Tessa and Friends is the indie music project led by London- and St. Petersburg-based artist Tessa Forrest who writes, produces, and records everything herself from her apartment studio. Her EP ‘SUNRISE HUNTERS’ is a product she’s been working on for the last few years, she hopes it’ll make her listeners feel something, which it certainly did for us. We’re excited to speak to Tess about her musical influences, what keeps her going and what she hopes to achieve.
Hi! Could you introduce yourself, your genre, and your musical influences?
“Hi, my name is Tessa, and I’m doing what I call nostalgic indie rock. The first influences that come to my mind are My Chemical Romance, because for the first time since I discovered them in 2013, I finally got to see them at Wembley this July (best day of my life so far). But if we look into a broader perspective, I’ve been brought up in an academic music scene and had a weird hyperfixation on Dmitry Schostakovitch at some point. The academic music world is still a part of who I am, and the decision to quit it led me to writing “The Loser Gets Set Free.” Speaking of other artists, I appreciate FINNEAS’s solo career a lot and love classic rock like The Beatles and Queen. The Bleachers, Paramore, Maggie Rogers, Ricky Montgomery, and Daughter are also on my playlists. I just love something that tells a good story, you know?”
What inspired you to start making music, and what inspires you to keep going?
“I guess I was always longing for some sense of purpose in life, some sense of belonging. And music gave it to me. I’ve been doing music since I was five or something, but for the first time I discovered my true passion for it as a teenager, when I got exposed to rock/pop music, it’s sense of community and belonging, the way a song can light up your most boring day.”
Where do you, in general, get inspiration for your music and song-writing?
“Mostly scenes from life that became so-called core memories. It’s funny how you may not feel like this moment is important, but then you keep coming back to it again and again and realize how it has changed you in so many ways. For me, song writing is a way of processing memories, complicated emotions, or trauma. Something may seem unfair or painful, but somehow art helps me to make sense of it. Sometimes it’s just like, there was so much love and beauty in the moment that the only way to express it was through art.”
Who would you like to work with in the near future, and where would you like to perform in the next three years?
“My main goal is to work with more people in general. At some point I just had to learn how to do everything by myself, to trust myself more and believe in myself more. But as a side effect of that, I just got a little too independent. I’m proud of myself for working with my mixing engineer, Jan, and photographer, Margot. But I can’t wait to see this tiny team grow. Currently I’m looking for a manager/socials manager to work together!”
Which musical achievements are you most proud of?
“It may sound cliché, but… singing. I don’t believe I ever talked about it in the context of my career, but I was labelled as a “tone-deaf” kid all my childhood and teenage years. Yet performing on stage, specifically singing, was always my big dream, and it was a very painful period of self-doubt and hard work, where I would hate myself for progressing so slowly but still didn’t see my life without performing. Almost to the point I would consider taking my own life if I failed at what I wanted to do the most in my life. And if this desperate and doubtful version of me heard this album, I guess it would’ve given me so much hope to carry on.”
What do you hope to achieve by releasing music with followers old and new?
“I would love to have a community. What gives me the most joy is when people notice some details about my songs that made them feel something. Like, a little instrumental part or lyric line. Because I try to make my music meaningful, and it’s always so nice to be understood. Music has helped me in the darkest periods of my life, and I hope that mine will help someone too. One day.”
What are your plans for the new year, and what are some of your goals and dreams?
“SUNRISE HUNTERS is a concept EP that is also a novel, so finishing it is one of my goals. It’s the first part of a two-part story, so sometime in the future I’ll start working on the sequel. Both the musical and the story. But before that, I would love to tour! It’s a bit challenging to organize as an independent artist, but I think I’ll do that sometime soon.”
Aside from music, what are some of your hobbies and interests? We’d love to know more about you as a person!
“I’m really hyped about doing a DnD campaign with my friends sometime soon! I was really into painting DnD miniatures recently. I’m really excited about the third book of Ninth House coming out this fall. This spring, I’ve finished all the released books of the Game of Thrones series. I’m really trying to read more these days. It helps me with my creativity, and I feel like it’s one of the most relaxing activities for me.
Apart from nerdy stuff, I’m really into helping animals. Mostly cats. I have three, so I’m sort of experienced in taking care of them, so I know how to help and try to do it whenever I can. I would love to do it more, but for me it’s super mentally challenging, because helping animals usually comes with facing a lot of neglect or cruelty, which may be hard to process for me. But I believe we still should help whenever we can, because for us it’s just an act of kindness, and for someone it’s their life you’re saving.”
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