| Tristan Prettyman | |
|---|---|
Tristan Prettyman, 2005 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born |
May 23, 1982 Del Mar, California |
| Origin | San Diego, California[1] |
| Instruments | Acoustic Guitar |
| Labels | Virgin |
| Associated acts | Jason Mraz |
| Website | Official Site |
Tristan Prettyman (born May 23, 1982) is a singer-songwriter and former Roxy model from San Diego, California. She is signed to Virgin Records and released her first major label album Twentythree on August 2, 2005, followed by her second album Hello...x which was released on April 15, 2008. She is currently working on a new album according to her blogs on her Myspace page.
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Tristan Prettyman was born and raised in the town of Del Mar located in San Diego County, California.[1] Taking advantage of the town's proximity to the ocean, she took surfing as an elective at her junior high at the age of 12.[2] She competed in the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) High School Division and earned fifth place in the state title while still in middle school. She attended Torrey Pines High School in neighboring SD area Carmel Valley.
At 15, she was given a cassette of Ani DiFranco's 1993 Puddle Dive by her half-brother's friend. She played the album constantly and it still has great sentimental value to her. It serves as a reminder of when her musical ambitions started to blossom.
Inspired by DiFranco's music and due in part to her nature of being a self-described "nosy kid" she entered her parents' room and began playing around with her father's old acoustic guitar. Although her parents were initially angry with her for "taking" her father's guitar, they eventually became supportive of her interest in music.
She began playing in front of friends at their homes and they encouraged her to begin writing her own material. One night, while performing for some friends, an employee of the production company the Moonshine Conspiracy, run by surf filmmaker Taylor Steele and professional surfer Chris Malloy, heard her and asked Tristan to appear in the film the company was working on at the time entitled Shelter. Tristan's song "Anything at All" was chosen to be on the soundtrack.
Prettyman began playing in clubs and bars throughout San Diego County before being invited to join fellow San Diegan, Jason Mraz, on his national tour. Prettyman spent winter 2004 in New York collaborating with producer Josh Deutsch who had worked with Mraz and Lenny Kravitz.
Tristan credits her brother with much influence on her thinking and the title of her debut album Twentythree pays partial homage to the 23 Enigma. A perceptual concept which refers to the abnormally high occurrence of the number 23 in daily life as described in the book Cosmic Trigger by Robert Anton Wilson, as derived from friend and fellow author William S. Burroughs.
Twentythree was released on Aug. 2, 2005,[3] shortly after Tristan turned 23 on May 23 of 2005. It peaked at 24 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart. The brought comparisons with other contemporary surf rockers of the time, like Jack Johnson.[1][3]
Her second album, Hello...x, sold 18,187 in its first week and debuting at 27 on the Billboard 200.
She remains very actively involved in consistently updating her official MySpace profile and blog with stories from the road, streams of consciousness, and even a "musical" collaboration with fellow songwriters Anya Marina and Greg Laswell entitled "Lindsay Goes to Rehab," a tongue-in-cheek but friendly tribute to Lindsay Lohan, who recently entered a rehabilitation facility "to take care of [her] personal health."
Tristan plays and endorses Taylor Guitars. A former Roxy model, the ever-photogenic Tristan has also has appeared in many ads for various musical products such as Taylor Guitars (including a rather famous ad where she bares the soles of her feet).
In 2008, MensFitness.com interviewed Tristan on surfing and staying active while on tour.
In the Spring of 2009, Prettyman posted demos have appeared on her Myspace named, "Like a Song", "Don't Forget to Breathe", and "Better Now".
Prettyman dated Jason Mraz for four years. In December 2010, Mraz and Prettyman announced their engagement. On June 7, 2011, Mraz said in an interview with the Daily Beast that he and Prettyman were no longer engaged.[4]
Prettyman's half-brother is Cody McClintock, an independent film producer.