Canadian instrumentalist Desarae Dee has released her latest E.P. SELF. 6 years after the release of her last album, Dee returns with a brand new project where she shares more of her story and embraces her vulnerabilities.

Dee’s new E.P. has 5 instrumental canvases that represent her current journey of healing as an instrumentalist and Black woman. SELF redefines Dee through self care, self love and self reflection. Through these instrumental canvases, Dee seeks to encourage others to take the time to heal, find healthy ways to address and navigate their personal struggles, and, most importantly, learn to be okay with and everything that makes them who they are — the good and the not so good. 

“You are the only person that can make yourself a priority, and it’s so important to do so,” says Dee.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Desarae Dee about the new project, its message, insights for other instrumentalists and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

What’s something you’d like readers to know about Self?

SELF was an unexpected project. I wasn’t even planning on releasing any projects this year because I wanted to just focus on myself and work on other areas of my music career, but the idea of the project came from me sitting on my bed one day and having a moment of reflection about my personal life and the areas that I needed to be more intentional about working through. I also wanted to share more of my story in 2022 — actually, this was the theme of this year for me and it just so happens that this project was born out of that moment of reflection.

How does this E.P. compare with your others? What is the message behind it?

SELF is the first project I’ve released that showcases my evolving sound as an instrumental fusion artist and is a result of a lightbulb moment that I had back in 2018 when I was on the verge of “quitting music.” If I were to compare this project to my debut project from 2016, I’d say that they each represent two very different periods of my career and even my life. The message behind SELF is “Self-care, Self-love and Self-Reflection – CARING for yourself is important, LOVING yourself is KEY and REFLECTING on yourself helps you grow.”

Do you have a favorite song off the E.P.?

Right now, the song that resonated with me the most off the EP is “Care For You.” Not only did I have an amazing time creating this song, it also speaks to many areas of my life and how I’ve had to learn to take better care of myself and make myself a priority as it pertains to my healing journey.

How long did the project take you to make? 

The songs were already created prior to this year, however adjustments and additions were made to them throughout the first and second quarter of 2022. In addition to the documentary visual that I shot for the project, the whole process took about 2-3 months.

Do you have any advice for young instrumentalists trying to break into the music scene?

My advice for upcoming instrumentalists is to be consistent with releasing music and your social media presence. Find your niche – something that your supporters will resonate with and consistently showcase that. Also, having a team beside you helps the process go smoothly. I remember when I first started as an artist, I did everything, including creating and producing my music. Over time and with building connections, while learning to trust people with my music and my vision, my team came together. Sometimes, you have to seek help in your career because that’s how you’ll move forward and grow – when you have a team behind you to take some of the load off you and help you with things that you may not be strong in, you can really focus on your music creation.

Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?

You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and you can subscribe to my Fanbase community for exclusive music content and piano tutorials: @desaraedeemusic – You can also join my community by sending me a text message (the number is available on my Instagram profile).

I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?

You can check out my Documentary Visual for my EP on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg7GbRgzKwY&t=44s

Thanks for taking the time to interview me and for the opportunity to be on your platform!