Dessa
banner
dessadarling.bsky.social
Dessa
@dessadarling.bsky.social
Writer + Musician.
Dessawander.com
Tomorrow’s event at Georgetown has been canceled due to weather. Will share details on the rain date when we’ve got em.
January 29, 2026 at 8:55 PM
On air in 5 with Baltimore public radio. To listen live:
www.wypr.org/people/tom-h...
January 29, 2026 at 5:36 PM
January 27, 2026 at 1:19 AM
Reposted by Dessa
I just keep thinking about Minnesota.

So I made a playlist.

With 30 of my favorite MN artists, including The Hold Steady, @dessadarling.bsky.social, Prince, Soul Asylum, @lazerbeak.bsky.social, @tbt-duluth.bsky.social, The Cactus Blossoms, Atmosphere + more.

aarikdanielsen.com/blog/feeling...
Feeling Minnesota: A Playlist — Aarik Danielsen
30 songs from Minnesota artists: Dessa to Dylan, Lifter Puller to Low and much more.
aarikdanielsen.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:12 PM
This is Minneapolis.
In -7F.
January 23, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Reposted by Dessa
... they communicate the actual idea without negating painful history which has been actively erased and minimized and continues to be actively erased and minimized by people in power.

Or, to invoke @dessadarling.bsky.social, as I so often do:
January 23, 2026 at 9:18 AM
January 23, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Dessa
In times like these, DC could use some Dessa
East Coast Tour now on sale: bnds.us/pym9av
January 16, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Reposted by Dessa
Dessa is returning to DC! I first saw her in DC back in 2015.
East Coast Tour now on sale: bnds.us/pym9av
January 17, 2026 at 2:22 AM
East Coast Tour now on sale: bnds.us/pym9av
January 16, 2026 at 6:50 PM
Watching from afar as my hometown fends off masked armed agents—who demonstrate very little trigger discipline and racially profile residents—with *whistles*. Watching neighbors build food distribution networks. Students walk out of class in protest. Braaave. 

See you soon, Minneapolis.
January 16, 2026 at 5:39 PM
I*love* that that phrase spells socks. Delights me and always will.
I know I've shared this before, and I still feel the same way about it -- important lessons here which I really need to hear...

But one lyric calls back to radio commercials of my youth -- "Spell SOCKS! Hey, NOW YOU'RE SPEAKING SPANISH!" and that just BUGS me. Ah well.

@dessadarling.bsky.social
Tough Call
YouTube video by Dessa - Topic
youtu.be
January 16, 2026 at 5:38 PM
Reposted by Dessa
Good a time as any for y'all to become familiar with Minneapolis artist @dessadarling.bsky.social. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wau...
Dessa "5 out of 6" (official video)
YouTube video by Doomtree
www.youtube.com
January 7, 2026 at 6:28 PM
Song of the Day over at The Current. (Thanks, MN)

www.thecurrent.org/episode/2025...
Dessa - Tough Call
Today’s Song of the Day is “Tough Call” from Dessa’s double-sided single Tough Call, Camelot, out now.
www.thecurrent.org
December 31, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by Dessa
all right, we have finally lit the @dessadarling.bsky.social candle, may it herald thoughtful, progressive, erudite, and incisive cultural developments as we enter the new year.
smadin.net Scott @smadin.net · Dec 29
I mean look at this
December 30, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Three songs live at The Current:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=BO1V...
Dessa performs three songs in The Current studio, including "Camelot" and "Tough Call"
YouTube video by The Current
m.youtube.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Oh, I gotta say Thalia Hall is pretty spectacular. But Chicago does outdoor stuff really well too—have played Riot Fest, Lollapalooza, and the Pritzker Pavilion show you mentioned was a favorite.
Missed it. Caught you a few times over the years in Chicago, a New Year’s Eve show many years ago, a free show at millennium park with Psalm One if I remember correctly, Bottom Lounge a year or two ago. Got a favorite venue in Chicago?
December 23, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Reposted by Dessa
The family and mental health podcast I produce, In This Family, wraps up our first season with a very moving and insightful conversation with Dessa @dessadarling.bsky.social, the acclaimed rapper, musician, poet, and author.

www.nexusfamilyhealing.org/podcast/dessa
Dessa on the Importance of Taking Care of Family, Body, Mind, and Curiosity
Rapper, singer, and author Dessa shares how she faced big feelings as an adolescent and how she got the help she needed when she needed it. Dessa tells us how family support and a curiosity about heal...
www.nexusfamilyhealing.org
December 18, 2025 at 6:54 PM
See you tonight, Madison.
Doors at 7pm at Atwood Music Hall.
December 13, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Reposted by Dessa
I am not exaggerating when I say that @dessadarling.bsky.social embodies everything I want to be as a writer and an artist. Watching her work evolve over the years, while still retaining the playful-yet-serious language and intellectual curiosity that first drew me to her, has been such a treat.
December 12, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Aaand turns out we need a merch seller (with at least a leeedle experience) in Chicago tonight. Playing Thalia Hall, doors at 7. Anybody interested?
December 11, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Reposted by Dessa
The newest @dessadarling.bsky.social hits rrreal hard on that disability/chronic pain tip, heh. We're at 12 years since my spine got taken apart and put back together.

Like, genuinely, I can't pick the line that hits me hardest.

Witness:
Tough Call, Camelot, by Dessa
2 track album
dessa.bandcamp.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:35 AM
This month is looking real Midwesty.

bnds.us/pym9av
Dessa Tour Dates
Get your tickets to see Dessa live.
bnds.us
December 2, 2025 at 3:57 AM
New hoodies would like to cover your upper half.

store.doomtree.net/product/dess...
Dessa - Tri-Color Hoodie
Unisex heavyweight hoodie No drawstrings Pouch for when you're not sure what to do with your hands Stretchy and so soft 57 % Cotton / 38% Modal...
store.doomtree.net
November 18, 2025 at 4:10 PM