From singing 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.Leaning into uncertainty and the idea of music as more than just a hobby, dee connected with local producer Benjamin Nadeau. The two quickly formed a creative partnership that has evolved her musical style and pushed her out of personal comfort zones. With Benjamin, dee released her first two singles, “Hardest Part” and “Olivia.” dee, who is studying animation in college, directed and animated the music video for “Olivia” herself. With a musical father and a mother who paints, the project is a perfect meeting of her two artistic influences: music and art. Fittingly, and almost as a nod to that dually artistic upbringing, it’s the song that launched her into the public eye. “Olivia” landed her on Spotify’s LOREM playlist, among countless others, and the momentum didn’t stop.“A month later people were still reaching out,” explains dee,” I had so many people commenting on the “Olivia” video.  It touches you. Each and every comment I take to heart. It lets me know, ‘Hey, this could work.’”With creative input in both the music and visual elements, the project translates that much more of dee’s singular and magnetic sensibility. “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.”