Céline Dessberg

David Byrne, Chet Baker, and traditional Mongolian music are among her biggest inspirations. She sings (beautifully!), plays the guitar, piano, and traditional Mongolian zither. And she goes straight for the heart. Her music, which combines her Asian heritage with modern indie and pop sensibilities, is food for the imagination. Just close your eyes for a minute. It’s all thanks to her Mongolian parents, who gave their Paris-born daughter a yatga, a type of stringed instrument played in their homeland. Céline Dessberg and her new zither soon became fast friends. She started out playing pop, because, as she explains, “You can’t do Mongolian music just any old way.” It was only after she had mastered the technique that she felt comfortable combining her musical roots with the world she lived in. “Before I could share my music with the world, I first had to understand who I am,” she says. And she’ll be sharing it with us at the OFF Festival!