Tessa Fleur's "The Hell of it All" is a Chorus of Upbeat, Colourful Female Energy
“The Hell of it All” is a melancholy multi-layered masterpiece that encapsulates the artful storytelling of self-exploration of Tessa Fleur. Tessa released her new single “The Hell of it All” along with a breathtaking music video. Her music video is an amalgamation of everything beautiful, feminine and strong. She created a sisterhood and cult narrative within the video, as well as incorporated her own personal views on ethical fashion. Tessa shares about the research she did on cults as well as matriarchs depicted in art over the years. She also looked at everything from nature, strong women in pop culture, movies and classical paintings.
CLIQUE: Where did your love for music come from?
TESSA: I grew up in an Australian and New Zealand family of very passionate musos! My love for music stems from my memories of living in France as a child. It was here that I would watch my mother sing with her band at French music festivals. They were some of my most magical and treasured moments. My father, a former Wallaby rugby player, is also very musically oriented. As a child, he would play me songs by Supertramp, Queen and Joni Mitchell, on his guitar he bought back in the 90s. Today, I still use this guitar in all my live performances and recordings. It serves as a reminder of my musical upbringing and my parents' love for music.
CLIQUE: What is the process of making music like for you?
TESSA: It changes every time! Usually I have a melody in my head and then I'll create chords, before finally producing my own demo of the song. However, my current favourite process of making music is when I'm with my producer, Ali. He sits on his drum kit and I'll be on the guitar and we'll build the song around a drum beat that we both vibe.
CLIQUE: How would you describe the sound of your new single “The Hell of It All”?
TESSA: A chorus of upbeat, colourful female energy!
“There was a small gap between and I finished the rest of the song after I moved out of home and was going through an emotional break up. Those experiences led me on a journey of reflection, self-exploration and musical growth.”
CLIQUE: Where did the idea for this single stem from?
TESSA: When I first started to write the song, I was writing the lyrics to the chorus during the Australian bush fires last year. It was a terrifying time but also very inspiring to see communities of people coming together and supporting each other. There was a small gap between and I finished the rest of the song after I moved out of home and was going through an emotional break up. Those experiences led me on a journey of reflection, self-exploration and musical growth.
CLIQUE: Your sound is so ethereal, who are some musical artists that you admire?
TESSA: Thank you, I have always enjoyed folk-rock bands such as Fleetwood Mac and Supertramp. I’ve recently been admiring Aldous Harding and her ability to convey so much emotional complexity and surrealism in her songs and music videos. I also admire local Brisbane artists Asha Jefferies and Clea.
CLIQUE: What can you tell us about the making of your music video for “The Hell of It All”?
TESSA: It was a very collaborative experience that took just over 12 months.
The journey began with my creative friend, Allisa (who co-directed the video) and I, discussing concept ideas over watercolours and tea. The concept of the cult-narrative fully arose after we met up with the other co-director Oliver Marshall, who directed my first music video for my single ‘Sunset Melancholy’. The narrative kept growing and changing with each new influence. We had an idea of including dancers as the cult members and I reached out to my friend Hannah, who I hadn’t seen since primary school who is an excellent dancer and has previously been at the Queensland Ballet. Hannah jumped on board the project and choreographed the dancing and starred as one of the main ‘cult sisters’, alongside the three other amazing dancers Flea, Hayley and Chiara.
I spent my holidays styling, op-shopping, dance rehearsals, location scouting and making the props for the music video. For four weeks my house transformed into a giant wardrobe and a florist (attracting a lot of bugs and spiders inside).
Given the sisterhood and cult narrative that we were creating, as well as my own personal views on ethical fashion, I wanted to ensure that that featured in the music video and everything was either borrowed or bought second hand. We had over 40 cult members in the end so everyone was really collaborative, lending each other clothing to fit our cult aesthetic. I also collaborated with a very creative local dressmaker who modified my outfits.
The video was filmed over two over a course of two days, in two beautiful Queensland locations, Jacobs Well and Upper Kedron Cedar Creek Hall. It was such an exciting and connective experience for everyone involved.
“We did a lot of research on cults as well as matriarchs depicted in art over the years. We looked at everything from nature, strong women in pop culture, movies and classical paintings. It really became this amalgamation of everything beautiful, feminine and strong.”
CLIQUE: Your music video is so visually beautiful and breathtaking. Where does the inspiration for your music video aesthetic come from?
TESSA: We were inspired by so much. We did a lot of research on cults as well as matriarchs depicted in art over the years. We looked at everything from nature, strong women in pop culture, movies and classical paintings. It really became this amalgamation of everything beautiful, feminine and strong.
CLIQUE: All of your props and costumes were either locally sourced or hand-crafted, why was this so important to incorporate into your music video?
TESSA: I am learning more about sustainability everyday and the importance of reducing waste and needless consumption. I want to ensure that my creative projects don't have a huge environmental impact. Sourcing locally, supporting local businesses and creatives and having props hand crafted was a big drive in the production. I avoided buying clothing and props that would never be used again. It was incredible to see everyone involved really supportive of this, we even had styling days where everyone brought along or borrowed pieces of clothing that fitted the aesthetic. All in all we were able to minimise waste and ensure the clothing featured was ethically sourced.
CLIQUE: Did making the choice to have your music video be a labour of love that took over 12-months, and having the assistance of your friends, family and fellow creatives make your experience all that more special?
TESSA: Absolutely! It was the biggest collaborative project I have ever done and having my friends, family and my team of creatives was so special. The connections made throughout this process have already lead to new friendships and collaboration and for that I will be forever grateful.
CLIQUE: What do you hope to do with your musical career in the future? Is there something specific you hope to explore?
TESSA: I am currently studying Fine Arts in Music at university. My studies have allowed me to refine my skills in audio production and mixing. For now, my future explores the idea of writing songs and producing music for bands and artists. I'm excited to keep performing with my band and we hope to be playing at festivals and larger music events soon (fingers crossed).
Watch Tessa Fleur’s music video for “The Hell of it All”, and listen to it on Spotify here
