We had the pleasure of talking to the wonderful Dialectic Dee who is a London based poet that has recently released her debut EP, Utter Confusion, and is an advocate for raising awareness about the sickle cell community. When people think about poetry and spoken word, they often associate the art with live open mic nights and deep wordplay. This 23-year-old has switched it up and made her poetry her own. Dee has stepped out of the realms of what we know poetry to be through her fusion of music, spoken word, and raw emotion.
How did you get into poetry?
Inspired by the likes of Sophia Thakur, Dee used her personal experiences to start writing and performing her work. Just A Friend by Sophia made Dee realise that poetry had become modernised. It wasn’t about the anthologies we had studied in the past anymore (although there were some good poems in them), it was now about showcasing her words to the world in the way that she wanted to. After attending open mic nights and getting a taste of what performing was like, Dee used her poetry to connect with audiences across London and soon found herself booked and busy. Despite being inspired by learning about poetry and English at school, Dee has evolved into the captivating performer that she is today whilst inspiring young people along the way.
I’ve always loved spoken word as it gives me the opportunity to take my words off the page and bring them to life on stage.
Dialectic Dee
Where did the idea for Utter Confusion come from?
Like all creatives, Dee had her own process when it came to developing Utter Confusion. She went from writing words on a page to posting her content on Soundcloud for the world to hear what she had to say. Little did she know that she would get a great response from her listeners which encouraged her to produce a longer body of work. Utter Confusion takes you through a journey of the troubles that come with being in love. The eight track EP produced by Scescobar gives you beautiful expression with musical elements that provide you with an insight into the private life of Dialectic Dee.
What are some of your most memorable moments as an artist?
Dialectic Dee has some serious experience under her belt that has seen her travel to perform her craft, and secure deals that she never thought would come her way. Many poets not only perform as a way of expressing what they have to say, but they do their art for a living. Dee learned from an early age that you have to know your worth as creative if you want to build a career from your work. This thought process has led her to some major opportunities that have been a highlight for her as an artist.
A big one for me was doing my first commercial for JD Sports’ Christmas campaign. To be able to work with a brand I have admired for so long, but also have the creative freedom over what I produced was amazing.
She had her debut international performance at a poetry festival in Finland in 2018 which set a new bar for her as an individual, and as a poet. The moves that this young talent has been making has inspired creatives to take their poetry further than the open mic stage.
It has always been a dream of mine to travel and perform abroad, so when it actually happened it felt surreal.
DIALECTIC DEE
You can stream Dialectic Dee’s debut EP, Utter Confusion on all platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and iTunes. To find out what this incredible poet has coming up in the future follow: @dialecticdee
Feature photographer: @souldiaries
Creative director: @tannikataylor
Writer: @tannikataylor
Wordplay & Flow 