About Dessa
Margret Wander , better known by her stage name Dessa, is an American rapper, singer, writer, and former record executive. She is a member of the indie hip hop collective Doomtree.
Dessa was born to Robert Wander Jr. and Sylvia Burgos Toftness, and has a younger brother, Max. Her father is white and her mother Puerto Rican. Dessa went to Southwest High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, graduating from the IB Diploma Programme in 1999. She attended the University of Minnesota, where she earned a B.A. in philosophy. Before becoming an artist full-time, she waited tables and worked as a technical writer for a medical manufacturer.
Initially drawn to their raw aesthetics and unique sound, Dessa forged a friendship with Doomtree. Soon after, she was asked to join the crew and did so. Between 2005 and 2019, Dessa toured with and appeared on all Doomtree albums, as well as on the other members' solo albums. She was the CEO of Doomtree; however, she relinquished that post to her label mate, Lazerbeak, to focus on her own career.
Dessa's debut solo EP, False Hopes, was released in 2005. Despite being only fifteen minutes long, it was listed as one of the top local albums of the year by Star Tribune.
Dessa's first solo album, A Badly Broken Code, was released on January 19, 2010. The album’s tracks "Dixon's Girl" and "The Chaconne” were released as singles. The album featured production from Paper Tiger, MK Larada, Lazerbeak, Cecil Otter and Big Jess. MK Larada also designed the album art.
In 2011, Dessa released Castor, the Twin, an album featuring new recordings and arrangements of songs released on previous projects, primarily A Badly Broken Code. The original production in the reworked tracks was replaced with live instrumentation.
Map & Directions To Venue
