JENN CRISTY

Jenn Cristy
From the first time Jenn Cristy sat in front of the piano at her family’s Tennessee home, she has made a world of sound and song for herself. To hear Jenn tell it, her life resonates with the music that fills her soul. And now she’s sharing that harmonic life with a larger audience, by way of her deubt CD, Becoming.
Jenn’s musical odyssey began at age 4: “I was hearing Christmas songs on the radio and I just climbed up on the bench and started picking out the melodies by ear,” she recalls. From there, Jenn began exploring the flute, followed by the violin and guitar. It wasn’t long before Jenn began writing her own music. Jenn remembers
the first song she wrote: “With You Forever More.” She was only eleven years old. “I always sang in church and I just figured that maybe I could say what I was thinking in my own way.” Since then, Jenn estimates she’s written close to 200 songs. To call her prolific would be an understatement.
It was Jenn’s other talent — swimming — that would bring her to Indiana and, ultimately, the attention of rocker John Mellencamp. Indiana University called during Jenn’s senior year of high school and the pool phenom accepted a full-ride scholarship along with a place on IU’s swim team. The demands of a college swimmer didn’t
mesh with the demands of a music major, so Jenn focused on swimming with a vengeance. The reward? She remains the most decorated female swimmer in the history of IU. Jenn’s swimming prowess led to an invitation to sing the national anthem before a Hoosiers basketball
game. Fan John Mellencamp was in the audience that night and, in short order, Jenn was hired for her first job:
back-up singer and instrumentalist with Mellencamp. Jenn spent 18 months performing with Mellencamp and
his band. Her vocals, as well as her skill with the flute and congas, are showcased on his 2001 album, Cuttin’ Heads, and its supporting tour which crisscrossed North America. Jenn’s work with Mellencamp also led to her first concert — which happened to be one in which she performed. “One of the biggest rushes I’ve ever had is standing on stage singing and performing in front of
thousands of screaming fans ... there is no other feeling like it and no words to describe it,” Jenn says. “I learned more in my first on-stage performance than I did all four years of college!”
Since leaving the Mellencamp band in 2002, Jenn has been focusing on her solo career. It’s meant hours in the studio and rehearsal space, writing and refining her own unique rock/R&B sound. Jenn says her own personal experiences — both the good and the bad — have influenced her music. The passion that fueled her athletic performance for so long now is stoking the fires of her musical career. As she’s become older, her music and
songwriting have evolved. In a word, Becoming.
Becoming all she’s meant to be
www.jenncristy.com
708-370-2768