We had the good fortune of connecting with Tessa Medina and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tessa, why did you pursue a creative career?
I was humming full songs before I learned how to talk. I was always drawn to performing. Singing was and still is effortless.

There’s a high I get when doing a live performance that’s undeniable. Something about being able to share my art with an audience, feeling our energies blend together as they listen and I entertain, it’s magical. There’s nothing else in my life that’s blessed me with that feeling. It’s my drug of choice. I’m unabashedly addicted.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started writing songs in elementary school. Most were just tunes that popped into my head in between classes, but I made it a point to finish every single song I started and write them down in a series of notebooks over the years. At that point I only knew how to write lyrics, but couldn’t yet compose the song, so I’d sing the melody into an old tape recorder so that I wouldn’t forget the tune.

I grew up taking vocal & piano lessons, in addition of being in at least 2 choirs at a time. I think at one point I was singing 5 different versions of Ave Maria across all the different groups I was in. I also dabbled in band life being lead singer of a punk rock band for a year. We had two shows, our opener and our closer, and truly that was enough for me to just dip my toe into the genre. Happy to leave punk pop to Queen miss Hayley Williams. That experience was a blast though. I’d do it all over again, cringy side bangs and all!

Recently I put out my first musical project “In Transit EP” which is a collection of songs I wrote from her college years to now, emphasizing young adulthood being a very transitional period within my life. The EP contains a song for anyone in any stage of dating to relate to. Whether you’re dealing with a player (F-Boy), facing the unfortunately common feeling of never being good enough (Detour), finally getting over a relationship you really thought could have been something great (No Hate) or accidentally finding the fairy tail ending you almost gave up on (John.). ‘In Transit’ is a mix between a love letter to my former self and a page from my present day diary entry. It contains wistfulness, worries and whimsical warning to those still moving through their early years of adulthood. Even as I grow, some part of me will always be in transit. This EP is an encapsulation of this emotion.

I created a lyric video for the song “No Hate” and a teaser video for the EP as a whole, both of which I wrote and starred in. It’s always fun when I get to mix mediums, my acting and musical projects. Another time this happened was when I was featured in the film “Quarantine Actually”. I had the opportunity to write a song for the movie and perform it and amazingly it made the final cut.

At the same time, I was also doing my school plays. Most of the time they were musicals but every now and then it’d be a straight play. My favorite roll was playing Cinderella in our high school Rodgers and Hammerstein production. Ironically, this was during the same period of time I was in my punk rock band.

All this to say, I grew up to be very well rounded in my performance endeavors and knowing that I wanted to go into the entertainment field professionally. I would have done anything to get a music degree in college but knowing my music theory knowledge wasn’t strong enough, so I instead applied to study theater at NYU. Truly, to my surprise, I was accepted and spent the next 4 years diving into the craft.

I’ve kinda always been good at school, so college was the first time I struggled with learning the material. To outsiders, I’m sure that sounds silly because I was study acting. I remember my freshman year roommates playfully giggling when I told them my homework one day was to do breathing exercises. But those who are in the craft know there were so many nuanced concepts and technically skills that need to be honed before you can even start preparing a scene. I struggled grasping those the first 2 years of my education. Luckily, once I’ll fallen off the imaginary horse over 100 times, when I got back up that 101th, it stuck. The lessons finally clicked and eased the latter half of my studies to a more enjoyable and creative time.

As artists, I think we don’t talk enough about how hard the work is at times. Not booking roles or shows, not getting an agent, but just how hard the actually craft can be. I love acting and music. I truly do. Singing and song writing come with very little resistance. But acting on the other hand is the most explicated definition of a labor of love to me. It’s difficult, wanting to perfectly convey the scene you picture in your head on screen. But I can’t not act. I can’t just not perform and seek those opportunities out. Because if I didn’t, I fear my very essence would cease to exist.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d kick off with best meal of the day, dessert. We’d head over to Max Brenner and get salted caramel milkshakes, which we’d take to go, then head up to Central Park for a nice walk and if we’re lucky catch some Shakespeare in the park. Eventually we’d make our way over to Sugarfish for lunch and eat a TON of sushi. After that we’d probably go window shopping in the lower east side, then pop into Chinatown to grab some roasted bao buns for dinner. And then head over Veniero for dessert round two.

Living in NYC there’s always so many fun activities happening. On a busy week you can find pop up markets, street festivals and concerts scattered across the city. On more low key weeks I like catching a movie at the Alamo or heading to a park to roller skate. If I had a friend visiting I’d of course recommend we see a broadway show or any theater really!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Family, for raising me to believe that I can do anything I set my mind to.
My Friends, for ensuring all the horrible first drafts of songs and scripts over the years.
My Lover, for your unwavering support and faith in me.

Website: https://www.tessamedina.com

Instagram: @itstessadarling

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessa-dobrow-487530176/

Twitter: @byitstessadarling

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@itstessadarling6160

Other: Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/6gbXEEqVuP5ovWJC1uAOyP
Apple Music – https://music.apple.com/us/artist/tessa-medina/1554211923
IMDB – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9434904/

Image Credits
Tessa Medina

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.