Katy Tessman is Making a Scene

July 7, 2025

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Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Katy Tessman

Katy Tessman is a heartfelt and inspiring singer-songwriter whose music reflects the wisdom earned through life’s most powerful experiences—surviving cancer, navigating heartbreak, and embracing motherhood. With a rich, expressive voice and a rhythmic touch on guitar and mandolin, Katy delivers songs that come straight from the soul. Her sound blends Americana and folk-rock with emotionally resonant lyrics that celebrate both the struggles and triumphs of life.

Known for her uplifting themes of hope, resilience, and empowerment, Katy has been described by Mostly Minnesota as “a great storyteller” whose music feels like “warm encouragement.” Whether performing solo or with her band, Katy Tessman and The Turnbuckles, her connection with audiences is immediate and genuine.

Since the release of her 2023 album Fly, Katy has been gaining momentum in the Minnesota music scene—selling out intimate listening-room shows, releasing new music, and publishing Hero Now Crowned, a lyric picture book praised by Melodic Noise as “a passionate tribute to the everyday hero.” In 2025, she followed up with her album Turnbuckles, further establishing her as a powerful voice in Americana music with songs that explore strength, connection, and healing. She’s now taking her music on the road, touring the U.S. and sharing her message with audiences nationwide.

Based in Minneapolis, Katy is also an award-winning author and was named a CHANGEMAKER by Minnesota Women’s Press. Her band, Katy Tessman and The Turnbuckles, features her son Louis “Sweet Lou” Tessman Stanoch on lead guitar, and together with a dynamic rhythm section, they deliver high-energy performances that are “infectious, contagious, and all kinds of fun rolled into one” (Smouse in the House).

Katy’s musical journey began long before motherhood. She released her solo debut Fall in 2001 and spent nearly a decade performing across the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. After stepping away from the stage to raise her two sons and conquer a battle with breast cancer, she returned to performing with renewed purpose and passion. Her children’s book, Our Mama is a Beautiful Garden, written during that time, received critical acclaim and continues to touch lives.

At the heart of everything Katy creates—whether music or literature—is a desire to uplift, inspire, and connect. Her storytelling, both on and off stage, is rooted in honesty, compassion, and the unshakable belief that joy can be found on the other side of hardship.