We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dezha Sexton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dezha, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Tell our readers about yourself and how you got into your industry/craft.: Art runs deeper in my family history than even I initially realized. I remember impromptu dance parties with my aunts, uncles, and cousins to dancehall classics from when my grandfather was a DJ back in Barbados. At a young age, my mom had a passion for dance and creative writing. My dad was briefly an actor and model and is now building his skills producing music. Their 90s CD collections are the source of inspiration for me and still on repeat in all of my playlists — think TLC, SWV, Aaliyah, Brandy, Toni Braxton, Mary J. Blige. (Everyone knows I’m a Mary J. Blige stan.) My Nene, however, was a renaissance woman. A writer who seemed to be the main facilitator that egged on my passions. From symphonies at the Schermerhorn to her jukebox that played Etta James and NPR’s classical music station, these songs were a soundtrack to all our artsy hobbies. While I loved and practiced many areas of the arts, my passion for music was evident as early as elementary school. Some time between preschool and fourth grade, screeching became singing. In middle school, that evolved into writing songs with my sister and cousins, school talent shows, and singing full on concerts in class as we filled out worksheets. (I’m not sure if my teachers liked my singing, the fact that it kept everyone else quiet and on task, or both.) Naturally, when the question of magnet high schools came up, I knew I was auditioning for Nashville School of the Arts. And sure enough, I was accepted, but for theatre. I embraced it as much as I could and found a home volunteering being a part of the crew rather than the cast — directing, playwriting, running live sound, and managing front of house. However, when senior year came around, I secured a spot in Mr. Griffin’s Pop Ensemble, may he rest in peace. There, students picked the songs and performed with a live band. That same year, our class was granted the grand opportunity to sing Love Interruption by Jack White and Ruby Amanfu as they watched in the audience. Music always found a way back to the forefront of my life. For college, I decided to stay in my hometown of Nashville. I was a business major with a vocal performance concentration at Fisk University, and a participant in their Music Business program which included dual enrollment opportunities to attend music business classes in Belmont University’s Curb College. After about a year splitting my time on both campuses, I decided to transfer to Belmont so that I could dedicate more credit hours to classes directly related to the music business. After college, I made a point to go to every mixer, seminar, and networking event I could. I became determined to try every job in the music industry or industry adjacent, paid or not. Since then, I’ve done digital marketing, moderated panels for the International Black Film Festival, performed background vocals for local artists, interviewed talent for video content for brands, acted as event logistics specialist for live events, worked as a production assistant for a Black-owned film company based her in Nashville, completed a mentorship with Creative Futures Collective x Soho House, a feature in Pollstar magazine, and more! I’m just getting started.

What are you most proud of?:

I think what I’m supposed to say is an accomplishment, but as of yet, I don’t think I could pick one. What I am really the most proud of is that I refuse to give up. As a creative, sometimes your support system doesn’t understand why you move the way you do. I got asked why I’d choose to brave financial strain instead of getting an unrelated day job until the creative thing works out. Feeling misunderstood is lonely. You wonder why you’re doing so much work for next to no money, if anything at all, and if you’ll ever be compensated for the time and energy it takes. What no one tells you is that the obstacles aren’t just barriers to entry, but also that the world is still happening around you and you’re supposed to keep going. I’ve experienced loss, depression, grief, financial hardship, and a pandemic which no one could have ever predicted. But staying the course has already begun to prove fruitful, even if this is all solely for personal fulfillment.

What are the main things you want people to know about you, your brand, and your work?:

I am a concert promoter in training, a live event logistics specialist, a vocalist, and event host. My current title is Director of Operations & Marketing with a concert promotions company called Al McCree Entertainment, where I am training to be a concert promoter myself. On my own time. I am coordinating logistics for Touched By Sun this Feb. 25, working on my own music, and an interviewer/contributor for some local organizations. For me, music is about expression and representation. As a native Nashvillian, I feel like I and my peers can always see what’s missing, especially with changes accompanied by the city’s growth. I want to bridge that gap with music. I saw a TikTok years ago where someone said something along the lines of, “whatever it is you like to do, there is a job for that.” And I absolutely believe that is true.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I really hope this doesn’t sound shady, but what I had to learn, or unlearn, is that most things are not merit-based. I used to believe that the way to get ahead was to be the best, to be the smartest, to have the most accolades. And in some cases that is true. Being the best does matter, but it is often subjective. Simply put, merit isn’t what made me the most progress post-grad. I could say it was hard work, and while that did help, that’s still not the main reason. It was who I knew, not what I knew.

I might still be serving tables had I not spoken up and initiated further conversation with Shannon Sanders, an iconic native and culture driver in Nashville’s music industry, during lunch service one random weekday in 2022. I wouldn’t have met countless stars had I not been hanging out at a local venue regularly because my sister worked there and could get me in for free. I wouldn’t have shaken hands with execs all over Nashville had I not been accepted to my mentorship of Soho House.

I had often heard the term, “your network is your net worth,” and I also learned in school that social capital is often invaluable. Sure enough, I didn’t start finding success until I stopped relying on beefing up an impersonal resumé and started showing people who I was and what I could do.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialariesfairy/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dezhasexton/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialAriesFairy
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialariesfairy My YouTube is going through a transition right now.

Image Credits
Black and White Headshot: Joseph Patrick @ThePhotoJojo Portrait with Gold and Red pattern: Joseph Patrick @ThePhotoJojo Black and White photo with boom mic and canvas chairs: Jordan Johnson @SonOfTheLights