national treasure."
"Language was my first love," says Dessa. And her style turns on her wordcraft; in her lyrics you can hear the deftness of an emcee and the observational acumen of a fiction writer. Her albums have a wide wingspan sonically, including rap bangers; a cappella arrangements; and big, catchy pop hooks. On the invitation of Lin-Manuel Miranda, she contributed a track to gold record The Hamilton Mixtape; she covered a Mountain Goats song released by Merge Records, and through her home label, Doomtree, she released a live album with the GRAMMY-winning Minnesota Orchestra.
Dessa grew up in the 80s in South Minneapolis as a strong-willed, brainy, sometimes troubled kid. Both parents were musical--her father played classical guitar and medieval stringed instruments and her mom came up in the Bronx, in an apartment where someone was always singing. After earning a philosophy degree, Dessa began competing on the slam poetry circuit. There she met members of the Minneapolis rap scene and was soon invited to join Doomtree, the hip-hop collective known for bold production, charismatic lyricists, and explosive live shows. Dessa's songs are the product of her unusual trajectory: she remains part academic and part hip hop artist, a lute player's daughter who spent her formative professional years touring the world in a grimy van and learning how to run a business from her backpack. Wearing said backback, she's now performed at gritty underground rock clubs in Central Europe; velvet-lined theaters in Australia and China; standing atop a chair in South Africa, and at top-tier festivals like Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, and Riot Fest.
~~~~~~~~
Singer, rapper, and writer Dessa has made a career of bucking genres and defying expectations--her résumé as a musician includes performances at Lollapalooza and Glastonbury, co-compositions for 100-voice choir, performances with the Minnesota Orchestra, and a top-200 entry on the Billboard charts for her album Parts of Speech. She contributed to the #1 album The Hamilton Mixtape; her track, "Congratulations," notched over 5 million streams. As a writer, she's been published by The New York Times Magazine, broadcast by Minnesota Public Radio, published two literary collections of her own, and is set to release her first hardcover collection with Dutton Books in the fall of 2018. She's been covered by Pitchfork, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal amongst others. The LA Times says Dessa "sounds like no one else." The Utne Reader calls her a "one-woman powerhouse." On the stage and on the page, her style is defined by a ferocity, wit, tenderness, and candor. Dessa's third full-length album Chime (Doomtree Records) was listed by NPR as one of 2018's most anticipated albums. In March, she embarks on a world tour through the US, Europe, and Asia.
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"Language was my first love," says Dessa. And her style turns on her wordcraft; in her lyrics you can hear the deftness of an emcee and the observational acumen of a fiction writer. Her albums have a wide wingspan sonically, including rap bangers; a cappella arrangements; and big, catchy pop hooks. On the invitation of Lin-Manuel Miranda, she contributed a track to gold record The Hamilton Mixtape; she covered a Mountain Goats song released by Merge Records, and through her home label, Doomtree, she released a live album with the GRAMMY-winning Minnesota Orchestra.
Dessa grew up in the 80s in South Minneapolis as a strong-willed, brainy, sometimes troubled kid. Both parents were musical--her father played classical guitar and medieval stringed instruments and her mom came up in the Bronx, in an apartment where someone was always singing. After earning a philosophy degree, Dessa began competing on the slam poetry circuit. There she met members of the Minneapolis rap scene and was soon invited to join Doomtree, the hip-hop collective known for bold production, charismatic lyricists, and explosive live shows. Dessa's songs are the product of her unusual trajectory: she remains part academic and part hip hop artist, a lute player's daughter who spent her formative professional years touring the world in a grimy van and learning how to run a business from her backpack. Wearing said backback, she's now performed at gritty underground rock clubs in Central Europe; velvet-lined theaters in Australia and China; standing atop a chair in South Africa, and at top-tier festivals like Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, and Riot Fest.
~~~~~~~~
Singer, rapper, and writer Dessa has made a career of bucking genres and defying expectations--her résumé as a musician includes performances at Lollapalooza and Glastonbury, co-compositions for 100-voice choir, performances with the Minnesota Orchestra, and a top-200 entry on the Billboard charts for her album Parts of Speech. She contributed to the #1 album The Hamilton Mixtape; her track, "Congratulations," notched over 5 million streams. As a writer, she's been published by The New York Times Magazine, broadcast by Minnesota Public Radio, published two literary collections of her own, and is set to release her first hardcover collection with Dutton Books in the fall of 2018. She's been covered by Pitchfork, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal amongst others. The LA Times says Dessa "sounds like no one else." The Utne Reader calls her a "one-woman powerhouse." On the stage and on the page, her style is defined by a ferocity, wit, tenderness, and candor. Dessa's third full-length album Chime (Doomtree Records) was listed by NPR as one of 2018's most anticipated albums. In March, she embarks on a world tour through the US, Europe, and Asia.
show less
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