Interview Gioi / gioiagiovani

Photography Carter Howe / carterkhowe

Dysfunctionality in the system of dreams, uploaded self and downloaded persona. No matter how bizarre the term dysfunctional sounds, its effect, post-music and post-writing, brings out the best in Tessa Violet. The accident of toying with the strings of a guitar foresees the dive into the realm of writing lyrics while not thinking any of such ventures would ever be possible. The possibility of an impossibility deters the impossibility of a possibility; the eccentricity of her beginnings, the penchant for photography and visual directing before traversing the utopia of music, promises unbounded boundaries and continuous continuum.

In our exclusive interview with the artist, Tessa Violet lets us into her creative process, accidental discoveries, live streaming as a platform to engage with one’s audience, the visibility of herself in the music she crafts, and the definition of success.

The first question would be about you. How would you describe your personality?

I found this a really hard question to answer because I suspect, like most people, my internal experience of self is probably very different than how others experience me. So I put three friends on the spot and asked them:

person 1: I mean like... interesting? Not quite eccentric but also like not not. Like, creative? Inquisitive? I‘m trying to think back to when I first met you, seemed like you were down to learn and to be curious and to talk. Caring in that way.

person 2: Thoughtful, creative, intense when you‘re focused on something, ummmmmm... I feel like some people would say bubbly but there‘s probably a better word for it. Radiant or like sunny.

Person 3: Greta Garbo meets Zsa Zsa Gabor.

You grew up in a small town in Oregon. Did you experience a sense of community there?

I was an only child and I had trouble making friends for most of my childhood, I think I just didn‘t know how to relate to people. That said, I did develop a close group in high school that I still keep in touch with till this day :)

How did you first approach music and songwriting?

I neeeverrrrr would have seen myself as a songwriter when I was a kid. Though at the same time it’s like... of course I am, that makes perfect sense. I was super creative and loved to perform, but there also was no music scene at all in my hometown so I’d just literally never thought about the idea of it. It wasn’t until my friend left his guitar in my car when I was 23 and I started playing it (cause someone might as well, right?) that I was like huh... a week ago I’d never played guitar and now I kind of can, maybe I could write a song too? It really immediately felt like a perfect outlet to try and better understand myself and what I was going through. I was, and sometimes continue to be, a very analytical and anxious thinker. Songwriting is both a practical way to put feelings into words, and a creative way to turn yourself inside out. Shine a light on it and see - maybe it‘s not as scary as you thought it was. Also when you start playing your music live and releasing it, maybe you‘re not alone in feeling that way.

Has music always been your main focus artistically? Do you have any other creative interests outside of music?

No! I really only discovered songwriting as an outlet when I turned 23! Before that I wanted to work in film behind the scenes. I loved editing and DPing and I still do! I think that still gets reflected in my music videos, I’m a very visual person and have a strong sense of how I want to see my songs reflected in video. In general I love to lean into how the songs “feel” vs lyrically the story I’m telling. I think music videos are an opportunity to tell a new story or an additional one, instead of retelling the lyrical story. I also recently love fashion! I used to be so shy about how I dressed but just last year I got very creative about my style. I think I was embarrassed to draw attention to myself, but always loved others who were bold with their choices. Idk what clicked but I was like, yeah, I’m going to start wearing things that light me up even if they’re kind of out there. I really recommend it to anyone who’s interested! You might have this feeling like people will think I’m weird but like, so what? Mostly people love it. It’s fun to see someone beautifully or funkily dressed :)

You’re now based in L.A. What is that like? Are you planning to stay there long term?

hahaha Well, I moved to LA like right before the pandemic hit so my experience of LA hasn‘t been a typical LA experience. I spend almost all my days online streaming and hanging out with fans, or writing and working on new things. When I’m not working I just got into camping? But besides that, hanging out with my roommate. I guess with this pandemic lifestyle I could probably live anywhere, but LA‘s great because it‘s warm most the year and close to all kinds of nature (both 3 hours from the desert and snow capped mountains)! As for LA culture itself, I really feel I‘ve yet to experience it. I can‘t wait for things to come back though! I want to be going to shows like every night!

As an artist who has done so much to connect with fans through online channels (live streams, vlogging etc), how do you see these tools and platforms evolving for artists in the future? Will there still be a place for pre-Internet era forms of connecting with fans?

Omg I can not waaaaaiiiiitttttt to get back to playing shows. Don’t get me wrong, connecting online is so much fun!! But it just can’t beat the real thing, and playing shows and being on tour is my absolute favorite thing to do in the whole world. I love the energy of a show and getting to create a space for people to feel safe, excited, sad, whatever they’re going through. I also miss the meet and greets. Before every show I do a little hang out with like twenty people and take song requests and play acoustic. It’s super rewarding to get both experiences, the intimate acoustic show, and the full band, big production supershow (though on a club scale). As for how I see them evolving for artists in the future, I’m not sure! There’s so much at our fingertips now it’s hard to imagine a way to be even more connected. As it is, I can even text my fans!

You‘ve made live streaming and connecting with other artists online a priority. Would you say that live streaming, especially in the past year, has become one of the best tools for artists to stay connected with fans?

Absolutely!! Last March when everything started happening and people were going into quarantine, I had this vision of when I was 18 and had just moved to NY and was super isolated. I didn‘t have any friends and I just didn’t know how to connect with people in person, it was a hard time. But I did have these twice weekly livestreams a youtuber I liked was doing that I would look forward to. Honestly I think that simple thing, having something to look forward to, this livestream, was a huge light in a dark time for me. I thought yoooo I can do this for people too, now. That’s where the idea for The Something To Look Forward To Tour came from! It‘s been fun to get creative about what a livestream can look like and how it extends beyond the stream itself. You always have those people on tour who will come to several shows and now those people come to several streams and you now have the opportunity to get to know them too! I really feel like with the pandemic I‘ve gotten a better sense of who my fans are and I love that. Now I’m doing the twitch streams around the Games release (get it haha), and that’s been super fun too, and I have a big livestream show coming up which let me tell you I am the MOST excited for. Since I never got the chance to tour the album, this stream will be an album tour of sorts, and I am LOVING reimagining a music show when you have these different scaffoldings to work from. No audience is a bummer, but it also means we work without the limitations of a stage and a confirmed space. Anyway I’m excited for people to see what I came up with :)

What part of yourself is most visible in your music?

Haha I hate to say it but I think it might be my dysfunction lol. A lot of my songs are me working through “why do I do the things I do????” That said, I think the show provides more context to these moments. AndIthinkthat’sagreatquestiontoaskyourself!!!Soit’snotallbad.

Your album „Bad Ideas“ was released in 2019. Tell us about it and if you are working on something new right now.

Omg yesss it’s crazy. We released the album with the full intention of doing the Bad Ideas tour in 2020 but we all know how that worked out!! But I‘m SO excited about the Bad Ideas: The Experience livestream coming up. I already talked about that so I won’t go on too much but in the end I’m grateful for an opportunity to showcase the album in a live (even if not in person) setting. For a while there I thought that I may never get to tour/play the album. Anyway that’s been taking up most of my time!! And the music video for Games of course and this whole big radio push around Games. Also shout out to the fans who are pushing with me! I can’t say too much about what I’m working on next because it‘s still revealing itself to me, but you can maaaaybe catch a new song in the livestream.

Tell us about your collaborations over the past year, especially your new single „Games“ with lovelytheband. How did these come about?

It will have been three songs that I’ve released with a new artist on it! All three of these songs are so special and I just felt like they deserved a little more time in the spotlight, having a featured artist on the song is such a fun way to do that! I was supposed to open for lovelytheband in 2020 which let me tell you I was so stoked about that tour lol. ANYWAY I was like hey would you want to sing on „Games“? I loooooooove Mitchy’s voice on it! I really think he has such a special voice and it adds something to the song. Honestly I feel that way about all the songs I’ve gotten to have my friends sing on, it’s like I appreciated the songs more when I got to hear them through someone else’s voice, plus it’s super fun to do a release with a friend. Then you have someone to be excited with! As for how they came about, I basically just reached out to them and was like hey you want to sing on my song? Yes!! Of course!

What is your favorite quality in a person?

Kindness, thoughtfulness, desire for adventure, and people who love to laugh. I especially love people who have a strong sense of self because I don‘t always feel that way and it‘s grounding to be around people like that. Additionally I like curious people who are figuring themselves out. You‘ll get there! I love watching you grow.

Do you believe there’s a key to success?

I‘d start by asking yourself how am I going to define success? I think a lot of people make this mistake of assuming that at some point in their career they‘re going to hit some level and feel fulfilled, happy, or successful. But as someone who has experienced a lot of success and also known a lot of successful people, let me tell you: this is a trap. Don’t wait to feel happy or successful, success can be working toward a goal, that’s usually where the fun is anyway. Choose to enjoy that! Also spend some time thinking about goals you want to hit, so then when you hit them you can celebrate with people you know. Otherwise those things fly past and you don’t realize they were a success until they’re way behind you. I guess my key is just this: enjoy the ride.