about
From singing along to her dad’s guitar in VHS home videos and performing at family gatherings, to studying music and art in high school, dee holt’s life has been saturated with creativity from the very beginning. But despite all the external affirmation of her musical talent, she never thought about making a career out of it. As dee says, “Of course your mom’s going to tell you you can sing, right?” It’s fitting then, that the performance that started her career wasn’t an audition or in front of a label, but an intimate gathering for her and her boyfriend’s parents to meet. When, on cue, dee’s mother suggested that she sing, dee turned to face the wall so that she could play the guitar without laughing. After she had finished, she turned around to see tears in her boyfriend’s eyes, the eyes of both his parents, and his little brother, too. It was impossible to ignore any longer. dee doesn’t just have a good voice; she has a gift. After forming a creative bond with local producer Benjamin Nadeau, dee released her first two singles,“Hardest Part”and“Olivia,” which landed her on Spotify’s LOREM playlist, among countless others, and the momentum didn’t stop. In 2022, after signing with Nettwerk Music Group, she released her debut EP, When I Close My Eyes, garnering millions of streams, numerous playlist covers, rave reviews, and even a Spotify billboard in downtown Toronto. Teen Vogue called her “one to watch,” and SHEESH Media compared her vocals to the great Billie Eilish. dee capped off the year with a momentous debut performance at M for Montreal, winning the praise of Canadian press like La Presse, La Journal de Montreal, Cult MTL, RANGE, and more. On her new offering, the six-song i’ll be there, she translates even more of her singular and magnetic sensibility, taking a nuanced approach to pop songwriting. Lead single “sober” was lauded by Billboard who noted her confident vocal style, while “better” was featured on SoundCloud’s SHEESH Selects playlist. Even with her burgeoning success, dee is currently studying art/animation at university and continues to design all her own artwork and direct her own music videos. “With my cover art and visuals, I like to say that it’s fully me. It’s more authentic. It pushes me to learn new things and push myself.”