“Dessa is a rock star… a unique gift for innovative turns of phrase.” – Star Tribune
Spanning genres and disciplines, Dessa’s style is defined by tenderness, ferocity, candor, and wit. As a musician, she’s co-composed for large choirs and crowd-surfed at rock clubs. Also, she recorded a live album with the Grammy-winning Minnesota Orchestra and contributed a track to the Number One album The Hamilton Mixtape. Her TED Talk, which recounts her science experiment on how to fall out of love, has notched more than 5 million views. She’s written for The New York Times and National Geographic Traveler. Additionally, she hosted two seasons of a podcast for the BBC. Also, she’s published several poetry books and literary collections including the memoir-in-essays My Own Devices.
Dessa’s musical career began in earnest when she was asked to join Minneapolis’ Doomtree collective. Here, the hip-hop crew is known for bold production, charismatic lyricists, and explosive live shows. Then, she started touring hard as a solo act after her 2010 release A Badly Broken Code. Since then, she’s released five more full-length albums, working across sounds and styles. Meanwhile, she keeps her razor-sharp writing front and center.
Lady Midnight is a vocalist and performance artist who draws upon her multidisciplinary background and Afro-indigenous roots to create work that reflects our collective lives. City Pages named Lady Midnight Best Twin Cities Vocalist and named her album, Death Before Mourning, Best Album of 2020. She has performed across the country, sharing stages with legendary acts like Common, Moby, Andra Day, and Aloe Blacc.
Recommended for fans of Doomtree, P.O.S., Sims and Sage Francis.
📸: Athel Rogers
