Gala Violet Artist Bio

Tea Kinsington
Jul 21
5 min read

Updated: Aug 20

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.)

Gala Violet – Group Bio

We’re gluten-free, music-loving spoonie artists scattered across the U.S. — geeky Gen X kids who grew up on science fiction, strange dreams, and the occasional cryptid sighting. We bonded over The Artist’s Way during the pandemic, meeting weekly to coax our creativity back to life. In 2022, we layered in goal-setting and creative exercises: the girls with Leonie Dawson’s books, the guys with their own hand-rolled version, and those rituals grew into friendship, accountability, and eventually… Gala Violet.

We’re not a band in the traditional sense. Touring isn’t in the cards, with our mix of chronic illness, cPTSD, and trauma scars from past bands or relationships. Instead, we’re a circle of friends who create, record, and experiment from our homes, trading parts and ideas across the miles. Mickey and Tea are the main architects, with Charlotte, Belle, Mike, Mike, and Collin adding their own voices, layers, and textures. Together, we build something bigger than ourselves — proof that art can bloom even in difficult soil.

Tea (Celeste) – Creative Director, Dream Alchemist

Tea has always lived inside a soundtrack. From sneaking into her parents’ vinyl collection (Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin) to DJing (clubs, events & radio) and crafting handmade mixtape covers, her art has always mixed music, words, and image.

Her first Gala Violet was a secret, hand-painted diary filled with lyrics, poems, and sketches. It was destroyed during a painful chapter of her life, along with her singing voice after trauma. For years, she wrote privately and played only for her chihuahua, until the Artist’s Way circle, Mickey’s encouragement, and Velvet Umbrella Records gave her space to return.

Celeste, her stage persona, is the dreamer: lace and top hats, purple lights and fairy gardens, a poetess who refuses to let her voice be stolen again.

Mickey (Beauregard) – Multi-Instrumentalist, Sound Alchemist, Protector

Mickey — nicknamed “Mickey Fingers” for his quick mastery of any instrument, grew up in a family where creativity was allowed, but the family business was not music. He chose differently. He walked away from expectations and security to pursue sound, performance, and the alchemy of the studio.

A true multi-instrumentalist (guitar, bass, keys, drums), he thrives inside Ableton Live, layering synths, textures, and effects until songs feel cinematic. His protective “big brother” energy makes him the safe anchor of Gala Violet, the one who insists every lost voice in the group deserves to be heard.

Beauregard, his stage persona, is a dapper, enigmatic figure: brocaded coats, velvet gloves, the sly smile of a man who knows the stage’s secrets. He is the ringleader of our dark cabaret, a conjurer of impossible melodies and dangerous charm. In the world of the musical, Beauregard is both confidant and catalyst: the one who dares the others to take the next step, to burn the puppet strings, to sing even when it hurts.

Our Why

We didn’t mean to rush things, but on July 7 (Tea’s half-birthday, officially 55.5), we released our first collection “into the wild,” ready or not. It was less about being polished, and more about reclaiming voices and proving that art doesn’t have to wait for perfection.

Velvet Umbrella Records grew from that same soil. It’s not just a label — it’s a shelter for spoonie artists, trauma survivors, and anyone whose voice was silenced or stolen. It’s a place where nonsense songs can sit beside devastating letters, where fairy tales and cabarets can mix with grief and healing, where every sound matters.

Musical DNA

Our shared obsessions: Split Enz, The Finn Brothers, The Church, All India Radio.

Tea’s personal favorites: Bauhaus (Burning From the Inside), House of Love (Butterfly Album), Hex (Etherial Message), All India Radio (Fall).

Mickey’s essentials: The Church (Starfish), All India Radio (Echo Other), Split Enz (Time and Tide), and — if he can sneak it in — Joe Hawley’s Miracle Musical.

We like our music dream-soaked, word-rich, and a little unpredictable.

Gala Violet – Meet the Members

We are not a traditional band. We’re a circle of spoonie artists, scattered across the U.S., with different scars and stories. Each of us has been silenced in some way: by illness, by trauma, by circumstance; but music pulled us back. Together, we make a sound that is less about perfection and more about survival, imagination, and connection.

Here are the voices inside our Velvet Umbrella:

Artist Snapshots

Tea (Kinsington / Celeste) – Creative Director, Dream Alchemist

• Keeper of the mixtapes, fairy gardens, and soundscapes.

• Earliest memory: spinning vinyl on her parents’ turntable and shocking her preschool teachers by singing “The lunatic is in my head.”

• Her “lost diary” of lyrics became the seed for Gala Violet. Celeste is her reclamation.

• Musical DNA: Bauhaus, The Church, Hex, All India Radio, Kate Bush.

Charlotte – Gothic Velvet Voice

• Survivor of heartbreak, burnout, and soul-crushing jobs. Rebuilt herself in music and design.

• Earliest memory: forced into pageant performance by her mother, but secretly discovering Bauhaus & The Cure became her rebellion and salvation.

• Musical DNA: The Cure, Bauhaus, Love and Rockets.

Mickey Fingers (Beauregard) – Multi-Instrumentalist, Sound Alchemist

• Nicknamed for his ability to master anything with strings, keys, or sticks.

• Earliest memory: Grateful Dead concerts with his family, feeling the magic of a live crowd for the first time.

• Beauregard is his stage persona: a velvet-gloved ringleader of the dark cabaret.

• Musical DNA: Split Enz, Joe Hawley, The Church, All India Radio, The Bolshoi.

Collin – Comic Book Sorcerer, Guitar/Bass Explorer

• Former folk band frontman who now blends melancholy with magic.

• Earliest memory: hiding under headphones, drawing comics, and saving chore money for record-store pilgrimages.

• Also our kitchen witch: he’ll feed you bread and soup when you’re down.

• Musical DNA: Elliott Smith, Beck, XTC, Dukes of Stratosphear.

Echo Belle (Isabelle) – Mystery & Melody

• Polyglot, traveler, collector of instruments. Her voice and violin add dreamlike layers.

• Earliest memory: sitting front row at a ballet overseas, mesmerized by the orchestra pit.

• Musical DNA: Cocteau Twins, The Pixies, Brian Eno.

Silent Mike – Theatrical Perfectionist, Playlist Builder

• Despite his nickname, he is never actually silent. A theater kid turned bass dreamer, he co-creates daydream playlists with Belle.

• Earliest memory: The Smiths in concert at 14 — it changed everything.

• Musical DNA: The Smiths, New Order, Depeche Mode, early Split Enz, The Church.

Other Michael – The Hidden Conspirator

• Our mystery man. Prefers shadows but gifts us with synths, woodwinds, and flashes of brilliance that arrive at 2 a.m.

The Collective Answers

Our Favorite Song (so far)

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 that trip to Bluff Creek.

Most Memorable Moment

Not just making music—but finding each other. For artists who’ve felt silenced or sidelined, this circle has been the most healing experience.

Our 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.

If you’ve read this far, you’re officially part of the club. Thanks for listening, thanks for caring, and thanks for believing that normal is overrated.