Single Review: D’Leesa - Healer

Algorithms get on my damn nerves. But once in a while they will actually turn up a gem. And on this occasion the YouTube algorithm recommended me a video from somebody named D’Leesa. The thumbnail was so raggedy in a way which spoke to me, so of course I had to click on it, and I’m so glad that I did.

D’Leesa is an independent artist who has been releasing songs on YouTube over the course of the past year. This girl has no budget. She has a microphone, a MacBook and a dream. The only connections she has is to the Internet. But she’s doing this music shit dammit. And she only went ahead and dropped the song of Pride 2026.

[Adds song to ‘Black Dance Girlies’ playlist]

I’m a sucker for 90s dance music. Especially when my people do it and do it well. So when I clicked on D’Leesa’s video and heard a beat which reminded me a bit of Adamski and saw 90s period accurate ghetto green screen shenanigans, I knew I was about to be in for a good time. And true to the title of the song, within 3 minutes my headache disappeared, my credit score went up, my edges grew back and that knee pain that had been hampering me all week was suddenly non-existent.

[Adds song to ‘Pussy Gospel’ playlist]

Single Review: D’Leesa - Healer | D’Leesa

D’Leesa has released some songs in the past. But none of them really clicked. Each one was a case of ‘Yeah, but…’ as opposed to just being a really good song. If the beat was good, then D’Leesa’s vocals didn’t quite fit it. And if D’Leesa’s voice fit the beat, then the song as a whole just wasn’t strong enough. Or the lyrics wouldn’t be strong enough. Or the mixing wasn’t good enough. But each song got better with each release, which was promising. “Digital Girl” was the song where I threw my hands up like ‘BITCH. YOU ARE SO CLOSE.’ And then she dropped “Healer”. And not only did D’Leesa finally get it right, but she may have also found a new angle and vibe for her music. Because this 90s dance shit that she’s on for “Healer” really suits her.

Sure. The production could be a lot tighter, as could the mixing. And a bit more in the way of vocal production would have elevated the song. And a bridge really would have set this song off. But given that D’Leesa is doing all of this shit herself and learning as she goes, I’m not gonna get on her case too much for these shortcomings. Because the song as it is — even in this raw as hell form — is still good. And I go back and forth over wondering whether the song being too overpolished would rid the song of its charm. Because whilst the beat and the hook are what carry the song, the lo-fi vibe of the whole thing does contribute something to the song.

Several users in the YouTube comments of D’Leesa’s video had mentioned Kelela. And I couldn’t believe that the entire time I was listening to “Healer” that Kelela never once came to mind, because “Healer” is SUCH a Kelela sounding song. And Kelela is a great choice of artist for D’Leesa to look to, because her approach to her music — production, vocal arrangements, mixing — would really work for D’Leesa.

Single Review: D’Leesa - Healer | D’Leesa

“Healer” shows growth in every aspect of D’Leesa’s artistry from the upload of her very first song. And this is a really promising thing which is cool to see, despite D’Leesa having only started to release music last year. And if “Healer” is what she is able to deliver from her bedroom with just a MacBook and a Prime deal microphone from Amazon, then just imagine how it would sound with a coat of production polish, refined mixing and a vocal producer. D’Leesa, babes. You’re onto something. Keep going.