MEET DESSY X AND HER ARTISTRY
Dessy White is putting her superpowers and talents in the Des Moines metro area.
Known on stage as Dessy X, she is one of many artists who are helping transform the local musical scene.
“The music scene in my opinion has never been like this,” White said. “We have shows going on almost every other week. Artists are getting better and new artists are coming out. People are working and banding together to actually try to put Des Moines on the map, and to show people we have talent here.”
White is one of the many artists in Iowa that are currently thriving in what appears to be a blooming music scene in Iowa.
Her beginnings
Before she dedicated herself to music three years ago, Dessy X wrote short stories and poetry. In one story, “Selene Academy” on Wattpad, where she blended Harry Potter and her old life, her protagonist uses his superpowers to touch anything and feel its emotions, including the ability to read the future.
“I was around a bunch of artists and creatives at the time and just watching them make music, whether it was beats or writing to a song. It made me want to be a part of it,” she said.
She later published her first poetry book, “The Unraveling,” shortly after she had left the foster care system.
With her focus mainly on writing, she also was composing music, but it wasn’t as big of a priority for her at the time.
She one day wished upon herself to be an artist like those whom she was with.
She took her wish and cashed it into an action. She then released her first single, called “Payday,” on Soundcloud.
Once she got over the learning curve, with her next album, “Broken Hearts Association,'' she incorporated more singing in comparison to her rapping style of music.
She likes to recognize each stage of life, specifically in the emotional toll that carries its unique sense of connection.
One of these emotions, she mentioned, is the feeling of being alone. She acknowledges that this internal problem, whether that be grief, or loss of support, is universal.
She one day wished upon herself to be an artist like those whom she was with.
She took her wish and cashed it into an action. She then released her first single, called “Payday,” on Soundcloud.
Once she got over the learning curve, with her next album, “Broken Hearts Association,'' she incorporated more singing in comparison to her rapping style of music.
“I write music about anything I am going through at the current time, whether it's heartbreak or anything that I'm going through with my family,”
Dessy White
Artist
Artist
She likes to recognize each stage of life, specifically in the emotional toll that carries its unique sense of connection.
One of these emotions, she mentioned, is the feeling of being alone. She acknowledges that this internal problem, whether that be grief, or loss of support, is universal.
Months before her first live performance she had just moved to Des Moines from Davenport. She attended her first local artists show and when it was over, she made the wish to do a show of her own. Months later she got a message from Aaron Taylor, a promoter, asking if she wanted to be featured on a show. This connection with Taylor sparked her into being more involved in the music industry and has taken every opportunity ever since.
White’s first live performance was last summer at the Astronauts tour stop at Lefty’s Live Music. The venue is a special place for her, as she is not only a regular performer there, but it is also the location where she met her soulmate, Antonio Hernandez.
He attended White’s show,
“(I couldn’t believe) how beautiful her voice was for real… just hearing it up close and live,” he said. “It was definitely something else.”
Her commitment to music
After Dessy X’s first live performance, one of her closest friends and artist who goes by the name Crealot, gave her advice and the two options many artists and musicians take in this industry.
“There are two different types of artists: there are artists that are more relaxed and just go with the flow...then there are the polished and refined people, who could totally spend hours, and hours of time perfecting one song,” Crealot said.
Crealot then was asked which one she wanted to be. At that moment, she found herself in the middle. Later, she decided to take the path of being more polished and refined.
“Since then, I’ve been rocking with ‘Blackshoeinc,’ they’re a collective group that puts on shows. They have dope artists, dope everything to be honest,” White said.
Releases and future projects
When starting out a project she listens to at least 50 beats online to keep the vibe consistent in her music. The process of narrowing her selection took her about five days.
However, writing a song takes one to two weeks or even up to a month.
“I go line by line,” she said. “Sometimes I'm in like a writing week, where it comes to me very easily. But I’m getting into this new sense of trying to make my lyrics deeper.”
White is currently in the writing process and is incorporating the relationship between her mother and her. She mentioned that she has felt like an orphan her entire life, but has a mother in which she is disconnected with.
“We just don’t have that relationship that I wish that we could have.” She said, “So, with this project that is why I’m digging deeper into things like my personal experiences with my mom and the foster care system.”
Her commitment has led her to producing a variety of music one of them being the album ”Five Realms of Grief.”
The album deals with working through denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, with each emotion being the respective song’s title.
A couple of months later she released a single called “My Time” which was released on March 16, 2023. She has another single and an album in the works.
In the music scene of Des Moines where she is constantly taking the stage she gave herself the superpowers in which she once wrote in “Selene Academy.”
White is becoming the protagonist in her own story. The story in which she has the ability to create her future on the stage and touch many of the audience members' emotions with her voice.
Connected or disconnected, she amplifies that there is a community in both and that no one has to truly be alone with these emotions.
“It's been very interesting and very fun to focus on my dreams. It’s stressful, but it also provides a sense of relief because I’m doing something that makes me happy.” White said