INTERVIEW: CASEY DESMOND

Boston’s flame-haired pixie dream girl is ready to blow up now

Casey Desmond has never been satisfied with the notion of just being average.

Photo from "Influential Ladies" by Allison Bamcat

Her wardrobe can best be described as crazed punk-provocateur-meets-upbeat ’80s kid. Her music videos, which she often does all of the makeup and costumes for, are full-bodied frenzies highlighted by impressive dance sequences. And the music itself is as grandiose and glimmery as the girl who makes it.

When Desmond isn’t channeling the prowess of Kate Bush on her latest record, Déjà Vu, she plays the role of ghoulishly boy-hungry diva almost flawlessly.

The album itself is varnished in steely synth hooks and Desmond has the ability to go from gently atmospheric to quasi-metallic in the blink of an eye.

But putting everything together isn’t as easy as she makes it look. “I surround myself in synthesizers and weird noise makers—then I tinker insatiably,” she said. “The vocal melodies work themselves out while I’m layering sounds and looping leads. I love to stack very simple melodies on top of each other—the more harmonies, the better.”

And her approach—resulting in tracks that feel more like sprawling romps than songs—is one reason why she’s gained a slew of listeners. “I feel like finding new listeners is easier than people are led to believe.”

“As long as you are working hard, communicating with your fan base, and staying in the know, then online networking and social media are powerful tools.”

Despite gaining national attention from being on the first season of NBC’s The Voice, Desmond maintains admirable honesty when she talks about being an independent artist. “There will always be an uphill battle with this career path—the industry is very hard and always unpredictable,” she said.

Deja Vu by Mary Lee Desmond // Red Hot Box Studios

“Being independent is still extremely stressful, but it has allowed me to maintain my artistic integrity … If I’d signed some of the papers I’ve had slapped in front of me, then my art would probably be very different.”

Desmond is also very candid about using her televised singing competition experience to her advantage. “Utilizing The Voice exposure has been helpful, but I don’t overdo it because I don’t want to be pigeonholed. The [show] didn’t make me so I’m not letting it take all of the credit for my current situation.”

And said situation is looking quite promising. Déjà Vu has gotten rave reviews, MTV just found her video “Bad Habit” buzz-worthy and plastered it all over their site, and she’s set to headline T.T.’s this month, sure to be a memorable performance. But being on Team Adam did teach her one thing: Guys like Levine are so not her type.

“He is too petite and feminine for someone like me. If he wasn’t guarded like a prince, I could have picked him up and spun him with much ease.”

On second thought, Desmond realizes that statement’s full potential. “Going on a date with me can cause a similar dizziness if you’re not man enough.”

CASEY DESMOND
W/ AVOXBLUE

WED 2.13.13
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8:30PM/18+/$8
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