Tessa Violet Williams (born March 20, 1990)[2] is an American singer-songwriter, social media personality, actress, music video director, and former child model.

In 2007, Violet began making daily vlogs for a school project while working in Hong Kong and Thailand as a fashion model.

[3] After moving to New York City in 2009, Violet gained attention after winning $100,000 in a YouTube competition by receiving the most comments on her video entry.

[3][4] In 2011, Violet was featured in fellow YouTube creator Nanalew's unofficial music video for the song "Sail" by Awolnation.

[8] Despite the lack of attention from traditional media sources, the record debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and sold 5,000 copies in the first three months.

[18] The album's title track, "Bad Ideas," was released as a single on November 30, 2018, alongside a music video.

[31][32] On June 1, Violet released the single "Breakdown",[33][34] alongside the announcement of her Rise of the Phoenix tour with openers Will Joseph Cook and Daysormay, which ran from August to October 2022.

[45] Violet cites artists such as Lorde, Bleachers, Lily Allen, Taylor Swift, Cavetown, Julia Michaels,[46] and Fun[47] among her influences.

A PUP concert Violet attended in 2019 inspired her to delve into her punk-influenced upbringing for her "Games" collaboration with lovelytheband.