Artist Profile: Tessa Violet on Her Journey from YouTube to Music

In 2007, Tessa Violet started connecting with fans through a screen by daily vlogging on YouTube. Today, she continues to maintain that relationship by embarking on a world tour to meet her supporters in-person and perform original music.

The Harvard Crimson sat down with former YouTuber and current musical sensation to discuss her origins on social media, views on music creation, and her upcoming adventures on tour.

“I was just so mesmerized that I felt that I could get such an intimate picture into a stranger's life from across the world,” Violet said when elaborating on what drew her to Youtube.

As for her first inspiration, Violet explained that she discovered a vlogger based in Germany, and watching them speak to an audience and put on a “show” while living their normal life made her Youtube persona feel like “Hannah Montana.”

“I loved the idea that I could speak to anyone, anywhere through the use of the Internet. And I still love that today,” Violet elaborated.

However growing up on social media wasn’t always the easiest thing for Violet. She admitted the pressure of curating the ideal image of herself and living up to fans’ expectations was consuming at times. “It was a special challenge to be a young adult on the internet, whose product for lack of a better word is themselves.”

Violet’s Youtube channel currently holds 1.87 million subscribers and her TikTok has almost 40 million likes. But apart from connecting with fans on social media, she has released numerous songs, such as “BAD BITCH” and “Kitchen Song.”

“It is this sense of feeling that you are just opening yourself up enough to receive what the song is, and can you be so open to receive that song,” Violet said as she described songwriting as “channeling” and similar to a spiritual practice for her.

She emphasized she does not let TikTok impact her songwriting, explaining that you need to be a “compelling artist” and have good luck for songs to become hits. “So within that, the things that are in my control are: Do I like the song? Does it resonate with me? Does it make me feel good? And that’s what I really try to think about when I'm writing.”

Violet said she focuses on showcasing her “truth” in her writing.

“I love to put on a show, I love to create a space and cast spells, and I think words in songs are spells. So you know when you sing sad songs people feel sad, when you sing a happy song, people feel happy, and I like that experience,” Violet lit up as she explained her excitement for writing music and performing for fans.

Violet’s music style ranges from pop, to indie, to folk music, blending different musical genres within one album. “It’s like a rainbow of colors. That’s how I would define it, because some of them are yellow, and some of them are pink, and then some of them are blue,” Violet said, elaborating on what she imagines her music genre to be.

As for her music career goals, Violet verbally painted a picture in response. “Someday I want to play a show on an outdoor stage on a beautiful beach, as the sun is setting, to an enormous crowd, that knows all the words to my songs.”

The songwriter is currently gearing up to go on a world tour for her sophomore LP “MY GOD!” which is coming out on July 14. In 2022, Violet completed her last tour, “Rise of the Phoenix,” which was sold out by fans.

“Between ‘Bad Ideas’ and ‘MY GOD!’ I've had a real shift in how I speak about myself and interact with myself. I really try to be my own cheerleader now, and you see that reflected in the music,” she said elaborating on what her audience can expect from her new album release.

“My hope is that people listen to the record and they feel good about themselves and confident and capable, and like they can be their own cheerleader.”

In closing remarks, Violet offered some advice on changing how we speak to ourselves, encouraging readers to change their language from “I can’t” to “I can.”

“But if that feels too advanced, to woo woo, for you, my recommendation is to say maybe I could do it.”

“Just put ‘maybe’ in front of literally any sentence,” Violet joked as she encouraged her audience to continue being open to things they believe they can not do, and trust in themselves.

—Staff writer Hailey E. Krasnikov can be reached at hailey.krasnikov@thecrimson.com