But the minute this diminutive yet dazzling divette started singing her show-stopping ballad No Less, she instantly charged the air with pure excitement and electricity.
Amazing, but this small lady with the big voice had the previously sleepy fans eating from the palm of her hands. By the time Dessa wrapped up her number, the audience was all revved up, chanting for more.
Dainty Dessa packs a mean wallop.
Dessa has really matured beautifully as a performer, after over a decade in the biz. She points to her life experiences as the reason behind her growth as a performer.
"Now, I think my singing has more depth," Dessa declares.
If her life were a song, she says that it will express all her hurts, all her happiness, all her trials, all her triumphs.
"Sometimes you have to stumble and fall," she affirms. "You have to learn from your mistakes."
She considers her being a single mother to six-year-old daughter Khiana Noshka as the biggest challenge of her young life.
Still, she holds no bitterness in her heart. She looks at her failed relationship with Khiana’s father as a learning experience.
"I realized that no matter what happens, your parents will always be right," Dessa asserts. "You should always listen to them. They only want what’s best for you." Dessa now appreciates her parents more because she is a mother herself. Daughter Khiana Noshka is her pride and joy, her inspiration.
"I pressure myself at times," she admits. "Now, I worry about her schooling. She’s about to enter Grade One. I always tell myself that I have to work harder and save money for her future."
Mom Francisca helps Dessa in raising her daughter. "My mom takes care of her whenever I have work. But if it’s possible, I take her along with me."
Dessa makes sure she spends time with her daughter.
"It’s good that we sleep in the same room," she relates. "So before we call it a night, we have fun. We play together. That’s our bonding time."
Dessa reveals her daughter is her number one fan.
"She’s always excited to watch my shows," Dessa beams. "In fact, even for some rehearsals she insists on being present."
Pardon Dessa, but she can’t help acting like a stage mom as far as Khiana Noshka is concerned.
"She also sings," Dessa quips. "She has potential, ha. And she also knows how to act. In fact, she was supposed to have a mall fashion show, but since it was set on the same day as one of my concerts, she decided to be with me."
Indeed, Dessa’s little darling would rather watch her mom onstage than sashay on the ramp.
Dessa is one of the most sought-after performers in the live concert circuit. She is Backroom, Inc.’s resident belter and undisputed "Birit Queen." Despite all her accolades and acclaim, Dessa insists that she still gets nervous at the start of each concert.
"I really get tense," Dessa divulges. "You don’t know what’s going to happen. The pressure is heavy especially since my previous solo shows, like Divette and Front-Act Queen did well."
Dessa measures her success as a performer not in terms of the tickets sold, but in terms of the audience reaction.
"It’s a great feeling whenever the audience is very appreciative," she attests. "You get encouraged to give your all, to give your best."
Whenever the audience is particularly tough, she resorts to a tried-and-tested technique.
"I stop talking," Dessa roars. "I refrain from doing my spiels and just focus on my repertoire. Sing to death!"
But if the crowd is still hard to please, Dessa just shrugs it off and charges it to experience.
"For as long as I know that I did my best, I’m OK!"
That’s Dessa – no more, no less.