Mystery Waitress is the project of Wellington-based songwriter, Tessa Dillon. Tessa is the vocalist, lead guitarist and occasional pianist in the Mystery Waitress band which also includes Olivia Campion (Yumi Zouma, Girlboss, Dam Dans) on drums, and James Morgan on synth and bass guitar.
Tessa began playing the piano at an early age, before expanding to guitar and songwriting as a teenager. For years she was too shy to show anyone the songs she wrote, but as music became a bigger and bigger part of her life, she forced herself to share her music by busking and playing at open mics. Tessa’s early style was largely folk-inspired, driven by raw acoustic guitar and dreamlike musings. In 2016 she released the album “11:11” under the name Tessa Dillon.
After a few years of dabbling in other musical projects, Mystery Waitress was born out of a desire to experiment with a range of instruments and styles. With Mystery Waitress, a unique and compelling middle-ground is found between the soft, beautiful songwriting of influences such as Nick Drake and Jessica Pratt, and the louder and more energetic sounds of influences such as Tiger Trap and Warpaint.