“How can I remain complacent when creating music? My music should reflect the evolution of my being alive.” — Kassandra Dasent
Born in San Juan, Trinidad, with Chutney, Soca, and Calypso in my blood, I was raised in Montreal, Qc, Canada, a multicultural melting pot of rhythms and rhymes.
I was barely six years old when my Mom discovered that I could harmonize near to perfect pitch with religious Hindi records. By age seven, I began classical training as a clarinettist, and I went on to graduate from high school with honours in music. My teenage years were also shaped by my involvement in church choirs; my introduction to the Gospel and Blues. My thirst for music only grew with time.
Enchanted by music from many genres and eras, in my twenties, I gained the courage to further explore music as a singer-songwriter and develop my creative process. I meshed my musical abilities with my perspective on life to write lyrics about love, life, pain and healing. When putting words to music, I first used the melodies and harmonies I crafted as the foundation and then worked with musicians and producers to weave the instrumentals to fit. Music was my medium of self-expression and I became a messenger of the art.
In collaboration with producer Doug St. Louis, in 2011 I released ROAD TO REBELLION, my debut album, which highlights my penchant for vocal and lyrical substance, and willingness to experiment with unconventional sounds with the aim of shifting people’s expectations of music.
Over the years, I have experienced beautiful moments performing as a solo artist and as a backing vocalist supporting respected world music artists such as the late and legenderary South African jazz pioneer Thandi Klaasen and Juno award winner Lorraine Klaasen, Malian revered griot Abdoulaye Diabaté, the icon of Cameroun André-Marie Tala, and the Guinean vocal titan and griot Sekouba Bambino.
My musical journey has taken me from Montreal to Mali to Montreux, performing in concert halls, festivals, galas, and televised shows. I have had the distinct pleasure of participating on album recordings and live performances with the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil. I have also co-written and collaborated on numerous tracks for other artists. I appeared as a singer in several feature films, the most recent being “I’m Not There”, a musical biopic of Bob Dylan. Suffice it to say, I have lived.
After a long season of silence in terms of not releasing music or performing, in 2020, I collaborated musically with my long-time friend, keyboardist, and producer David Mobio. Our partnership bore fruit with the release of my most recent single “Be Still” in June 2021; a song that reflects the kaleidoscope of the human experience and the truth of our times.