It's refreshing to hear an artist that shatters all expectations within the first moments of a track on the radio, and when it happens, you'd expect the artist to acclimate to the natural frameworks of contemporary music to stay relevant. This is where Desarae Dee is differentiating. She eternally follows her creative intuition by incorporating unique and distinctive chord structures, impacting heavily, while compelling melodic toplines conducted us from one end of her influences the next.
It does not far fetch to describe the Toronto, Ontario based artist as passion-driven and soul-spirited with Neo-Fusion vibe, especially after listening to her newest single, "LVLS"—an enigmatic journey through evaporating decays.
Here, as a fervent ambiance develops, an astonishingly potent turnaround lingers nearby.
With a short run time of just over two minutes, Desarae wastes no time establishing the orchestration of a resounding piano topline that soon proves unforgettable through its profound magnetism. She accomplishes expansive width in her mix with the use of reversed cymbals and reverb dissolves that last a lifetime—synergizing with the ominous backdrop of a vocal synth pad.
The highlight in this song in the middle section, though, when "LVLS" opens up to reveal a whole new floor to this composition. It almost feels like looking into the ever-evolving window of this Canadian pianist's expansive artistic mind. The rhythm picks up with a 32nd not scatter, and a new buzz-saw-synth shoots into the air, as discernable as the north star.
While things begin to buckle down and evaporate for the final seconds, a fresh mindset descends on us. We're amazed and left feeling like we're on a sabbatical: settled in, invigorated and renewed, then gently tucked back in by the end.
If you could learn one more instrument masterfully, which would you choose, and why?
I would want to master the saxophone, as, throughout my musical journey, that was my secondary instrument. I have always been a classical saxophonist; being able to read sheet music and play in a concert band, but I’ve always wanted to develop my ability to solo on the spot, which I find not as easy to do (like the piano), but it’s definitely an instrument that I want to continue to work on and to grow with, which would be an added bonus to my music, as it fits into the Jazz/Soul vibes that I already produce.
Was that instrument always a contender to the piano growing up?
I don’t think the saxophone was a contender to the piano; the piano will always be number one because I’ve had space and the time to master my craft, but I’ve always loved the sounds of the saxophone and having it apart of my instrumental library. I always saw the saxophone as a complement to the piano, so if I got bored of playing the piano, I could play my saxophone and develop my ear for picking up music or simply playing along to classical music.
What are some of the emotions running through your mind right now with a full-length debut and an EP set to move out later this year? Things must feel like they're moving fast.
To be quite honest, my emotions are all over the place. The EP is something I definitely would like to get out by the end of 2020, but the full-length album is definitely a 2021 project. Time is definitely flying by and I think I’ve gone back and forth many times on whether I actually want to release the EP or if I’d rather release single songs for the rest of the year and then release the full-length album come 2021. I know my supporters are hoping for an EP soon, so that’s definitely something I’m no it aged to release and it’s keeping me hopeful and excited.
What has been feeding the flame in your musical creativity these days?
I believe that it has been my passion for producing and working on the sound design that has been the driving force in my creations. Producing was always something that I wanted to become better at and the fact that I can now produce for all instruments without relying on others is amazing. This allows me to create a lot more music so that I can build a library of ideas, and if I decide to release more music in the future, I have music that just needs to be mixed and mastered and it’s ready to go! During this COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve really been able to tap into producing more (through my #DailyVibes series on Instagram) and my level of creativity has increased and evolved over these last few months.
Who are some of the influencers that hold the most sentimental parts of your artistic heart, and can we expect to see some of that reflecting inspiration on your upcoming music?
I have 4 musical influences who have shaped the way I create my music and the way that I play: Alicia Keys, Robert Glasper, Oscar Peterson, and Frédéric Chopin. The music that I have created before and even now still reflects all of these inspirations from a musician standpoint, however, because I’ve been so dedicated to production and sound, I’ve been influenced by producers such as Sango, Ryan Leslie and recently Chill Select. I’m also trying to be my own producer and creatively evolve in an “outside the box” way; similar to my playing style, so there may be hints of my influences in future music.