Tess Polachek, more so known as THIS IS TESS has had a passion for music since a very young age. The Winona, MN native was just a small town girl in kindergarten when she performed her first solo act in the church Christmas show. The multi-talented singer-songwriter/actress/model/musician made a name for herself throughout her childhood playing Annie in the neighborhood musical, competing at figure skating competitions, taking part in piano recitals, singing at weddings, and opening up for major sporting events. Quite simply, it was impossible to keep her out of the spotlight.
“The moment I really knew that I had a gift and that singing was my purpose was when I was twelve years old. I had played Annie in the professional community production, and I was asked to sing for a woman who was very sick with cancer at the hospital. I went into the room filled with her and her family, and sang the song “ The Sun will come out tomorrow.” For the first time in days the woman opened her eyes and smiled, clasping onto her loved ones hand. This moment touched my heart and soul."
THIS IS TESS went onto study musical theater at Syracuse University in upstate New York. Already a well seasoned performance artist, the Pop/R&B songstress began to expound upon a new of arrangement of skill sets like writing music, and staring in the latest student films. During her junior year of college, THIS IS TESS studied abroad in the United Kingdom for a semester and fell in love with electronic music for the first time. This passion led her to familiarize herself with the genre, and led her to start creating a music catalog.
The Big Apple, New York City was THIS IS TESS's next stop where she starred in the live action play, GREASE as Sandy. Her stint in NYC lasted for a while as she stayed auditioning for roles, and studying the art of musical theater. Like all good shows, her acting days came to a close as she packed her bags and headed for the West Coast.
Since living in Los Angeles, THIS IS TESS has taken her career to the next level, and has started specifically dialing in on herself as an artist. Last year she released a chart topping record in Germany called “weightless.” Her extraordinary performance skills have landed her on the same stages with new-age leading ladies in the industry like Antonique Smith, Sonna Rele, Maiya Sykes, as well as in studios with Grammy Award Winning artists like Malik Yusef.