Aaron Dessner

Bio

Maybe it’s because he’s a twin, but Aaron Dessner says he feels like he was born to collaborate. “My brother Bryce and I grew up sharing a room and playing music at the same time, so it’s always been natural for me to develop ideas with other people.”

Dessner is a New York-based musician, composer and producer, best known for his work with Taylor Swift (including the 2020 Grammy Awards’ Album of the Year winner, ‘folklore’ and its sister album ‘evermore’) and with Grammy Award-winning alternative band The National, whose albums he has co-written and co-produced since the group’s inception in 1999. He began producing outside projects almost a decade ago, developing his own distinctive sound and approach, and an ability to connect with artists from disparate genres, whether it’s Sharon Van Etten’s breakthrough album ‘Tramp’, the delicate craftsmanship of Irish artist Lisa Hannigan, or the haunting gothic blues of up-and-coming singer-songwriter Adia Victoria.

His studio, Long Pond, near Hudson, New York, has become a creative oasis for Dessner and his collaborators -- a place where the beauty of the woods and the water makes it easy to get lost in the moment. “The best music happens when you aren’t overthinking or putting too much pressure on yourself,” he says. “What is most rewarding for me now is to write music and share it with other musicians, to see what strange alchemy happens when someone else adds their own voice, emotion and ideas into it. I think every idea is worth chasing, and every experiment is worthwhile. Sometimes what seems like a discardable fragment is actually the seed of a great song.”

Dessner also collaborates with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon on their collaborative project Big Red Machine, and co-founded international music festivals including the Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival in Wisconsin, Boston Calling, and the National’s own Homecoming festival in Cincinnati. Along with Bryce, Vernon and a community of musicians and creatives, he launched the 37d03d (PEOPLE) collective in 2016. 37d03d produces multi-artist events and operates an independent record label, all with the goal of supporting and encouraging spontaneous collaboration.

SELECT ALBUM/SINGLE/SCORE PRODUCTION CREDITS

- Taylor Swift, evermore (2020), Producer, Co-writer

evermore opened atop the Billboard 200, and broke the Guinness World Record for the shortest gap between two number-one albums by a female act. All 15 of the album's tracks entered the Billboard Hot 100 in the same week, led by the lead single "Willow". As a consequence, she became the first act to simultaneously debut atop both US Billboard 200 and Hot 100 charts twice. Republic Records reported more than a million copies of Evermore sold in its first week globally.

- Taylor Swift, folklore (2020), Producer, Co-writer

folklore debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart and was the best-selling album of 2020. It spent eight weeks at number one, making it the longest-running chart-topper since 2017. All of its 16 tracks entered the Billboard Hot 100. The lead single "Cardigan" led Taylor Swift to become the first act to debut atop both Billboard 200 and Hot 100 simultaneously.

Publications listed Folklore amongst the best albums of 2020, with many ranking it first. The album and its songs earned five nominations at the 63rd Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year for "Cardigan", and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Exile". Folklore has been viewed as the quintessential quarantine album, and the pandemic's "first great" work of art. It is widely regarded as one of the most influential albums of 2020.

- Michael Stipe & Big Red Machine, "No Time For Love Like Now" (2020), Producer, Co-writer

Dessner and Big Red Machine partner Justin Vernon collaborated remotely with legendary R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe on this aptly-timed track, which is part of a larger, as-yet-unreleased collection of new music by the duo.

- Eve Owen, Don’t Let The Ink Dry (2020), Producer, Co-writer

The English singer-songwriter sought out Dessner for her debut studio album, recorded at his Long Pond studio near Hudson, New York.

- Cyrano (2019), Co-writer

Dessner and his brother Bryce, along with the National’s Matt Berninger and his partner, Carin Besser, composed the soundtrack for a 2019 stage adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, at New York’s Daryl Roth theater.

- The National, I Am Easy To Find (2019), Producer, Co-writer

The National’s Grammy-nominated eighth studio album was also a collaboration with the director Mike Mills (Thumbsucker, 20th Century Women), whose short film I Am Easy To Find is based on songs from the LP.

- Adia Victoria, Silences (2019), Producer

After recording a single with the Nashville-based gothic blues singer, Dessner and Adia Victoria reunited at Long Pond to collaborate on her engrossing sophomore LP. Barack Obama featured the song “Different Kind Of Love” in his list of “Favorite Music of 2019.”

- Big Red Machine, Big Red Machine (2018), Producer, Co-writer

Dessner’s first album-length collaboration with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon under the moniker Big Red Machine, this genre-defying collection features contributions from almost forty collaborators, recorded mostly at his Long Pond studio. It was also the debut release on the 37d03d label.

- The National, Sleep Well Beast (2017), Producer, Co-writer,

The first of The National’s albums to be recorded at Long Pond, and their seventh LP over all, Sleep Well Beast won the GRAMMY Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2018.

- Frightened Rabbit, Painting Of A Panic Attack (2016), Producer

Dessner helped Scottish rockers Frightened Rabbit record their most anthemic and commercial-sounding album yet. This collection -- which turned out to be the band’s final album, following the tragic death of singer Scott Hutchison in 2018 -- was recorded at Dessner’s previous home studio, in Brooklyn, New York.

- Various Artists, Day of the Dead (2016), Producer

The follow-up to Dark Was the Night and another charitable effort for the Red Hot Organization, Day of the Dead is an extensive, multi-album tribute to the Grateful Dead, created, curated and produced by Dessner and his brother Bryce. The compilation took four years to record and features more than 60 artists from varied musical backgrounds, including Lucinda Williams, Bela Fleck, The War On Drugs, and Courtney Barnett.

- Sharon Van Etten, Tramp (2012), Producer, Co-writer

Recorded in Dessner’s Brooklyn studio, Tramp is one of Van Etten’s most beloved and acclaimed albums. Of her experience working with him on the LP, Van Etten has said, “Aaron really understood my songs and the potential as to where they could go. He helped me feel comfortable taking chances."

- Various Artists, Dark Was The Night (2009), Producer, Co-writer

A benefit compilation for the Red Hot Organization that features exclusive recordings and collaborations from artists including David Byrne, Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens, Sharon Jones, Cat Power, Grizzly Bear, My Morning Jacket and Spoon. Dark was the Night has raised over 2 million dollars for the AIDS charity.