BIO

Long Bio

    Tessa Dalton is an accomplished fiddle player and multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, currently based in Nashville, TN. Raised in rural Idaho, Tessa grew up getting her hands dirty on her family farm and corn maze. At a young age, she took that country work ethic on the road to win old-time fiddle championships around the country. She's performing around Nashville, in the studio recording with artists across genres, and beginning her career as an artist and songwriter.

    Tessa loves writing and playing bluegrass, swing, oldtime, celtic, and americana music on the fiddle, but as an artist, her vocal-originals are inspired by artists like Gracie Abrams, FINNEAS, and Lennon Stella, with echoes of Foo Fighters, Coldplay, and Blink-182.

    Dalton grew up a competitor, both in fiddle and classical violin. She has traveled the country for fiddle camps, contests, and festivals, and has earned titles in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah. She is a former first place winner at the Idaho Snake River and Blackfoot Classical Festivals, and a former fiddle champion at the Idaho State, Utah State, and Rocky Mountain Regional contests. She was recently named a National Champion at the Oldtime Fiddlers Contest for Twin Fiddling, while also previously placing second in her age division.

    Tessa is currently studying Commercial Violin Performance at Belmont University in Nashville, studying under Dr. Ryan Joseph, Professor Justin Branum, Dr. Elizabeth Small, and Dr. Ela Tokarska. While at Belmont, Tessa regularly performs with the Belmont Symphony, World Fiddle, Phoenix, and Southbound ensembles. She is currently the lead fiddler for the Belmont Bluegrass ensemble, and has performed her original fiddle compositions at the world-famous Station Inn. With other artists across genres, she has played venues like the Basement East, the East Side Bowl, and Americana Fest at ACME, and has recorded on multiple records, in studios like the historic RCA Studio A, Oceanway, and Starstruck. Tessa recently made her TV debut on the show, “The Song”, playing in a quartet for John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting). 

    Dalton loves to be creative and incorporate her skills on different instruments within her tracks. She often uses the violin to build her own string arrangements in slower ballads, but also incorporates the violin within her heavier pop-rock tracks, using special effects to create unique atmospheric sounds. From Certified Bop, “Drawing from her diverse musical influences, from bluegrass to alt-pop, Tessa brings a fresh perspective to her craft”. Dalton was named a 2023 semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition for two songs, “Honest?” and “You See Me”. Two of her singles, “One More Night” and “I Keep Changing” were featured on “Obama’s Summer Playlist” on Spotify. Pop Passion Blog has also described Dalton’s voice, saying, “Tessa’s stunning vocals bring a Gracie Abrams vibe”, and Bong Mines Entertainment wrote, “[Tessa’s music] will resonate well with Gracie Abrams, Lizzy McAlpine, and Olivia Rodrigo supporters”.

    Tessa wants to continue blending her love of fiddling and singing – hoping to give a unique and memorable listening experience on her records and at her shows.

Short Bio

    Tessa Dalton is an accomplished fiddle player and multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, currently based in Nashville, TN. Raised in rural Idaho, Tessa grew up getting her hands dirty on her family farm and corn maze. At a young age, she took that country work ethic on the road to win old-time fiddle championships around the country. Currently studying Commercial Music at Belmont University, she's performing around Nashville, in the studio recording with artists across genres, and beginning her career as an artist and songwriter. Tessa wants to continue blending her love of fiddling and singing – hoping to give a unique and memorable listening experience on her records and at her shows.