"Real life is better than school," Kristen says. "I definitely couldn't do what I do without the knowledge I got at school. But until you actually get out there and do it, you don't know what life in music really is."

Obviously, Kristen values experience. But that doesn't mean she hasn't paid her dues in the classroom. She has the Nashville Jazz Workshop, Berklee College of Music, and 12 years of private vocal training on her resume. But having been born in Nashville and raised in Memphis, she wants to get out and use what she knows.

"Music has never been a hobby and I don't want it to be. I want to get my music out to as many people as possible. I couldn't imagine doing anything else."