Dionne Dupré

Dionne grew up on Detroit's west side in a house full of women who taught her to walk tall and speak her mind, Motown and funk spilling from every window. She spent her twenties singing backup for men who never saw her, until she realized she was tired of making other people's dreams sound good. At twenty-nine she opened her own lounge, a low-lit refuge where soul music, slow dancing and real conversation still matter. She pours herself into the place: booking bands, mixing cocktails, working the room in gold and leopard print, and every Friday night she takes the mic and reminds the crowd what longing sounds like. She wants to be chosen loudly, loved consistently, but she learned early that most people will take what you give and never think to give back.