Rapper, essayist, philosophy major, Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial writer and public speaker. This is just the start of Dessa‘s impressive résumé. She’s also a tremendous live performer who emits her humorous and matter-of-fact personality on every piece of art that she produces, and she’ll be bringing her massive stage presence to the Majestic Theatre for the first time ever this Thursday.
The Minneapolis native and Doomtree veteran will be on stage along with special guests Caroline Smith and J. Dante.
Known for her intellectual wordplay, fiery stage presence and down-to-earth personality, Dessa is touring the Midwest to connect with her fans and to live-play her new album, Parts of Speech. The new album spans multiple genres and attempts to grasp a persona rather than master one type of music.
“I wanted to stay more focused on creating a voice or a tone and a feeling or a personality, and I wanted to be more mindful of not limiting it to one particular genre,” Dessa said.
Dessa herself has visited Madison many times, but this will be the first time she and her compatriots have played at the Majestic.
“We’ve been performing in Madison for a long time now, so I think it’s just the familiarity of the venues,” Dessa said. “This will be our first time playing at the Majestic; we’ve played at the High Noon Saloon before, so for us I think it’ll just be the big lights that’ll make it fun.”
Being part of a collective like Doomtree, Dessa has always toured with up-and-coming acts that radiate raw, natural talent but lack household celebrity.
“I’ll be arriving with a full band four-piece band,” Dessa said. “And I’ll be bringing Aby Wolf, who is another local artist. She’s got an incredible voice. We have a really large range and we do a lot of harmonies together.”
Never one to shy away from being herself, Dessa wants her words to ring true with her audience as well as herself.
“I feel like if I write the best music I can and I tell true stories and I work hard at my craft, that people will recognize that,” Dessa said. “Sometimes I want people to be really moved by the authenticity, but then there’s other times when I say, ‘You know what, that’s bullshit.’ I just trust my intuitions and hope people realize that I mean what I say.”
Buy tickets for Dessa’s April 10 show here.
