About the artist
The music of Franco-American, Tess Liautaud, now Aotearoa folk sweetheart, can not be easily defined. It hangs in the balance of her voice, warm like honey, carrying a depth of raw emotion, delivered with melodic grace and country soul. Her songs are easy listening, in that Jackson Browne, dreaming of Laurel Canyon, Americana sort of way, so it would make some kind of sense that she’s found a home on the east side of Ōtautahi, among the folk singers and the rock’n’rollers.
Tess will be accompanied by banjo-frailing folk musician Jessie Shanks (The Eastern), together they have cultivated their own unique approach to roots music, always searching, sometimes going down deep, brushing with melancholy and finding harmony in the spaces between.
Tess has made her mark during her short time in New Zealand, her sophomore album, “Blue Mind”, is a reflection of that time. The ten track, folk-rock long player sings of bruised hearts, burdensome bonds, self care and personal growth. Following sold out shows on her 12-date “Gold Digger” tour and chart topping singles “Here Go The Lovers” and “The Way It’s meant to Rain”, her album “Blue Mind” was released in October 2024, through Flying Nun/Leather Jackets distribution and reached number 6 in the New Zealand Top 20 Charts, and Number 4 in the Independent New Zealand Charts. It has since received critical acclaim nationally and internationally.
In 2025 Tess continued performing and touring throughout New Zealand and Europe, appearing in Festivals and sharing stages with the likes of Glen Hansard and Tami Neilson. Most recently Tess and Jessie completed their ‘Sleepless in Europe’ where they were received with much enthusiasm in Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, UK, France.
