A self-taught keyboardist, she has been mixing genres (pop, rock, classical, theatrical, and Americana) since first moving to NYC in the ’70s. At the start of her career, she performed in many NYC clubs including Max’s Kansas City Easter Festival with The Ramones, Blondie, and Talking Heads.
Marsa owns and operates KeyMedia Group which is the umbrella company for its three divisions. KeyMedia Public Relations, a boutique PR & marketing firm in NYC that specializes in helping clients in arts & entertainment, and Denise Marsa Productions, a production company that develops original content, and KeyMedia Music Group.
Currently, her Marsa Music song catalog is being administered by BMG Rights Management. They have also co-produced her award-winning solo show The Pass. Marsa has produced and mentored several young up-and-coming artists (pop, jazz, classical) that she signed to her label with over a dozen releases currently available on KeyMedia Music Group. Previously she has been under contract as a songwriter with Warner Bros., London, and Warner/Chappell in Los Angeles living in both cities for periods of time. She has maintained her West Village apartment in NYC for over four decades. Marsa is best known internationally for the UK Multi-Platinum #3 classic hit, “Lucky Stars “a duet she performed with Dean Friedman. She went on to become the lead voice on The Flirts’ international Billboard charting dance record, “Helpless” (You Took My Love).
Originally from Trenton, New Jersey, Denise Marsa started performing in musical theater as a young girl. From the age of 4-to 10, she studied acting, and ballet, and worked with vocal coaches when she prepared for performances. In 1964 her family moved across the country to Tucson, Arizona in a 1964 4-door black Buick Wildcat, with a red leather interior. She then moved her interests to sports, the weather seduced her, and for several years she was a competitive swimmer. Her family moved back to the east coast after four years in Tucson. Falling in love with Tucson, she later attended the University of Arizona as a Theater Arts Major for a year and a half. She then studied at The College of New Jersey (Trenton State) focusing on English Literature. Eager to get out into the world, she left college and eventually moved to New York City performing with her own band playing her original music. It wasn’t long before she started getting lots of attention from the music industry and fans alike.
Marsa has released two solo albums, Self (1998) and LIVE FOREVER (2012) on her own label, KeyMedia Music Group as well as the EP, RAINBOW (2020) under the artist name Asram 450, and the other ALL THIS TIME ALONE (2021) under her own name. In 2021 she also released a live album of her solo show THE PASS 2020 recorded live, on December 31, 2020, from her streaming performance from Revelation Gallery in NYC.
Marsa is also known for mentoring, managing, and producing new young artists and giving them the tools to truly understand the music business from the ground up. Sharing her own experiences, she was able to work with a handful of talented and unique artists that are now represented on her music label, KeyMedia Music Group.
king redman photo
DENISE MARSA 