Interview & Photos: Tessa Violet

- Interview & Live Photos by Karina Gaytan

- August 29, 2019

- House of Blues

- Dallas, TX

Photo by Brian Gahan

How would you describe your music to a first-time listener?

Alt pop. Catchy melodies with thoughtful lyrics. 

What is your writing process like?

I write mostly alone in my room. Either on guitar or piano. I let the lyrics and melodies come together. Being a songwriter is like digging up dinosaur bones, that is to say the song already exists, your job is to figure out how it fits together and find all the pieces. Let it move though you. 

What can listeners expect from your upcoming album ‘Bad Ideas’?

I don't know! it's pretty heavy, I think. It doesn't always feel that way when you're writing it, but I listened back to it recently and I was like "wow. I was so sad and lonely". 

Twitter or Instagram? Why?

Twitter! it's just the perfect platform for me, I like that it's mostly jokes and it's easy to talk to people. Instagram is too image based for it to be my first love.

What was the inspiration behind the music video for ‘Bad Ideas’?

I wanted something that would visually match how the song felt (as opposed to retelling the lyrical story). The song feels nostalgic, strange, and bittersweet to me. It's both grand and intimate.

If you could be a fruit, which one would you be and why?

Pineapple because it's sweet on the inside but prickly on the outside. 

In another interview you stated you were doing a three-part release for your upcoming album, why did you decide to go with this idea?

Seemed like the move at the time but I've pivoted back. Stoked to release the album as one piece! It's meant to be listened to that way. 

Photo by Brian Gahan

What genre of music do you listen to? What’s the last song you listened to?

All sorts, truly it depends on my mood. We're on tour right now so we've been doing a lot of group listening, the last record we listened to was Noah Gunderson's Lover which was incredible. 

What is your favorite part about this line of work? Your least favorite? Why?

My favorite is touring the music and writing the music and working with my producer Seth on the music. There's so much about this job that is so meaningful. Music is so much about emotion, and humanity shares that. It connects people and helps me sort through my own feelings. Least favorite is having so much I want to do and not always having enough hours in a day to do it! 

What advice can you give to other young musicians who want to pursue a career in music? Keep writing and keep playing. Think of everything as a learning experience, people experience a lot of rejection and failure before they have success so don't take it too hard. Brush it off and keep going. The more you play and write, the quicker you will learn. Also have fun with it! Don't let the pressure of it get you down, make art for yourself first and people who have a similar taste as you will be drawn to you. Being an artist for me is about being genuine to self. Keep exploring who you are.