Desiree Apolonio Bassett was born September 11, 1992 in New Haven, Connecticut. At the tender age of 3, she became fascinated with playing the guitar and singing. Her parents, Daniel and Myrna Bassett, quickly realized that their little girl was clearly a budding protege so her father began formally teaching her. By the age of 5, Desiree went from playing a kid’s sized guitar to a full-sized ’83 Ibanez Roadstar II. Within a few years she was entertaining her family and friends with Joe Satriani, Boston, and Triumph tunes and performing in local music competitions. She began studying at the University of Connecticut music program and went on to win Talent America’s Musician of the Year in 2005 in New York City at age 12.