Biography

Lightning struck, the first time Tess Merlot heard Jacques Brel. From that moment on, music was all around. After playing hundreds of shows, the essence remained: allowing the human soul to reach the surface the way only French torch songs can. With her own catalogue and iconic songs from Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour. Motivated to share her passion and unite cultures, Tess released her first EP Chansons pour non-francophones in 2017. In 2019 she enchanted a jam-packed Paradiso with her song ‘Mon Paris’. Leading up to the release of her debut album ‘Laissez-moi’ in July 2021, Tess’s songs received extensive airplay on multiple popular Dutch radio stations, such as NPO Radio 1, 2 and 5 and the Belgian VRT 2. In 2022 she continued her tour with her own band and international renowned trumpet player Michael Varekamp and the Legends, before Tess headed off to Australia’s South West for her Australian debut tour ‘Rendez-vous à Paris’. Whether Tess takes the stage with her band or an entire orchestra, an irresistible joie de vivre is a given while chansons in their purest form are sprinkled across the room. Sometimes it’s stripped down and pure, other times grotesque and bold. Whatever it takes to do them justice. And every time Tess allows the chansons to do their work, magic appears. In short: Tess Merlot is the perfect addition to any room that doesn’t mind a little wine getting spilled.