The Chicago-raised Tristen also took to the stage at an exceptionally tender age, fashioning smart pop tunes that quickly caught the ears of fans and industry folks alike. After scoring a publishing deal in L.A. that earned a handful of her tunes placement in television and film, Tristen relocated to Music City. It was there the young artist developed her style, branching out from her radio roots, and instead injecting her innately playful pop sensibilities into a newly introspective brand of folk.

This year Tristen is releasing 'Charlatans at the Garden Gate', a collection of songs she wrote and produced that were recorded with Jeremy Ferguson at Battletapes Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee. At first listen, Tristen's music is playful and jaunty with lilting tambourines and see-saw cellos floating beneath a crystal-clear voice and lightly strummed country guitars. Upon further inspection however, her songs are meticulously crafted, carefully orchestrated gems that burrow deep, unlikely to leave you anytime soon. With the music world awash in lo-fi reverb and echo, Tristen's songs are direct, crisp and utterly refreshing. 

Paste Magazine named her "Best of What's Next in 2010" and described that "the lyrics on Tristen’s bright, mildly twangy, string-swept Deceivers Are Achievers EP (out now) were clearly written by a young woman who has never considered being a damsel in distress, who knows she would be doing both herself and everyone else a disservice if she wrote about little more than pining after lost love."

The Nashville Scene has already hailed her output as showing a "staggering range of talent" while American Songwriter Magazine has effusively praised her "buoyant fusion of pop-addled country rock." Tristen's live show is fearless, passionate and undeniable. Taking cues equally from Wanda Jackson and Paul McCartney, Tristen hurls charming three-minute pop nuggets from her guitar.