ADVENTURE serves as the soundtrack to Desarae Dee’s decade-long exploration of her identity and artistry as a Black Woman Instrumental Fusion Artist. Each track is its own instrumental canvas, painted with the emotions, struggles, and triumphs that have defined her journey. From pioneering her unique vision to navigating the complexities of the music industry as both a woman and a minority in Canada, Desarae breaks down racial, gender, social, and cultural barriers in every note she plays.

Desarae Dee is an Award Winning Canadian Instrumental Fusion Artist, Pianist, Composer and Producer. Known as “Toronto’s Queen of Vibes,”her passionate and meaningful sound combines a unique mixture of faith, soul, vulnerability and divine balance. Desarae has been a featured headlining artist at Canadian Music Week, Sofar Sounds Toronto, Burdock Piano Fest, Sundé Social, Canvas Art Bar, Waveland Canada, Breaking Sound Canada, Toronto Pearson Airport, and The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Desarae about the new album, AI in music, dream collabs, and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

This AI thing is getting way out of control. I have students using ChatGPT to write death metal songs about country music…and country songs about being sad. You can feed some Ais a text prompt and create a Hollywood-quality short film. How do you feel about this new wave of technological innovation?

I believe that with anything new that is introduced, it will have its pros and cons. I do believe that AI has its pros and I do use ChatGPT myself (sorry guys!!), however nothing beats real human interaction. As much as the tech stuff is cool and innovative, the human experience will always be A1 and AI can’t give you the real human experience.

I know it’s hard…but what’s your favorite song and/or favorite artist of all time? If not favorite, in your top 3?

See, I try to not have “favourites” because I listen to so many different styles of music and I like a lot of things. With that said, 3 of my favourite artists would have to be Robert Glasper, Ryan Leslie and Coldplay.

What drives you to create? What keeps you going, especially on the bad days?

I get a lot of my creative inspiration from life experiences and I hear melodies that stem those experiences. Music always keeps me going on good days and bad days – it’s my outlet to express myself.

If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why?

I would love to be able to collaborate with Alicia Keys. Not only do I think it would be dope to have two black women pianists collab, but she was one of my major influences when I got started on my musical and artist journey.

Were you trying to accomplish anything specific or different with ADVENTURE? What’s the back story?

“Adventure” musically describes my musical journey over the last 10 years as an Instrumental Fusion Artist. The songs on the project represent different moments throughout my journey. My goal for this project really was to share how I’ve been able to navigate the music industry as a black woman in Canada. The journey has had its ups and downs, setbacks and obstacles, but I am a product of determination, consistency, perseverance and tenacity and you can hear this with each instrumental canvas.

Where is the best place to stay connected with You?

You can connect with me on Instagram – I’m the most active on that platform: @desaraedeemusic