Q&A: Tess Henley Safeguards Her Energy With Newest Single “Good For Me”
A HUMAN LIFE IS EVER-CHANGING — and if anyone knows it, it’s Tess Henley. This singer-songwriter’s soulful discography comes marked by her tender intentionality and stark resilience in the face of life’s almost-constant barrage of challenges. Henley poignantly captures the difficulties that come with growing and adapting; her music is a direct reflection of her forever-developing character. Each new release from the artist radiates the warm aura of strength that Henley continues to step into.
Henley’s newest single, “Good For Me,” released July 29, is the musician’s wake up call to her own intuition. “This song came at a time when I was going through a lot of personal and creative change,” she confesses. “I had a lot of channels of input of what was considered 'good' and what was 'best' for me… It really comes down to me starting to think about what is best for me and what I want out of this life, rather than hearing it from everyone else.”
In the track, Henley carves out a sacred space for both herself and listeners to question society’s strict notions of a status-quo life. Rife with Henley’s signature R&B flair, rich vocals, and mesmerizing instrumental arrangements, the track provides listeners with three minutes brimming with solace and inner reflection. Henley repeatedly sings, “Good for me, good for me / Everything good ain’t good for me,” throughout the track, with the phrase serving as a reminder for the singer to check in with herself and really listen to what her feelings are telling her.
In this life, people seem more than willing — eager, even — to provide their two cents on what others should be doing, feeling, and accomplishing with their lives. After all, it’s easier to project your thoughts onto others than it is to take action in regard to your own circumstances. Protecting your spirit and mindfully listening to your intuition should come second to none in this life, yet we continuously sacrifice our needs by putting them on the backburner for the sake of appeasing others.
And thus, Henley hopes that “Good For Me” will have a long life kickstarting listeners’ deeper thinking in deciding what is truly good for their lives, providing them with the courage to confidently set boundaries. Though, if nothing else, she hopes that the track will at least provide listeners with a short dance break to rejuvenate and refresh their minds.
Continue reading to learn more about Tess Henley’s “Good For Me,” her creative process, and how she summons the courage to stand up for herself in this world.
LUNA: You've been playing piano and singing from a super young age. I'm curious as to how you discovered that soul and the R&B soundscape was more of your authentic songwriting voice.
HENLEY: I did grow up playing classical music, but my mom was in a band and they played a lot of dance music and motown. Both of my parents really loved a lot of soul music and singer-songwriters that are still being played today. I was introduced to a lot of it by my parents. Sister Act and Sister Act 2 were some of my favorite movies growing up. I was always immediately drawn toward Lauryn Hill and that whole period of time in R&B and soulful music. It has always been something that I feel when I hear it.
LUNA: Those are really awesome inspirations, and soul music is very much a vessel for authentic storytelling and self-expression, which I feel you really have in your music. You took a hiatus from music a couple years ago, which is so healthy and needed in the music industry today. What kept you coming back to music as a career after that break?
HENLEY: I did take a hiatus, but I never really stopped working. I took a step away so I could focus on the music. I can't really stay away from [music]. I need to get it out. This whole project was something that just happened; it wasn't like, "Okay, I gotta write the next album," it was just needing a way to channel these feelings. A place that I find a lot of peace and comfort is in music.
LUNA: That's beautiful. I'm glad that it was more of a natural process instead of you feeling like you had to get back into it, because that can be hard.
HENLEY: It is. You definitely feel the pressures, especially now when everything's so fast, to keep up and be active. I was definitely trying to balance those feelings at that time.
LUNA: Definitely. It's a hard balance but I hope you're doing well with it.
HENLEY: I am much better.
LUNA: What was it like getting back into the flow of releasing music instead of writing it and sitting with it for a bit? How has it been promoting music on social media — just getting back into the industry workings?
HENLEY: It's always kind of its own world. It feels very different from when you're in a studio and writing. It can feel really exciting at times because for me the goal is to share these songs. That's getting it to the finish line for me, getting it out for people to actually hear. That part is exciting. Creating a visual to go along with the music is also something I really enjoy. It has been fun to continue building the world of this album visually. Again, managing any sort of anxiety with social media is a good thing to do for sure, and I need to for my own sake. I feel good about it. I'm happy to be here now after a long time of waiting to sort out how I was gonna get it out.
LUNA: I'm glad that you found your peace with it. The pandemic caused you to take on a more interactive role with your music producer-wise, and you've been producing a good amount of your singles. How has your new experience with producing informed the way you create music as a songwriter?
HENLEY: Oh man, it has really impacted the way that I create. It's like a video game when you unlock that next level. It really has expanded the possibilities for me. It gives me freedom — even more so when I'm writing. At the same time, when you are trying to write a song … you're also thinking about which sounds you're going to use and how you're going to create those sounds, and you're recording yourself vocally looking at a computer screen and also trying to just feel the song — it's a lot to juggle. Sometimes I'm like, "Okay, I just need to sing,” and I'll go into a studio and work with an engineer. That is always refreshing. I can be a solitary type of person so this whole thing of producing on my own and writing gives me the ability to zone in and not think about anything or anyone else. I can just dive in and get as weird as I want. But I will say that, when you are looking at a computer screen, often when you are producing, I have forgotten that I play the piano and I could just write a song on the piano. You have all these options to start with a beat or start with a baseline or whatever. It's good to step away from that sometimes and just sit down and play.
LUNA: It's awesome that you can pioneer your sound the way that you want as producer. I feel like you can really narrow in on your vision. You’ve stated in an Instagram post, “Sometimes I put hours, days and my heart into something and I feel like I come up empty handed, in terms of whatever outcome I was hoping for.” How do you deal with this disappointment when it comes to feeling like you might not have progressed or gotten a tangible product out of hours of hard work?
HENLEY: I have to remind myself that that is a product of being a perfectionist or wanting immediate results. In creativity, it just doesn't work like that. When I go in with no expectations, I find I usually come out with better songs. I try to remind myself that it's not realistic to expect a perfect song with every session.
LUNA: Definitely. Speaking of new songs and writing, you have a new single out, "Good for Me." What inspired the song?
HENLEY: This song came at a time when I was going through a lot of personal and creative change. I had a lot of channels of input of what was considered “good” and what was “best” for me. I was also in a relationship that had gotten to a point where I started to wonder if it was best for me. It wasn't toxic, it wasn't bad, but all of that going on led me to write this song. It really comes down to me starting to think about what is best for me and what I want out of this life, rather than hearing it from everyone else.
LUNA: The song is a very good reminder. The mantra of repeating "Good for me, good for me" is a beautiful way of sealing in the fact that only you know what's good for you. As you said, in the track you recognize that everything good for you isn't always good for you. If everyone is butting in with these outside notions and telling you that something is good for you, how do you separate those opinions from the actual truth and reality of the matters?
HENLEY: I think a lot. I spend a lot of my time thinking and trying to understand myself and listen to myself. You have a gut feeling a lot of times and sometimes it's just really trying to listen to it. That guided me a lot through that time because I wasn't always sure. I was going through a lot of change, and I wanted that change in my life. It comes down to your gut and your soul guiding you through this without having all of the answers. I took a lot of time to myself to think, and I would sometimes seek out information on my own. Whether it was online, in an interview, an article, a study, or a book. Therapy also helped me get to some of those conclusions for myself.
LUNA: It takes a lot of courage to stand up for yourself when you realize that things might not be the most healthy or good for you. Do you have any tips for firmly setting these boundaries and standards of how you'd like to be treated?
HENLEY: For me, I care about my people, and in setting boundaries, you might hurt others or you might make others feel something they don't want to feel. Remembering your own feelings, which I tend to forget sometimes, in setting that boundary has been helpful for me. My feelings also matter and are important, and my happiness and my well being is also important. That was a big challenge for me, but it was something that helped.
LUNA: Yes! Remembering that you're also a person really helps put things into perspective. What do you want listeners to take from "Good for Me"? Is there a lesson or a reminder to be learned from the track?
HENLEY: In whatever way music can present for somebody else that is positive or helpful, I welcome that. Even if it doesn't hit so deep for somebody, my hope is that it makes them feel better when they listen — or that it's a three-minute break in their day.
LUNA: You have a new project coming out soon, Paramount. Could you tell me a little bit about what listeners should expect in regards to that project?
HENLEY: It came about during a big time of change. It was a pressure cooker time for me emotionally — there were extreme highs and extreme lows. This project focuses on love and relationships more than my other projects. That's a core piece of it.
LUNA: In the Instagram post I mentioned earlier, you later said, "Music prepares me for life and life prepares me for music." What's the most valuable lesson you've learned on your own musical journey or through life?
HENLEY: Patience has been huge in both music and in life. My music career has taken me on a little bit of a different ride; that also affects life itself. Patience, knowing who you are, and trusting your gut, those are all things that I have learned. Change can be a great thing — don't be afraid of it. There's so much that I've learned from it, but I'll keep it at those. Patience I'll say is probably one of the top lessons.
LUNA: That's an important one. Your music also shows a high amount of resilience. I can tell it's something that you are really drawn to keep doing, and resilience is in a lot of themes in your music. It's really beautiful how it's purveyed through that.
HENLEY: I appreciate that. Yes, that's a good one as well, resilience.
LUNA: And we're out my last question: What is giving you joy right now? It can be anything big or small, general or music-related.
HENLEY: I bought a sewing machine recently. I like making music but I also like making things outside of that. Getting creative with clothes has been fun. I took sewing classes growing up so it's a little bit of riding a bike again with the sewing machine, but it's also like I'm this close to screwing up every piece of clothing I work on every time. I learn something with every piece. That's been something I've enjoyed lately.
LUNA: Follow up question: Do you have a favorite piece that you've made so far?
HENLEY: Right now I've been focusing on alterations. I do like to customize clothes and fit them to my body, but I also like to thrift. There are so many great thrift stores in LA. Sometimes I'll find something and then I'll think, "I could customize this for me." It's really not very exciting — just taking in a skirt or replacing buttons or fixing a hole in a shirt. I'm still a rookie, I'm not quite to the exciting stuff yet, but I will let you know when I get there.
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