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Loner kid turns into a pop star
Deesha |
Breakout pop singer Deesha began her love affair with music at a very young age.
A creative soul from birth, Deesha garnered all of her musical energy to constantly pen lyrics while practicing songs and dance moves for her family.
From the moment she picked up a microphone, Deesha knew her struggle to the top would be tough one.
“I was a loner,” the young singer recalls. “I always felt like I was on the outside looking in.”
Deesha was showered with accolades last year during South Asian Month celebrations in Toronto, where she performed at the first annual DesiFest.
The festival has since expanded across Canada and is scheduled to be held in Vancouver on May 3.
Deesha’s performance is one of the festival’s hot-ticket events. Music is her natural outlet, says Deesha, and without it she says she feels incomplete. Her idols are Whitney Houston and Mary J. Blige, whose music she would sing along to as a youngster in her bathroom mirror.
Despite her obvious talent and star appeal, Deesha frequently kept to herself as a kid. “Being that loner kid kind of helped me adapt to this industry and develop a thick skin,” she says.
Deesha later channeled her creative energies and combined it with her love of R&B. The result is a well-rounded musician with a sound all her own.
With years of experience and hard work, Deesha is now geared for the release of her debut album, Life Less Ordinary, self-written and co-produced by the young wunderkind herself.
In the early years of Deesha’s career, she was featured on a number of South Asian compilations, including Tauba Tauba, Jagga Jat, and The Massacre.
Deesha’s undeniable soul and soothing sound enriched every track she was featured on.
In the interim, her first single “Dried My Eyes” met the radio and video world. “Dried My Eyes” was not only featured on MuchMusic, but also received frequent airplay on KISS 92.5 (Toronto’s largest commercial station) and CBC Radio.
Deesha later received airplay on two U.S. commercial radio stations with “Get Outta My Life” on New York’s Z-100 and “Why Cant We Go Back” on San Diego’s Jammin’ Z90 — not bad for an artist working independently in pursuit of her dream.
It became abundantly clear that once the mainstream audiences’ ears met Deesha’s voice, the connection was permanent.
Navigating through numerous part-time jobs and recording gigs, Deesha poured every penny and ounce of her soul into making music.
And her talent did not go unnoticed.
Labels, management companies, and other representatives of the industry all approached Deesha pens in hand.
But there was nothing they offered that Deesha hadn’t already managed on her own as a multifaceted musician with a head for business.
Refusing to fall victim to empty promises, Deesha’s unbridled spirit has kept her strong on her solo mission.
She nurtured her young spark and persevered as a starving artist in this fickle music industry until her recent breakout.
By the year 2003, Deesha began to witness the fruits of her labour.
Her single “Falling In Love” became an instant summer anthem in Canada, and broke the Top 30 charts with a video to match.
Remaining true to her love of urban music, Deesha continues to constantly write and collaborate with endless emcees.
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