Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and now based in Los Angeles, California - Its safe to say that Dean Risko has a contrasted background. He spent the last decade honing his craft and absorbing his surroundings in LA’s underground music circuit. He tends to gravitate towards Hip-Hop, Soul and Contemporary R&B while incorporating Pop and Alternative sensibilities making his music accessible and all encompassing. During his formative years his parents introduced him to music from The Bee Gees, The Carpenter, Bread, Billy Joel, The Eagles and The Beatles. Later on he came across Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers and Micheal Jackson which left quite an impression. His taste in music became increasingly eclectic throughout his teens alternating between artists like Portishead and Tori Amos to Musiq Soulchild and Mos Def. Enamored by MC’s like Nas, Lupe Fiasco and Black Thought, he developed a burning desire to join this league of extraordinary lyricists. Acting as the lifeblood of his music, the writing often takes priority over melody, cadence and tone. However, even a shallow dive into his catalog would reveal that he isn’t lacking in those areas. Inspired by André 3000, Cee-Lo Green and Lauryn Hill to become proficient at both singing and rapping resulted in a well-rounded vocal ability and performance prowess. To put it plainly, like many standout artists before him, Dean Risko was “genre bending” long before we knew what to call it.