Biography

Kristen Trayer, singer-songwriter, was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. At the tender age of seventeen and a senior in high school, she has already attracted attention from people in the music industry across the US. A born performer, Kristen's love for music developed when she was very young. She grew up listening to her father playing his original songs and old Beatles classics on his beat-up 1970's Martin guitar. As her mother recalls, she could sing every word of any Disney song and was yodeling along perfectly to Leanne Rimes' song "Blue" while still in her car seat. She began ballet lessons at the age of three and always had a good sense of rhythm and feel for the music. In elementary school Kristen joined various choir ensembles and did some theater, but did not fully realize her potential until she competed solo in her first California State Competition. (Youth Focus Inc.) After sweeping the competition, she then tried her hand in the Broadway, Country, and Pop divisions and saw the same result. At the ag e of ten, Kristen began training with Raz Kennedy, one of San Francisco's premiere vocal coaches and producers.

When she turned 13, Kristen picked up the acoustic Taylor guitar that is still her favorite today, and began writing songs and recording them with her father's recording equipment. She is currently an active member in her high school's Vocal Department and is in the Concert Choir as well as the advanced acappella Jazz Choir, in which she has received recognition from the Santa Cruz and Fullerton Jazz Festivals for her solo performances. She has recently become a member of the West Coast Songwriters Association and has been selected as one of the featured upcoming artists for Yormo.com, a "destination music site that will provide mass direct marketing and communication solutions that connect millions of emerging music artists and many millions of consumers." Lately, Kristen Trayer has been generating a lot of buzz in the San Francisco music scene. She has worked with many amazing Bay Area Musicians and artists while putting together an album that reflects her personal style. With a well-rounded musical upbringing, she is able to take influences from music spanning from jazz to classic rock. Currently, Kristen listens to many indie rock and folk artists and she loves going to shows. Kristen performs at open-mic's in coffee shops around the Bay Area, and most recently participated in Jamnesty, a human rights awareness show at Mountain View's Red Rock Coffee Shop. "It's really rewarding," she says, " to be able to do something I love while helping other people—I want to do more of that." In addition, she is collaborating with producer Jason Slater (formally of Third Eye Blind and Snake River Conspiracy) on a separate project. Producer David Kahne (Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett, Kelly Clarkson, Regina Spektor) will be co-producing two of the songs on that project. Although Kristen does carry around a travel-size Martin acoustic guitar in her car wherever she goes, music is not her whole life. Right now she is knitting a pair of Christmas socks, but when she isn't doing that she is likely to be seen with her friends or her boyfriend Kevin looking for a new type of tea to try, eating a burrito, driving her Volkswagen GTI, or playing around with her dogs Bijou and Lady, a Yorkshire terrier and Golden Retriever. She is also looking forward to adopting a snake in the near future. Speaking of her future, Kristen hopes to travel around the world and play shows some day, and maybe join a band for fun.
Kristen is a featured performer at the upcoming Recording Academy (Grammy) San Francisco Chapters annual conference in November. Merl Saunders Jr. Senior Executive Director will introduce Kristen.
This Christmas her first single, a holiday tune called Blessed Is The Child, will be released to radio. Penned by her father John Trayer, this potential classic was a natural choice to record once again showing the varied musical taste and style from this talented California artist.