Montreal indie-pop breakout dee holt caps off 2024 with a new song + video “best of me & you”
December 12, 2024 BY Emma Orland
It’s been a landmark year for Montreal artist dee holt. She wowed audiences with her third EP loving in the dark, an ambitious lean into full-on pop production and lyricism, and performed at high-profile Canadian festivals like Montreal Jazz Fest, Sommo Festival, Festival D’Ete, and others. Tomorrow, she’ll cap off the year with a new song “best of me & you,” and make her directorial debut on the accompanying music video. Somber grand piano underpins dee’s melancholic vocals, building to a heartbreaking ending about love and loss. She teamed up with Nashville-based songwriter Claire Douglas and producers Hunter Metts and Watson Maack to perfect the emotional mood of the song.
“best of me & you” will be available tomorrow on all digital retailers (here). Watch the music video now (here).
dee says the song is “about saying goodbye to someone you thought was the one. It’s about heartache, grief, loss… It’s about looking back on a relationship that should have lasted. There was a trend that went around on social media where people were saying, ‘this is either going to be the one I’ll spend forever with or the worst breakup of my life’… this song is pretty much ‘the breakup’ ending of that theme. I think the song itself sounds like that heartache.”
The accompanying music video was shot on an iPhone and directed by dee. A heartbroken figure wakes in a grey room and performs a powerful silhouetted interpretive dance. As a student of Fine Arts, dee has always been a multifaceted visual artist, and she’s proud to finally get behind the camera for this video.
WATCH DEE HOLT’S “BEST OF ME & YOU” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPt5utgc0ds
ABOUT DEE HOLT:
From singing along to her dad’s guitar in VHS home videos and performing at family gatherings, to studying music and art, 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?”
After forming a creative bond with Montreal producer Benjamin Nadeau, dee released her first two singles, “Hardest Part” and “Olivia,” which landed her on Spotify’s LOREM playlist, among countless others, and the momentum didn’t stop. In 2022, after signing with Nettwerk Music Group, she released her debut EP, When I Close My Eyes, garnering millions of streams, numerous playlist covers, rave reviews, and even a Spotify billboard in downtown Toronto. TeenVogue called her “one to watch,” and SHEESH Media compared her vocals to the great Billie Eilish. dee capped off the year with a momentous debut performance at M for Montreal, winning the praise of Canadian press like La Presse, La Journal de Montreal, Cult MTL, RANGE, and more.
The six-song i’ll be there, translates even more of her singular and magnetic sensibility, taking a nuanced approach to pop songwriting. Lead single “sober” was lauded by Billboard who noted her confident vocal style, while “better” was featured on SoundCloud’s SHEESH Selects playlist.
Dee notched a series of high-profile festival performances this summer, from Montreal Jazzfest to the CNE and dazzled audiences with her headline shows as she prepares for her next release in early 2025.
DEE HOLT IN THE PRESS…
“The vibes generated by Montreal-based artist dee holt are deliberately visual, an immersive set of musical pictograms buoying and balancing sonic emojis into your ear canals. It’s wondrous and obvious, especially for an artist studying animation that can equal paint with both chords and oils.”
– Ones to Watch
“The confidence dee holt exudes… is only amplified by her crisp vocals, as she makes it sound oh-so-easy to dismiss a partner… she’s not messing around.”
– Billboard
“…a bright new offering in alt-pop… soft, charming, and wistful… making Dee Holt one to watch.”
– TeenVogue
“…holt is preparing to cement herself as a key figure in the ongoing renaissance of relationship-focused teen singer-songwriters with her upcoming 2023 release…“
– RANGE
“It’s hard not to hear a resemblance in tonal similarities with the great Billie Eilish – which is the highest of compliments – yet dee has her own demeanor, soaked in banter and youthful bliss… dee holt is simply Canada’s next artist to keep close tabs on in 2022.”
– SHEESH Media
