Desiree

Soaring ascents, the kind that can take an artist from obscurity to stardom in what seems to be the blink of an eye, don’t occur often, in dance music or elsewhere – those who are lucky enough to have that experience often disappear just as quickly. But there’s little chance of a quick fade for South Africa’s Palesa Desiree Shilabje, the DJ and producer known to the world as DESIREE, who in just a few short years has proved to be one of the international festival circuit’s most exciting new stars. Here, Bruce Tantum hears her story, and about how her evolution through music has been as organic as they come

South Africa’s DESIREE has had a meteoric rise over the past few years. Her ear for rhythm, journeying, percussion-filled sets, and passion for a wide variety of African electronic music have created opportunities to woo crowds both at home and abroad. And, following the release of her debut EP last year and launch of party series MMINO, she’s already taking things to the next level