For pop singer-songwriter Tess Clare, music has always come naturally. With a powerful, soulful voice that draws inspiration from the stylings of Adele and the late Amy Winehouse, Tess uses that voice to guide her overall style. “I tend to write from my personal experiences and allow my voice to, in a way, dictate my sound.” She started young, singing in Chicago area children’s choirs. At eight, Tess began taking voice lessons and by 10, at the urging of her mother, Tess picked up a guitar. “That set the songwriting wheels into motion.” She began writing, recording and releasing music as early as 13. In high school, under the guidance of an instructor at the prestigious Northwestern University, she began classical voice training - all the while writing and performing locally and releasing music independently. As her musicianship progressed, Tess made the decision to finish out her junior and senior year at Interlochen Arts Academy in Traverse City, Michigan. There, she wrote and recorded a four-song EP and later went on to release a single and accompanying video that was a collaboration with students from the film department. In 2017, Tess found her way to Nashville’s Belmont University as a songwriting major with a music business minor. During her first day of her Intro to Songwriting class, Tess was asked to perform a song for the class and a few visiting industry professionals. Tess soon found the industry people were interested in helping her become an artist and making her song an official release. Subsequently, Kontor Records, a German dance label, in collaboration with BMG Music Rights, released “Lovey” and its accompanying video and the second single “Into Your Body.” Tess has also been a finalist in the 2019 Grammy U Showcase in Nashville. Most recently, Tess released a pop Christmas single, “Sleigh” that was immediately added to Spotify Editorial playlist, “New Music Holiday”. “Sleigh” was a great success, particularly as it was her debut independent single! “Sleigh” was ranked on Seventeen Magazine’s “12 Best New Christmas Songs of 2019.” Additionally, numerous other periodicals and blogs chose “Sleigh” for their lists of top Christmas songs. Tess’s latest release, “Summertime”, is out now.