After 10 Years, Dezi 5 Is Headlining The Kessler Theater With an Evolved Sound

Dezi 5 is returning to The Kessler Theater this summer, transformed as an artist, and stepping into a bigger sound and stage.

On Wednesday, May 14, Dezi 5 announced he would be headlining The Kessler Theater for his first official theater show in 10 years. The show will be on Saturday, August 9 at 8 p.m., and it will double as a vinyl release celebration for his album Dirty Laundry: Unfolded and a benefit concert in partnership with Amplified Minds, raising funds and awareness for mental health and suicide prevention resources for Dallas musicians and creatives. Tickets are available here with general admission starting at $25.

Dezi 5, who is also a community builder, scene connector and founder of the Dallas Entertainment Awards, gave us an early heads-up about the announcement after teasing it on his Instagram. Dezi 5 tells us how much of an honor it is to play The Kessler, a rite of passage for any upcoming local artist beginning to attract a large audience.

"It's an accomplishment for a local artist to be able to headline a theater," he says. "I haven't headlined there since 2016. I headlined there a long time ago with Topic. 10 years later, here I am back with a new sound and new direction. I was a totally different Dezi 10 years ago."

Artists often evolve, going through different eras as they shift their overall sound, vibe and appearance. For the younger version of Dezi, he was in the midst of searching.

"The difference between back then and now, I was honestly the pop star Dezi in Dallas at that time and I was searching for pop stardom," he says. "Back then, everybody would always say, 'Dezi, you need to stop doing this pop shit, and you need to get to the soul music because you are a soul singer.' I was like, 'Fuck that. That's what y'all want me to do.' I was being a rebel."

"When people would tell me to go more soulful and do the stuff that was more in my [wheelhouse], I would feel offended because I am trying something new," he continues. "That's who Dezi was back then. I was Lady Gaga, Madonna. Crazy fishnet guy. This time, I learned to pay attention to my audience."

Dezi 5 says doing Texas soul is now his calling, reflecting on how if he had gotten famous during that time, he would've been stuck performing pop songs. "I think the universe did this on purpose and made sure I brought it back home to the way it is, which is soul music," he says. "The sounds of Little Richard, Otis Redding and Ike & Tina."

He decided to align with Amplified Minds (formerly Foundation 45) because he felt it was important to spread awareness of accessible mental health resources. Foundation 45 was established in 2014 as a suicide prevention group following the tragic loss of two local musicians, Adam Carter and Frankie Campagna, both members of the rising band Spector 45.

"We are in this scene together," he says. "There are a lot of people in this scene that have substance abuse problems and with us being a community, we are supposed to be there for those people as well. I feel like that's what Amplified Minds does. Even for a guy like me who suffered from substance abuse before, those outlets are helpful for us as musicians."

As of this announcement, Dezi 5 says he's brainstorming exclusive Amplified merch ideas and VIP packages where you get a copy of his vinyl included.

Dirty Laundry: Unfolded will contain songs like "Alone" and "Missin' Myself." He describes the album as a personal diary covering his time living in New York, dating, heartbreak, fighting with inner demons, overcoming tough times and finding his way back. The deluxe release will include two new songs, "Paint the Town" and "Lady."

On how "Paint the Town" came together, Dezi 5 recalls partying one night at Decotron.

"They had a band struck up, and they were playing a blues pattern," he remembers. "Everybody was saying, 'Dezi go sing.' I was like, 'No, I don't want to sing. I just got off work. The last thing I want to do is fucking sing.' My friend was like, 'It's my birthday! At least you can do is go sing 'Happy Birthday' to me!' So sarcastically, I get the mic. Her name is Martha, and I was like, 'Martha!' I screamed her name. I was like, 'You know what we gon' do, we gonna paint the town!' The band just started jammin' and I just started jammin' to it. My friend Dana happened to record it, she sent it to me. I was like, 'You know what? I want to take this to the studio.'"

"Paint the Town" is a song that'll help him crossover to soul, explaining how he is redefining his sound again, which had previously fused R&B and pop. "I want to get on the stages with Charley Crockett and Leon Bridges," he says. "I feel like this is the perfect time to introduce that style, also to grow as an artist, but also to set an example for younger musicians who don't know what to do."

The other track, "Lady," is a re-release of a song from 2018. He wrote that song from the perspective of his grandmother singing to her daughters. "I had a lot of substance abuse in my family, and most of them were women. I watched them diminish themselves," he says. "'Lady' is about a woman who needs to realize that she's a queen and go out there and claim who she is."

There will only be 100 copies of Dirty Laundry: Unfolded available, priced at $40. Dezi 5 says he'll distribute five vinyl LPs at five record stores and sell the remaining ones at his concert.

With the deluxe release on the way and his upcoming Kessler show, Dezi 5 is ecstatic about reaching another career milestone.

"I've finally decided to listen to myself and listen to what people want from me," he says. "I was being very stubborn and trying to do what I wanted to do. But at the end of the day, this is who I am."