Desarae Dee Talks About Becoming A Grammy Voting Member And New Album ‘ADVENTURE’

An underrated artist that needs more recognition!

When it comes to musician Desarae Dee, her piano skills are no joke. She is incredible, and she just proved that even more with her new album ‘ADVENTURE’.

We had the absolute pleasure of speaking with about her 4-Chord Worship series, her favorite song off of her new album, and more!

When did you first realize that you wanted to pursue a career in music?

D: “I first realized that I wanted to pursue music in High School while I was applying to University. My guidance counselor encouraged me to pursue something that I loved and at the time, I knew that music was something that I not only loved, but could see myself doing for the long haul.”

Tell us more about your amazing new album ‘ADVENTURE’ and how it came to be.

D: “ADVENTURE instrumentally tells the story of my musical journey in music as a Black Woman Instrumental Fusion Artist in Canada. A journey that has seen many setbacks, obstacles, struggles, batting systemic barriers in the music industry, navigating the COVID-19 Global Pandemic, yet I had a determined, ambitious, and tenacious attitude towards pushing a new lane and niche in the Canadian Music Industry. My journey, although filled with hurdles, it’s possible to transform those hurdles into stepping stones towards my dreams.”

If you had to choose your favorite song from the project, which would it be and why?

D: “Man, this is a tough one because I love all the songs on the project, but if I were to choose off the bat, it would be “On The Move” and honestly, that song really speaks to my perseverance and tenacity with being able to push through life and go after my dreams even though it can be challenging at times.”

We have got to talk about your piano skills, you are amazing! When did you first learn and how did you grow your talent!

D: “My parents discovered that I had a musical talent at the age of 3, but I wasn’t put into formal piano lessons until I was 6 years old, so music has always been part of my life. I was classically trained for 13 years, but I also learned how to play gospel and caribbean styles of music due to my upbringing in church. I then pursued music at the university level where it was revealed to me that I had perfect pitch and an auditory learning style, which made sense to me because I would always pick up things quicker by ear, than I would reading it on paper and with this new found knowledge, it truly unlocked my musical abilities. With these discoveries, I learned to approach music in an “outside the box” type of way, but I also live by two strategies when it comes to my approach to music: listening and experimenting.”

A lot of your content references worship. Do you think it is important to lead with faith, not only as a person but in the music industry?

D: “So, my 4-Chord Worship series is a series that gives piano players a series of chord progressions that they can use during praise and worship/free worship segments in church. Because I grew up in church, I definitely believe it’s important to lead with faith both as a person and in the music industry. My entire career has been living by faith and following the path that God has set out for me and at times, it hasn’t been easy, but with God all things are possible. Every success that I’ve had was because I was not only consistent and worked hard, but I led with faith because I knew that God had a unique purpose and plan for my life.”

Congratulations on becoming a Grammy voting member! That is major. What has that validating achievement been like for you?

D: “Honestly, this is a huge accomplishment for me and just further shows the commitment I have to pursuing my purpose,  but also I can continue my advocacy work for Black Women Musicians in Canada and across the world. I am someone who strongly believes in representation and it’s important to have representation in the music industry as a Black Woman Musician.”

Can you predict which artists and projects you think are going to receive nominations at the 2025?

D: “I don’t have any specifics at the moment, but I’m hoping to see a lot more independent artists earning this major award this year.”

Where can we follow your amazing journey?

D: “You can continue to follow my journey on social media @desaraedeemusic on all platforms and you can visit my website: desaraedeemusic.com to be part of my music community for updates and to read more about my musical journey.“

Make sure to stream Desarae’s new album ‘ADVENTURE’, available now on all music platforms!

Je’Kayla Crawford– Founder and Director– Je’Kayla has been a journalist for years and decided to start a publication of her own, New Scene Magazine, back in October 2020. When not helping her team and working on their print issues, you can find her watching a movie on Netflix or baking using a viral TikTok recipe.