Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Dezelle

Singer-songwriter Dezelle is a masterful wordsmith who isn’t afraid to pour her heart and soul into her craft. On her debut single, “i decided to believe in visions“, the rising talent pens an empowering anthem of overcoming battles with yourself, addiction, and self-deception. If the song is any indication of what’s to come, we know Dezelle will be one of the breakout artists of 2021.

We recently spoke with Dezelle about her budding career, how she discovered her passion for music, and what’s to come.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Dezelle: My passion for music has always been there. One of my earliest memories is when I was three years old: I was in our backyard in Texas, and we had this toy piano. I remember playing it, and my mom came up to me and was like, “Do you want to take piano lessons?” I lit up. I was like, “Yes, that’s what I want to do.” I grew up playing with my brother a lot and my family. We were always writing songs. It was something I’ve always loved. I’ve always gravitated towards it.

We moved a lot. Growing up, we lived in three countries. We moved almost every year of my childhood into my teenage years. It became the way that I would make friends. It was easy if you played an instrument or sang to connect with people quickly. I would document everything that way; it became my refuge.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Dezelle: That’s a good question. I definitely feel influenced by artists that I love. I’m sure we all have those songs where you feel like you could have written it and feel so seen by it. Then, you feel more connected to everybody because you realize that we’re all going through the same things. Songs like that really speak to me and elevate my mood. I feel like I want to create that same magic for people. A lot of artists I loved growing up and the new artists that I discover have had a huge influence.

I had a teacher tell me once that if you find a song you love or an artist you love, to pay attention, because it’s part of you that you haven’t discovered yet. I really loved that, and I have found that it’s true. Recently, I’ve been loving Sharon Van Etten. I love Sturgill Simpson. I love Mac Miller. They’re all different genres, but they all have something I want to explore. All those pieces come together in the way I write. I have a lot of friends who are musicians, and the community in LA is really special to me. A couple of my roommates and I, we’re all musicians. We’d have these dinner parties—everybody would come over and write, and we’d hear about everyone’s journey and their craft. That was also a huge influence on me.

I guess the other thing I would say are the certain relationships in my life. Those have influenced what I want to write about and the life lessons I’ve learned. My grandfather taught me a lot about spirituality, so some of the stuff we’ve talked about becomes subject matter for lyrics. I’m sober, and the people that have been part of that journey have also become subject matter for lyrics.

PC: Speaking of writing, what is your creative process like? How has it changed over the years?
Dezelle: I love that question, too, because it’s such a mystery to me—it really is. The creative process can be such a mystery. Sometimes, I’ll be on a run and I’ll get an idea for a lyric. Then, I’ll go home and write it down as fast as I can, as if I’m afraid it’s going to leave. [laughs] It kind of just hits you. Sometimes, it’s literally like I’ve picked up a guitar and played a song right then, right there, and I don’t change a thing, but that’s happened a couple of times, and I can’t really explain it. But other times, it’s a lot more laborious. You’re trying to get the lyrics right and can’t really figure out how to make the words fit the rhythm.

These days, I co-write a lot. Usually, it starts with either a beat or a composer’s chords, and then we’ll build off each other. That’s always really interesting because you see all the different sides of yourself. It’s a pretty fluid process, and most of the time I feel like I’m just there for it. I’ve gone to songwriting schools that teach you really great exercises about tapping into your subconscious. I do that sometimes, but most of the time it’s just like I’m so full of emotion, it doesn’t take much.

PC: You’ve got a new single out now. Tell us about “i decided to believe in visions” and the inspiration behind it.
Dezelle: I wrote it with Tomas Altamirano, who’s a TV and film composer. He has over a thousand placements in film and TV—that’s his main gig. He came to one of my shows at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, and he liked some of my lyrics. He doesn’t really write lyrics. We decided to co-write and he had these really beautiful, simple chord progressions. He put out all these soundscapes and created an atmosphere. He sent me a file of an instrumental and I sat with it for a couple of weeks trying to figure out how to capture the feeling.

I wanted to write about self-empowerment and self-love. It’s about awakening and stepping into who you want to be. It’s not about a relationship to anyone else. I wanted to keep it really general. For me, I’m a woman in a consumerist society. I get all these messages that I don’t really want to believe. I have my own battles. I have to fight to keep self-love. Again, sobriety has been a big part of me, but I didn’t want any of that to be specific in the lyrics because I know other people feel pressure and self-doubt, but they show it differently in their lives. The song is about choosing to love yourself regardless of the noise.

PC: As you embark on this new artist project, what do you hope to say?
Dezelle: I hope that people feel more connected to themselves and to other people through my music. We look for ourselves in art, right? That’s why we love it, because there’s something about it that normal conversational words can’t quite get at; it’s very soulful. As an artist, that’s what I’m aspiring to do is to give people that experience.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Dezelle: Jhené Aiko. I listen to her a lot. Mac Miller is another person that I listen to a lot, as is Gregory Alan Isakov.

PC: First album you bought?
Dezelle: My aunt gifted me the TLC album with “Creep” on it. She gave it to me, and I was the first kid in fifth grade that had that CD. That made me really cool.

PC: First concert you attended?
Dezelle: Counting Crows.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Dezelle: The Hollywood Bowl.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Dezelle: My guitar and a journal.

To keep up with Dezelle, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Pick up or stream “i decided to believe in visions” today.

Photo Credit: Ambija Kashi Singh at CLIQUE