Born and raised in Singapore, Tessa Ying worked as a musician and piano teacher before she was offered a scholarship at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she did a dual major in music production and engineering, and electronic production and design. What started as a simple college stint for Tessa became a decade of musical growth in the heart of New England.
How It All Began
Tessa began playing when she was four years old and spent her formative years training in classical piano. Although Singapore provided Tessa with an outstanding foundation, she wanted to challenge herself by going out of her comfort zone, gaining a new perspective and expanding her musical palette at the same time. The United States, with its larger, more diverse pool of musicians and communities that appreciated the niche genres Tessa loved, was the ideal environment for this growth.
This was made possible when Tessa received the Asian Scholarship Tour Award from Berklee College of Music, which solidified her decision to go to Boston. Boston may not be the first city people think of when it comes to music — after all, Los Angeles and Austin are more synonymous with music production and live music. But Boston is home to Berklee College of Music, a music college that sees the best contemporary musicians around the world attending. Many musicians begin their journey at Berklee, with alumni such as fellow Singapore artists Corinne May, Nathan Hartono, as well as popular musicians like Laufey, Charlie Puth, and John Mayer.
Says Tessa, “That’s the side of Boston people often overlook — the vibrant arts and music scene here. Boston is a city that values the arts, and this has given opportunities to share my music and succeed in ways that wouldn’t be possible elsewhere.”
For Tessa, the exposure and connection with such a diverse group of musicians also opened her mind to different styles of music. It challenged her to think differently about music collaboration and performance. After graduating from Berklee in 2019, Tessa continued producing — releasing several EPs and singles over the years such as Be On My Own, and Dreaming in Flight — while collaborating with artists such as Luis Mcdougal, Tommaso Annoni, Angelique World, and Elisabeth Waters.
Developing Her Own Voice
Tessa’s time in Berklee gave her the opportunity to explore her own voice, which is how Tessa ended up exploring electronic dance music (EDM). While she always had a long-term interest in electronic music production, it wasn’t until 2018 that she dove deeper into electronic genres. She explored and created everything from mainstream EDM to subgenres like bass and industrial electronic.
“I have a natural draw for sound technology — how the human ear perceives sound, and what sound engineers and producers do to create a unique sonic experience for the listener,” says Tessa. “This made EDM a natural draw for me, given the way producers experiment and push sound creation.”
It’s also where her classical piano training came into play. “Many people think of electronic music and classical piano as two drastically different genres,” explains Tessa. “But there are many overlaps, and they play off each other in many ways.”
Tessa’s freedom to explore the EDM, classical, jazz and funk communities has helped her to build her own identity around music. This was what led her to produce AfterGlow, a piano-led electronic track featuring synths, atmospheric effects, and a jazz guitar solo by Brooklyn-based Dominican-American guitarist Luis McDougal. The track was inspired by Tessa’s recent travels: Tessa explains that after experiencing the vast, monumental landscapes of Sedona and the Grand Canyon, she returned to Boston to see a surprisingly picturesque sunset from a rooftop patio. The sunset she saw at home became the closing chapter of her trip — like an afterglow.
Says Tessa, “AfterGlow represents where I am today musically. It calls back to my roots in piano, yet contains electronic components like kick drum and sub bass that shaped the last decade of my music. It’s also set at a slower tempo. In the past, I’ve consistently chosen high-energy tempos as my canvas, but I’m making way for a more settled sound in my 30s. It’s meant to be uplifting, hopeful and inspiring.”
Released on August 26, 2026, the track has already been featured on two Spotify playlists, Relax and Chill and Mellow Grooves, with one curator marveling at the “incredible development in the piano arrangement” and the other commenting that the sound selection and arrangement was “mesmerising”.
What’s next for Tessa?
Tessa’s musicality has evolved through the years. With years of experience behind her, she’s built up an arsenal of tools to use and knows what sounds fit the feeling she’s trying to evoke. This means she can be more intentional in her craft. That intentionality has also carried through in how her music has become more personal to her. Instead of trying to fit in a certain genre, she is now focused on telling a story.
What’s next for Tessa? On the personal front, she’s working on more piano-centric electronic tracks, with an eye on collaborating with more artists. On the community front, Tessa is returning as the musical director for youth musical theatre at nonprofit Arts for Learning MA, as well as organizing another piano concert for her students.
Tessa’s work is living proof that Boston’s music scene isn’t about big conservatories and concert halls, but sustained by musicians like her producing, mixing, and collaborating with other fellow musicians. We can’t wait to hear what’s coming next.
Written by independent journalist, Ally Chua. Ally Chua is a Boston-based Singaporean writer and the author of The Disappearance of Patrick Zhou. A former Singapore Unbound Fellow, she regularly explores the intersections of grit, culture, and dark themes — drawing creative inspiration from solo travel, zombie video games, and the lyrics of Brian Fallon.
