Gala Violet Artist Bio
- Tea Kinsington
- Jul 21
- 5 min read
By Gala Violet
[(Just) Collin, Tea, Charlotte, Mickey Fingers, Belle (Isabelle), (Silent) Mike]
(Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Except Mickey Fingers. That one stuck.)
We’ve spent this summer chasing down artist profiles and trying to exist across platforms we barely understand. Truthfully, when this all began, our biggest dream was simply to make a demo and start a label. Sharing our bios? Not on the original to-do list. But here we are. Half-baked and ready to roll, released into the wild on Tea’s half-birthday, July 7 (she’s officially 55.5 now), and we decided that’s as good a time as any.
We’re not big on social media anymore, we prefer to keep our energy clear and creative. But now that Tea has had a little time to spin up websites and bring our collective vision to life, we’re catching up. And yes, Collin may or may not be turning us into a comic series. (We support his boundaries. Also: we’re deeply invested.)
We want to help other artists along the way. That means we had to dive into all the stuff we’d usually avoid, from bios to branding, and answer a few questions along the way.
We actually have felt limited by the artist bios, so here we go with the official!
Who Are We?
We’re a group of gluten-free, music-loving Spoonie artists from the Midwest, bonded by chronic illness, creative fire, and a shared love of sci-fi, fringe topics (aliens, cryptids, ghosts, weird dreams—you know, the usual). We met during the pandemic in an Artist’s Way book club and became our own mini support squad. That grew into dream journaling, goal setting, sharing playlists, weekly check-ins, and eventually, this: demos, dreams, and Velvet Umbrella Records.
Collectively:
• We love The Church, Split Enz, Crowded House, Kate Bush, and all their musical kin.
Our favorite group albums on Apple Music; but we have more to share.
• The Dreaming – Kate Bush
• Séance – The Church
• Crowded House – Crowded House
Artist Snapshots
Tea (Kinsington) // Gala Violet
Creative Director, Eclectic Queen of Mixtapes
Tea is the heart and glitter of this operation. After navigating some challenging years, she’s returning to her musical roots through lyric writing, melody chasing, sound searching, radio, and the Vortex of Squirrels (yes, that’s real). A longtime record store kid turned radio DJ, she’s now producing and hosting a weekly radio show that spans genres and timelines. Her playlists are epic. (No, really. The ones she shares with the band are sometimes 8+ hours.)
Earliest Music Memory:
“I was obsessed with my parents’ turntable—Beatles, Floyd, Zeppelin. I memorized all the lyrics and proudly sang them in nursery school. Nothing says preschool like ‘The lunatic is in my head.’”
Top 3 Albums on Apple Music:
• House of Love – Butterfly Album
• Bauhaus – Burning from the Inside
• Hex – Etherial Message (Kilbey/Thayer collaboration)
Fun Fact: She once hand-painted her lyric journals in high school and created a custom calligraphy style. It was called Gala Violet—her alter ego and project name to this day.
Charlotte
Post-punk Priestess, Fashion Sorceress
Charlotte escaped a soul-sucking job and misogynistic jazz bros to reclaim her voice. With a background in piano, and voice, she now channels her energy into music, fashion, and healing. Her breakup anthems are legendary.
Earliest Music Memory:
“My mom was a music teacher. I was groomed for pageants and talent shows. It was kind of torture… but bonding too. Then I discovered goth. My family did not approve.”
Top 3 Albums on Apple Music:
• The Cure – Head On The Door
• Bauhaus – Burning from the Inside
• Love & Rockets – Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven
Mickey (Fingers)
Gruff Teddy Bear, Sound Wizard
Mickey grew up in a musical family and never stopped tinkering. He’s a multi-instrumentalist, a protective big brother figure, and the type of guy who wants to build a recording studio just because it sounds fun.
Earliest Music Memory:
“I was a Deadhead kid. The energy of a live show? There’s nothing like it. The first Grateful Dead show blew my mind—even the parking lot was an experience.”
Top 3 Albums on Apple Music:
• Miracle Musical – Joe Hawley / Tally Hall
• All India Radio – Echo Other
• The Bolshoi – Friends
Collin
Comic Creator, Spoonie Baker, Chill Rock Aficionado
Sweet guy next door, record store refugee, comic writer. Collin plays guitar and bass, bakes like a wizard (GF, of course), and once hosted an ex through lockdown. We’re still giving him sainthood status.
Earliest Music Memory:
“Dillon, Beatles, folk… Then came my own obsessions in the late ‘70s. Drawing comics under headphones was my escape. I’d do all the chores for record money.”
Top 3 Albums on Apple Music:
• Elliot Smith – From a Basement on a Hill
• XTC – Drums & Wires / Dukes of the Stratosphere
• Beck – Mellow Gold
Echo Belle (Isabelle)
String Wizard, Polyglot, Mystery Maven
Raised between Italy and the U.S., Belle is the string sorceress of the group. Fluent in languages and instruments, she’s private and elegant, and her mixes with Silent Mike are pure art-pop bliss.
Earliest Music Memory:
“The first time my father took me to the ballet. We had seats by the orchestra pit. I was mesmerized.”
Top 3 Albums on Apple Music:
• Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas
• The Pixies – Trompe Le Monde
• Brian Eno – Here Come the Warm Jets
(Silent) Mike
Theatrical Brain, Perfectionist, Secret Talker
He was silent for the first Zooms. Now we can’t get a word in. Bookworm, musical theatre fanatic, and Echo Belle’s partner-in-quirk. A recovering ghostwriter learning to share his voice—and silence the inner critic.
Earliest Music Memory:
“Going to musicals and symphonies with my dad. Then my sister took me to see The Smiths. That changed everything.”
Top 3 Albums on Apple Music:
• The Smiths – Strangeways, Here We Come
• New Order – Substance
• Depeche Mode – Some Great Reward
The Other Michael
We don’t talk about Other Michael. He doesn’t talk about himself either. But he’s real. Provides synths, vocals, wind instruments. Sometimes goes by different names depending on the moon.
The Collective Answers
Our Favorite Song From All Of Our Releases (Apple Music)
Bigfoot and Spam
Inspired by Tea’s actual Bigfoot hunt. Yes, it’s a real thing. Yes, there’s Spam. Yes, we’re still planning a trip to Bluff Creek.
Most Memorable Moment (Apple Music)
Not just making music—but finding each other. For artists who’ve felt silenced or sidelined, this space has been the most healing experience.
Artist Bucket List:
We’re just getting started. Our lyric journals are full, and our hearts are even fuller. We dream of building a label that helps other artists find their voice, too.
Having read this far, you're now officially part of the club. We appreciate your time and thank you for listening to our music and taking a moment to learn about us.
Curious why we didn't opt for a typical bio?
Because normal is overrated.
💜
— Gala Violet
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