For Kristen Young, life began in Peterborough, Ontario, a small city with an ever growing heart for the arts. At 13 years of age, the act of expressing herself, most prominently through writing music and lyrics, began to play a key role in Kristen’s life, especially at the outset of growing up. Originally, piano was her instrumental preference - something she picked up naturally and independently, learning solely by ear . When Kristen was 16, a boy she was dating shared his passion for guitar with her and, after teaching her a few chords, strongly encouraged her to take his acoustic six-string home and learn to play. That night, she wrote a song using three minor chords and two strings; her heart fully dilated. When she was 18, Kristen recorded a five song demo at a local Peterborough recording studio, relishing the opportunity to spread her heart and soul even further. About a year later that chance came as she entered the recording into a large local radio station competition, for the Wolf 101.5 FM, in which she won first place.
After playing many small gigs in her home town, meeting other amazing musicians, and exploring different recording styles and opportunities, Kristen now boasts many different and unique recordings of her one of a kind Canadian acoustic sound.
Within the last two years she has trained with renowned opera star Maria Pellegrini and vocal sensation Trina Langthorne. With a soulful voice blending blues, folk, pop, and rock, Kristen expresses raw and genuine lyrics, along with a very unique style, delivering a sound that's edgy and accessible like Alanis Morissette, soulful like R&B, down to earth like Jewel, but most importantly, her very own. Each performance, recording session, and musical experience provides this artist with many challenges, but she doesn't let them create boundaries as to where her music will take her. When she feels passionate about a song or situation, she will move towards it no matter what the rest of the music world feels it ‘should be’. Kristen Young is artistically focused, keeping her music incredibly real, delicately passionate, and dauntingly honest while giving an edge, a lifeblood if you will, to each song she creates.