TRISTEN
“Some artists are interested in being complicated, it’s almost like they’re speaking another
language just to the connoisseur of the art,” says Tristen. “I have no interest in that. My style is
not to be exclusive. It’s to be inclusive. I’m trying to be as clear as possible. I’ve always been
interested in the purest form of the idea, so that it can communicate massively.”
That theme is at the core of Tristen’s music — music that is smart but accessible, meticulously
constructed but undeniably infectious.
A native of South Side Chicago turned longtime Nashville resident, Tristen has released two
critically acclaimed solo records — 2011’s Charlatans at the G arden Gate and 2013’s CAVES
— and toured extensively as a member of Jenny Lewis’ backing band. The folk-oriented
Charlatans earned her praise as “Nashville’s best-kept secret” ( The Boston Globe), and the more
synth-pop-o riented CAVES featured “ tales of greed, alienation and heartache, made poignant but
never saccharine by their electronically enhanced surroundings” ( Nashville Scene).
Tristen has been singing since she could speak, and writing and recording her own songs since
she was a teenager. Now an established touring musician with finely tuned chops and a knack for
lashing exceptional melodies to her singularly poetic lyrics, she travels with a practiced backing
trio of top-notch Nashville sidemen. Together, they bring Tristen’s lush, expertly crafted
arrangements to life, giving the singer room to brandish her outsized vocals and win audiences
with her powerful stage presence — performances that channel the rock ’n’ roll eclecticism of
David Bowie and the creative prowess of Dolly Parton.
“Performing is my favorite thing to do in the world,” she says. “It’s like meditation for me. I let
go. Ultimately, performing is about the audience, the singer and the band, and the shared
experience. And at the center is truth and beauty.”
In 2016, Tristen released her fir st book of poetry, Saturnine, a collection of 18 poems that span
from the “green carpet hills by San Francisco” to the “cold hard streets of Chicago” and brim
with a kaleidoscope of characters. He r third album, Sneaker Waves, will be released July 7 via
Modern Outsider Records.
"Her strength seems to reside in her ability to be musically versatile. Utilizing various orchestrations, Tristen weaves a glistening web of thoughtful and extremely mature melodies that tremble with undeniable power." -American Songwriter
“Pop hooks and pure inspiration” – NPR All Things Considered
