Tessa Elaina has released her debut EP, The Both of Us. This 4 song collection promises to captivate listeners with its unique fusion of indie pop sensibilities and healing mantra and new age influences, offering listeners a musical experience that is both enlightening and captivating. It is currently available on all streaming services.
Tessa Elaina initially created these songs as tools for herself towards the end of a very painful 4 years. To combat her suffering, she threw herself into the study of yogic practices and mantras, and this EP is a product of that work. Though written to herself for the sake of redirecting her troubled mind, the songs evolved into beautiful pieces that she loved to perform, and they became crowd favorites. Drawing inspiration from the world of mantras, these tracks bear the marks of her struggle to find peace while living with flashbacks and chronic illness. The songs, she discovered, held the power to reshape her self-perception and inner dialogue over and over again in the moments she most needed help, becoming powerful catalysts of self-compassion.
“I love these songs because it’s music that makes me feel good, makes me want to sing. But on top of that, they wind up being legitimate daily tools for my own healing, forged from my own very personal experiences,” says Tessa. “I’d love for these songs to help other people find solace and strength.”
Each song on the EP shines as their own beacon of empowerment. “The Both of Us” delves into the journey from fear and isolation to safety and connection, offering a cathartic experience for those grappling with fear. “The Next Dawn” explores the challenges of living with chronic illness, encouraging rest and a restorative mindset, pointing to the promise that the sun will always rise again. The EP’s third track, “All I Know,“ is born of an identity crisis but triumphantly arrives at a place of growth and forward movement. The EP closes with “Sat Nam Mantra,” a meditation designed for deep relaxation, emphasizing the transformative power of mantra in Tessa’s life.
The Both of Us was written by Tessa Elaina, produced by Buddy Speir, mixed by Sean Russel, and mastered by Mat Leffler-Schulman.
Tessa Elaina’s artistic journey reflects growth, the unwavering commitment to continuous self-discovery and development, and how our hardest experiences can become fodder for our most beautiful artistic pieces.
About Tessa Elaina
Tessa Elaina is a musician and singer-songwriter in the DC Metro Area, known for her emotive voice and moving lyrics and melodies. She fuses elements of Folk, Pop and New Age, with an occasional touch of humor and Tuvan throat singing to create a sound that is distinct and unforgettable.
Tessa ties musical performance together with mind-body awareness techniques for neurological health. She began writing and performing original music at 16 years old. In her late teens and early 20’s Tessa toured as the singer of Cuenca, Ecuador’s premier jazz ensemble, toured as a member of a university a cappella group, and then co-founded an alt female folk/pop group in Philadelphia. At the age of 20, however, this journey changed direction when chronic illness moved to the forefront of Tessa’s life.
She had been studying yoga since the age of 15 because of chronic pain. Because she was no longer able to practice average yoga on the mat, at the point of this health crisis, she began applying what she knew and understood of the yogic approach to the training of her voice. This was when her talent and training truly began to merge, and her vocal capacity grew exponentially. Solitude and isolation often come hand in hand with chronic illness, and Tessa’s experience has been no exception. But even still, Tessa was driven to create larger, more dynamic music and this is when she leaned into beatboxing, began using the looper pedal and took up the harmonium. Things she could do on her own.
Over the past several years, in addition to writing captivating original music, Tessa has taught a unique program that utilizes gentle movement, vocal exercises, and awareness techniques for neurological health.
Her first single “Soil and Earth” was released in November 2022. The release of “The Both of Us” represents both the culmination of a difficult chapter in Tessa’s life as well as a new beginning. As she continues to create music that reflects the core of her experiences, she plans to teach awareness-based techniques to help others heal chronic illness, pain, and neurological injury.