When we speak to Déyyess, she’s surrounded by boxes, noise and just the right amount of chaos. “I’ve had a day of moving into a new studio with my girlfriend,” she says. “Currently waiting on piano movers!”
It’s a fitting intro to someone who exists in the liminal space between camp and classical, yearning and bangers, low-key silliness and heart-stopping sincerity. The world of Déyyess is sparkly, emotional, a little bit messy and completely her own. Right now, that world’s expanding fast – a new single out, a headline show booked, and a support tour with Alessi Rose that’s just wrapped up its EU leg.
“The Alessi Rose tour was amazing,” she beams. “I’m still not over any of it. Her fans are so special, and to play to them every night was a reminder of why I do music, and why I’ve stuck at it through all the bullshit for so long.”
“I decided I was going to learn piano, be a star and live in New York just like Lady Gaga”
It was her first-ever tour, the kind of jump-into-the-deep-end moment that makes or breaks an artist. Déyyess didn’t just survive it. She thrived. “I had no idea what to expect, but whatever expectations I did have, it exceeded them all. I was so happy, and I loved every minute. I was also lucky enough to tour with my best friends and my girlfriend, which is the dream.”
Along the way, she picked up a few hard truths. “I learnt so much. Mostly I learnt that maybe I can forego a shower sometimes,” she laughs. “But honestly, every night I felt more confident in my music and myself on stage. I spoke to the fans after every show and learnt so much about them and their life. I learnt to be a listener for them.”
Also: “I learnt that I can watch episodes of Breaking Bad one after the other for 20 hours on a travel day on the tour bus.”
This kind of brutally honest, slightly unhinged, deeply tender storytelling is exactly what makes Déyyess so captivating. Her songs are laced with a particular kind of queer ache: part fantasy, part daydream, part brutal truth. Her new single, ‘Lips Like Sugar’, is no exception.
“It’s a fantasy story,” she explains. “It’s the hedonistic yearn of a crush. It’s not knowing whether the tension is real or in your head. You think about them when you wake up and dream about them when you sleep. You wonder what they taste like, fantasise and tell yourself stories about when you might finally kiss… only to realise it was totally one way, and you just have to settle for the version that’s in your head.”
“‘Lips Like Sugar’ is a fantasy story”
That tension runs through all of Déyyess’ work. Her breakout track ‘Claire’ is a gut-punch of a love song about falling for a straight girl. It’s also the track that nearly made her quit music, and the one that saved her career.
“I’ve been doing music for almost eight years, and it’s taken me that long to get to the point I’m at now,” she says. “When I first started, I always thought, give me two to three years and I’ll be away. It was never the case. It takes time, it takes rejection and failures. It takes big fat no’s and downfalls.”
But when the yeses finally started rolling in, they came fast. ‘Claire’ went viral. Fans resonated. Opportunities followed. “When it does start happening, you have all of that experience to help you navigate your way,” she says. “And then it’s surprising to see how quickly it can all come together when you’re surrounded by the right people and the right team. Love, care and friendships.”
Her music – airy and euphoric but emotionally sharp – draws from the Sundays, Cocteau Twins and the Cranberries. She calls it sparkly grunge. “Imagine you’re at a high school prom and you’re in love, but that person is dancing with someone else,” she’s said. It’s that exact ache.
Déyyess grew up in Canterbury. Her first love was football. She was scouted to play for Arsenal Girls. But everything changed when she discovered Lady Gaga at age twelve. “I decided I was going to learn piano, be a star and live in New York just like her,” she says. “And well… here I am, playing piano hahaha.”
“They were wrong. And yes, they were all men”
Inspiration still comes from everywhere. Gaga, obviously, but also Clairo, Chappell Roan, Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett, and the cursed internet spiral of WLW Tumblr fanfiction. When asked what fuels her songwriting, she answers instantly: “My own experiences and fantasies.”
She’s equal parts chaotic and precise; a Notes app hoarder and a mood board maximalist. “Oh, I’m both,” she grins.
And while her music may be for everyone, it’s especially for queer fans. “Writing ‘Claire’ opened up a whole new world for me musically,” she says. “It was the first openly queer song I had written, which was a huge deal for me. I’d always had people telling me to stay away from using she pronouns in my music, telling me not to include my sexuality and keep it neutral. All I can say is they were wrong. And yes, they were all men.”
Now, she wants to be that voice for someone else. “I’ve had different ideas of success over the years, but I’ve come to realise for me it’s being able to give something to people. Being able to inspire people and help them through with my music. It sounds soppy, but it’s true.”
And she’s not slowing down. “There’s a song called ‘WYGDOAG’ that if you dig a little bit, you’ll find what it stands for… but I am so excited for this song to come out, it’s insane.”
Outside of music, she keeps things simple. “I play football!!!” she adds, with three exclamation marks and the same unfiltered energy she brings to everything else.
Déyyess might be singing about unrequited crushes and sugar-spun heartbreak, but the direction she’s heading in? All mutual. All deserved. All in.
Déyyess’ single ‘Lips Like Sugar’ is out now.
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