The singer and rapper Dessa had been writing songs about heartbreak for years, as she waded through a volatile relationship and a protracted breakup. One night, inspired by a TED talk, she decided to see if studying her brain could help her fall out of love.

Though her experiment on love is not an official scientific study, it is a lens for examining big questions on love and loss, mind and body, art and science.

Singer, rapper, and writer Dessa has made a career of bucking genres and defying expectations—her résumé as a musician includes performances at Lollapalooza and Glastonbury, co-compositions for 100-voice choir, performances with the Minnesota Orchestra, and a top-200 entry on the Billboard charts for her album Parts of Speech. She contributed to the #1 album The Hamilton Mixtape; her track, “Congratulations,” notched over 5 million streams.

More info on Dessa:
https://www.dessawander.com
Twitter: @dessadarling

Special thanks to the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research at the University of Minnesota

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx