Combine a philosophy graduate, a classical composer, and a creative non-fiction writer and you’ve got Minneapolis-based rapper and spoken word artist Dessa. If it sounds like a handful, it is — Dessa is currently touring her LP, Parts of Speech, which was released in June 2013. She will be playing at the Majestic Theatre on Thursday and took the time to talk with us about her philosophy major, her new projects, and the origin of her stage name.
Let’s talk a little bit about your album, Parts of Speech. It’s been about nine months since you released it — how do you feel about the album this far out?
“I toured this album more than I’ve toured any other project in the past, so in some ways it feels more like a year and a half old rather than nine months. I’m more familiar with the material having played it so much. So it’s a project that I’m really proud of, and we’ll be touring it more in the spring. But my mind is definitely already turning toward new projects.
What new project are you working on?
“I’ve got two classical compositions actually; I’m working on my first choral and classical arrangements. I’d actually be working with a choir. I won’t be performing — just serving as a composer.”
You also write spoken word and narrative nonfiction, and it sounds like classical compositions as well. Do all these mediums that you work with blend together sometimes? Is your creation process completely different with them?
“Most of the time it feels like there’s a single wellspring for the ideas. I have to decide what the best vehicle for expression for that idea would be. They all feel really connected to me.”
How do you find time for all those different mediums?
“I don’t put out records at a record pace. You know, some artists put out records every 18 months. I end up putting out a record every three or four years, so I’m not breaking any land speed awards. But yeah, I think working in different media and being challenged in a broad spectrum of disciplines is part of what makes me really like this job. If you’re feeling burned out on any one front, there’s another angle you can take. Sometimes I’m like ‘Oh man, I don’t know if I really have a melody in me today.’ Or sometimes it feels like all your metaphors have been exhausted… And working in both music and the language arts, it feels like there’s a way to stay productive no matter what.”
Do you have a favorite?
“Creative non-fiction is probably one of my favorites. I find it challenging. While you’re writing prose you have the opportunity to draft and re-draft, so that’s to say that as good as you can imagine it is as good as you can make it. And that’s not true in my performance, where your first try is what sticks — you don’t have the opportunity to return and perfect your work!”
I know that you were a philosophy student in college — has your work in philosophy influenced your current work at all?
“You know, philosophy is a study that demands very precise language and I think that a lot of my writing skills were honed in philosophy. Some of the ideas that you manipulate in a philosophy class are really challenging, so the really good philosophers would depend on creative metaphors to express those ideas. The best communicators on the philosophical tradition were very often the best creative writers. I think probably a lot of my voice and my style, which can sometimes use informal language, was informed by my time as a philosophy student in college.”
Why do you go by Dessa?
“I went by Dessa since I was a teenager and started singing underage at a karaoke bar!”“
Do you have a favorite thing about the Minneapolis music scene?
“The music scene is very much a part of the social scene. In Minneapolis, if an attractive person were to approach you at a bar and ask you to go on a date, they would ask you if you wanted to go to a movie, dinner or a concert. And that’s not true in every city, where local concerts are as abundant and are as well supported as they are here in Minneapolis. I think the reason we have such a vibrant scene here is because people are willing to part with their $10, they’re willing to buy a little bit of merch at the table after the show. So, I don’t think it’s about the winters, I don’t think there’s anything romantic about the place, but it’s the people that are willing to support the artists and stuff.”
Madison is a relatively regular stop for you — what should folks expect when they see you at the Majestic on April 10?
“That will be our biggest room in Madison that we’ve played to date, so we’re all excited because it will be a high water mark. And I’ll be bringing the full band, so Aby Wolf will be there and all of the players live. And we’ve got a really awesome opener — Caroline Smith is a rising star in her own right will be opening the show. Please be sure to get there early and catch her act.”