Desiree Dorion chats about going outside the box for new album ‘Pieces of Me’

Desiree Dorion, originally from Dauphin, Manitoba, released her eighth album, Pieces of Me, on May 15. She sat down with The Gateway to dive deeper into the album, beyond just the lyrics and instrumentals. 

Pieces of Me is Dorion’s eighth album, but it’s the first musical project she’s produced on her own. “The biggest disadvantage is … not knowing whether or not you can trust yourself,” Dorian reflected. Being in charge of how instruments would be layered in a track meant paying special attention to the details and nuances of each song.

Self-production did not mean that Dorion made the album alone. From working with sound engineer Grant Trippel to welcoming collaboration from studio musicians and harmony singers, everyone involved had the opportunity to provide input and create the best possible sound. Seeing what did and didn’t work allowed Dorion to really experiment with what felt right. 

“None of [the tracks] fit thematically in any way, shape or form, but they all tell a story about who I am, or who I was at some point in time” said Dorion

When asked about the inspiration behind Pieces of Me, Dorion explained that she started with going back to tracks that she’s written, but has never released or put into a project. 

Dorion has historically been known to write and produce country music, as well as lean into roots Americana. “But the truth is, I’ve sat along the roots, folk roots and pop country spectrum for as long as I can remember,” said Dorion. She mentioned that for Pieces of Me, the focus was less on sticking to any specific genre and more on choosing songs that she believed were good in their own right. While “Red Wine” is a three-quarter time country song, “Landmine” is more in the realm of pop country. 

Many of the album tracks didn’t fit the model of mainstream country music, yet still represented who Dorion is as an artist. The name Pieces of Me represents her various experiences and walks of life while acknowledging her layeredness as an individual. 

Her favourite off the record is track six, “Little Girl” — a song she wrote with her daughters in mind. It’s filled with reassuring statements that Dorion wishes her younger self had believed in when she initially dreamed of pursuing music. The lyric “little girl know your magic” is particularly special to her, and is something she would tell her younger self if she were to redo her career all over again. 

Dorion wants listeners to know that “it’s okay to not necessarily fit inside of a box” and that venturing out and experimenting is always a positive experience. 

While the tracks may not be cohesive thematically, the record was certainly impacted by Dorion’s Indigenous heritage. “Storytelling is a huge part of who I am as a Cree person,” Dorion said. “That’s just ancestrally who I am.” 

Moving forward, Pieces of Me will encourage the artist to think more about instrumentation throughout the creative process. Even when writing lyrics, production will play a role in how Dorion creates tracks. “I’ll definitely be thinking more about the details for every song as I keep creating,” she said.