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 top-200 entries on the Billboard charts. She contributed to the #1 album The Hamilton Mixtape and the RBG documentary; her track, “Congratulations,” has notched over 20 million streams. As a writer, she’s been published by The New York Times & National Geographic Traveler, broadcast by Minnesota Public Radio, and published a memoir-in-essays (My Own Devices, 2018) in addition to 2 literary collections. As a speaker, Dessa has delivered keynote speeches and presentations on art, science, & entrepreneurship; guest lectures at universities/colleges across the US; and a TED Talk about her science experiment on how to fall out of love. She also hosted two seasons of Deeply Human, a radio program created by the BBC and American Public Media. Dessa has been covered by Pitchfork, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal amongst others. The LA Times says she “sounds like no one else.” NPR’s All Songs Considered calls her “a national treasure.” On the stage and on the page, Dessa’s style is defined by ferocity, wit, tenderness, & candor. Plainly put, Dessa is dope.
I had the chance to catch up with Dessa before she headlines the 2024 Orton Park Festival in Madison on August 25th. Firstly, I am honored to have such a keen observer and sharer on the proGram. We get right into what the show will be like sonically, as in who will be doing what, and their are some surprises I think for many a listener to wrap their heads around. A harp? Of course, Dessa turns the plan on nme and asks me some questions as she prepares herself for the uniqueness Madison will offer her. We get into her latest album on Doomtree, ‘Bury The Lead’ and talk about the music, the risks and the rewards within the industry and life for that matter, when you stretch into the unknown. We say a lot of things to each other, as our foreheads were opened…but I really wanted to hear more about her TED Talk/science experiment/really freakin’ cool idea, so we get into her ‘Brain Skin Rug’ a bit. I could spend the time writing more about our conversation, but that’s not going to pinpoint the spots that will engross you, personally. I think a live performance will do that, just like this time we spent together.
