Meet Desarae Dee | Instrumental Fusion Artist & Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Desarae Dee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Desarae, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
I would want people to remember that I started my own lane in the music industry as a instrumental fusion artist as a black woman. I did the impossible and went against what was normal (or acceptable) in music all while staying true to who I am. I paved the way for the generations of black woman musicians and independent black women artists after me so they can be successful in the industry. I want to be remembered as someone who profoundly impacted the lives of Black and coloured women around the globe through my musical journey.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am an instrumental fusion artist who combines multiple genres to create new, unique and outside the box music. As a child, I grew up playing classical music and playing gospel and Caribbean styles of music in Church. I then explored music more in university and learned music theory (specifically jazz theory and harmony). I became an artist in 2014 and my journey through the industry was difficult because I was doing something that was unheard of and never done in Canada, but the most rewarding part was I LOVED what I was doing, in spite of the many obstacles and challenges I faced – the biggest one, being a black woman musician trying to push her career in a male-dominated industry and in a country where music wasn’t as diverse as it is now. I also faced the challenge of not being able to get my music heard on radio in Canada and also being someone who was highly “underrated.” It took me BETTING ON MYSELF to be successful in this industry and also being CONSISTENT on social media (Facebook, Instagram and now TikTok) as a Content Creator. Because of that, I have been complimented by industry professionals, artists and musicians across the globe. I believe that my story is important because REPRESENTATION MATTERS, especially in the music industry. I want generations of black girls who want to be musicians to see my journey and show them that they can do what I’ve done – all you have to do is BE YOURSELF, BE UNIQUE, BE CONSISTENT and BET ON YOURSELF.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Coming from Toronto, it is probably one of the most visited cities in the world due to our huge multicultural population. There are many different spots where people can experience the cultures in our city – Greek Town, China Town, etc. We also have a lot of different festivals and food events that happen every summer in various pockets of the city. We also have our famous landmarks – The CN Tower, Niagara Falls, Scotiabank Arena, Rogers Centre, Exhibition Place and Yonge-Dundas Square. Let’s just say that you’d need at least a week here to experience everything!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout my piano teacher, Lisa Lundeborg who was an important piece of my music journey. She was the example of “representation” as a black woman in music and in music education that I didn’t really see growing up in the 90s. She lit the fire under me in music and gave me a different outlook on the piano and music as a whole. She was instrumental in the early success I had in my music performance career.

Website: https://beacons.ai/desaraedeemusic

Instagram: https://instagram.com/desaraedeemusic

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desaraedeemusic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/desaraedeemusic

Facebook: https://facebook.com/desaraedeemusic

Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/desaraedeemusic

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@desaraedeemusic

Image Credits
Taken By PDM, Menelick Akoto, Waveland Canada