If you listened to Taylor Swift's last two rerecorded albums or her newest releases, folklore and evermore, you have probably at least heard of the name Aaron Dessner. He was in the folklore: Long Pond Studio Sessions on Disney+.
In the past, Swift has worked with many producers and collaborators such as Jack Antonoff, Max Martin and Shellback, Joel Little and more. Now, her latest link up is with Dessner. He helped her create two albums that sound almost completely different from the ones in the past.
Most recently, he helped her produce Red (Taylor's Version) and even appeared in the band in her latest music video, "I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault) (Featuring Chris Stapleton)."
Since working with Swift, his career and fame has taken off, and he has been very busy this past year. So, who exactly is Aaron Dessner, the man behind Taylor Swift's last two albums?
9 Early Days
Aaron Brooking Dessner was born on April 23, 1976 in Cincinnati, OH. He has a twin brother named Bryce Dessner, who is also involved in music. He was raised Jewish and has Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish ancestry. Dessner attended high school at the Cincinnati Country Day School, where he graduated in 1994. The producer went on to study Modern European History at Columbia University and got his degree in 1998.
8 Aaron Dessner's Personal Life
Not a lot is known about Dessner's personal life except that he is married to a woman named Stine, a registered nurse, whom he posts about on his Instagram a lot. Besides his twin brother, Bryce, he also has an older sister named Jessica. His sister is an artist, dancer and poet while his brother works with him in music. Stine and Dessner share three children together and have been married for over five years.
7 The National
The National is an American indie/alternative rock band that was formed in New York. It consists of Matt Berninger on vocals, The Dessner twins on guitar, piano and keyboards, Scott Devendorf on bass and Bryan Devendorf on drums. The band formed in 1999 and has released over eight studio albums. They have also collaborated on Taylor's Swift song, "coney island" from her album, evermore.
6 Big Red Machine
Another musical project of Aaron Dessner's is Big Red Machine. The band was formed in 2018 between Dessner and Justin Vernon, who is better known as Bon Iver. Their name comes from the dominant 1970s Cincinnati Red baseball team, who won the World Series in 1976. In 2020, they began working on new projects and released the album How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? Swift had lead vocals on two songs on the album, "Renegade" and "Birch."
5 Aaron Dessner's Time As A Producer
Besides being in two bands as a musician/singer, Dessner has also written songs and produced many other artists work. Besides working with Taylor Swift on her latest albums, the 45-year-old has also worked with Sharon Van Etten, Local Natives, The Lone Bellows, Lisa Hannigan, Ben Hannigan and more. He will also continue to work with Swift throughout her rerecording process.
4 Other Work And Instruments
Aaron Dessner and his twin have composed the scores for Transpecos and the 2013 film, Big Sur. They have also released charity albums including Day of the Dead, a tribute album to The Grateful Dead. Dessner plays a 1965 Gibson Firebird, which he bought off of Ebay. During live shows, he usually plays that and a 1963 Fender Jazzmaster.
3 Aaron Dessner Is A Grammy Award Winner
Even though you might have only heard of him starting last year, he has actually been around for a while. Dessner was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2014, along with The National for Best Alternative Music Album for Trouble Will Find Me. He has been nominated four other times but has won only two of those awards. The first was in 2018 for Best Alternative Music Album for Sleep Well Beast and in 2021 for Album of the Year for folklore with Swift.
2 His Relationship With Taylor Swift
Dessner told Pitchfork in 2020 that he and Taylor Swift met back in 2014 at Saturday Night Live when Lena Dunham was hosting. “And then she came to see us play last summer in Prospect Park during this crazy torrential downpour," he added. They realized she was a big fan of them.
Swift talked to him about their writing process, and when she found out they work remotely, she asked him to collab with her on her upcoming album, because of the pandemic. Since then, they have formed a wonderful friend and work relationship.
1 Aaron Dessner's Net Worth
It is unclear exactly what his net worth is, but multiple websites have reported his net worth to be around $1 to $1.5 million, which is surprising considering he has been in a band for over two decades, but he does have to share those earnings with the other members. With his fame increasing from working with Swift, it is sure to increase as the years go on.