Theo Dussek – Pirate Troubadour
Saltwater folk songs from the shorelines of the heart
Let the Pirate Troubadour guide you down winding rivers and storm-lit seas, where queer love is sacred, sailors still sing to the stars, and every bottle carries a secret. Trans folk artist Theo Dussek conjures a world of whales and soulmates, sea shanties and soft heartbreak with songs that are at once intimate and mythic.
Raised on the storytelling traditions of the British Isles and inspired by the likes of Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake and Paul Simon, Theo’s music blends lyrical depth with rolling acoustic rhythms and a smooth river voice that drifts between vulnerability and strength.
His latest album Written in the River traces love, identity and healing with honesty and grace, rooted in his experience as a trans man and shaped by the pull of tides and time.
Whether performing solo or with his band, Theo creates space for reflection and resonance—songs that feel like sea maps, heart songs, and homecomings all at once. If 21st-century yearning had spilled from an 18th-century dream journal—this is its songbook.
Rooted in British folk traditions but stretching into the open skies of Americana and indie-folk, Theo Dussek’s sound is melodic, rhythmic, and rich in storytelling. Acoustic guitar takes centre stage — fingerpicked and percussive, layered with harmonies, whistles, and moments of singalong joy — while his gentle tenor voice delivers lyrics that sway between intimacy and myth.
Blending traditional balladry with a modern folk-pop sensibility, Theo creates music that feels both familiar and unexpected. His songs move like weather fronts: shifting from soft and reflective to bold and buoyant, all the while inviting listeners into landscapes of longing, queer love, memory, and motion.
Pirate: a roguish adventurer who lives laws unto themselves, frequently found at sea, shoreline or sailing the high seas of their imagination, dressed in nautical attire
Troubadour: A travelling poet who makes their livelihood by serenading audiences across the land
Pirate-troubadour: (adj): A romantic songster who sails the seas of life, singing beauty to people’s souls, love-stories to legacy and burying the treasure of his golden, sun-filled music into the hearts of all who listen
(verb): the immutable quest to serenade the world with beautiful, love-music
