DANA DENTATA’S INVA$ION

Dentata, 18 at the time, was the former frontwoman of Canadian metal band Dentata (which takes inspiration from Japanese folklore about vaginas with teeth), as well as a former stripper—which later inspired her blood-drenched, shock-rock performance art into her live shows and music videos. Dentata is known for her Marilyn Manson makeup and theatrics of plastering herself in prosthetics, stripping to demon monsters on stage and wearing baby dolls attached to chain umbilical cords to represent being pro-choice.

Being unapologetically forward with her vulgarity and power, Dentata concentrated on solo femme-centered hip-hop music and her sex-positive stripping after the group broke up in 2013. Dentata describes herself as a “female chauvinist.” Her experiences in sex work and modeling paved the way for her nightmare-filled, sexually explicit femme anthems. 

Inspired by the stylings and theatrics of Eminem, Marilyn Manson and Courtney Love, Dentata was drawn to the higher purpose of the music industry having artists express their pain through an outlet. She creates music to have an “impact on someone’s soul, women in particular,” by showing men that masculinity comes from a woman owning her power.

With Dentata’s roots in punk and love for Hole, Babes in Toyland and The Distillers, she sang alongside Marilyn Manson on Heaven Upside Down. Dentata became the first female solo artist to sign to the infamous metal and rock label, Roadrunner Records, the home of Slipknot and Korn.

“It’s fucking history. I’m trying to do iconic shit that lasts forever…me being able to infiltrate such a masculine, misogynist world of music is a major accomplishment for me,” Dentata said in her interview with Hypebae.

Fearless, raw and honest, Dentata returned from her hiatus in 2018 with DANAVI$ION, which celebrates the power of feminine energy and all the darkness behind it. Dentata built up energy and strength moving forward from an abusive relationship, and began manifesting for healing and strength through her music and spiritual meditations. The hustler mentality is alive and well in “MAKE IT BOUNCE” and “MAGIC PU$$$Y,” which explore Dentata’s stripper background and how it both brought balance and set boundaries in her life. It’s equally aggressive, but balanced admirably with her unique-spirited vocal aura. Her experiences in modeling, sex work and love for punk rock paved the way for her metal-drenched rap and industrial femme anthems.

Exploring shock-rock theatrics, Dentata is often accompanied by demons on stage that represent her mental health struggles and abuse. In her recent 20-minute performance art film called The Resurrection of Dana Dentata, she kills the demon that once haunted her and wears angel wings to illustrate a healing attribution to her personal pain. It reflects the artist’s spiritual journey as she is adorned with blood and prosthetics, delivering her more confrontational anthems. Using the alter ego of Dentata (as someone not to be fucked with) is the final phase of her spiritual journey that no demon can conquer.

“I wanted to kill the demon and show you what I’ve been working on with my mental health. I have no idea what the next thing is going to look like, but it’s not going to look like what I’ve been doing before. There are no more demons and darkness. I’m letting myself evolve as a real person right now. I don’t know where it’s taking me, but I’m going there and I’m so ready. I think I sound more evolved, too. I’ve been in vocal trauma empowerment coaching with this amazing woman. You store your trauma in your vocal cords and it fucks up your chakras. My breathing is a total mess. I’ve really put work into healing and giving that attention,” Dentata said.

Her 2019 November drop, Daddy Loves You, includes her single “lil blood” that depicts an all-female fight club; it’s a song that tackles the topic of menstruation and dismantling toxic masculinity. Her songs “D in the D” and “GAF” blend sexual liberation, bloody gore, hyper masculinity and hyper femininity by taking inspiration and creating a mockery from toxic masculinity. Daddy Loves You traverses Dentata’s femme domme side, equally allowing her to explore her masculinity.

Dentata has moved on from the wild ride of her demon-loving, femme domme persona, and is beginning to embrace angels and self-love. On October 8, Dentata dropped “DO U LIKE ME NOW?” which is an exclusive sneak peek of the rapper’s forthcoming debut LP Pantychrist. She is in the midst of collaborations with artists/producers: Yawns and Fish Narc of GothBoiClique, Dylan Brady of 100 Gecs and Kris Esfandiari of King Woman/Miserable. “DO U LIKE ME NOW?” serves as the ultimate ‘fuck you’ to any man shaming a woman for the way she dresses or acts. The sampled inspiration for the latest music video comes from a viral YouTube clip from Eliza Ibarra called “Do You Like Me Now?.” Ibarra is seen attempting to mockingly embody all the unrealistic expectation guys want in a girl in her feminist performance art piece. In the music video, Dentata, Ibarra, Beatrixx Krenwinkel and Venus Black weaponize their trauma, smashing glass over men’s heads—literally striking down the man.

“Over the last six months, I’ve had spiritual breakthroughs and therapy breakthroughs…I really needed to go through that and heal my trauma in order for this album to take shape. The album has become so meaningful to me because it sounds like it’s the word ‘antichrist,’ but its not antichrist at all, it’s pro-christ—it’s about me looking towards the light, letting go of all the darkness, embracing angels, embracing a higher power and white light, and purity and healing of the womb. Pantychrist to me really means healing of the womb,” Dentata said.

Pantychrist represents spiritual and artistic transformation to Dentata, guided by six months of trauma therapy and personal breakthroughs. It’s much more than the artist’s usual conceptualized visuals of demons and decay, and begins to transcend into a new chapter of angel energy only.
“Protect your mind, protect your body, protect your vagina, protect your spirit, protect your soul, because they’re all vampire demon monsters. Just know yourself; know what you want and know your worth before you go out seeking anyone’s validation or opinions,” Dentata said.