Kristen Merlin
Vocal finesse, stage agility, and songwriting savvy all wrapped up in one.
Kristen Marie Merlin is an American country singer and songwriter who has performed since she was young. She placed fourth on season six of The Voice in 2014, and has toured with the show and released her own music. Merlin is known for her energetic performances and powerful vocals. She has performed with artists like Sugarland, Bryan White, and Kelly Pickler, and has sung the National Anthem at Fenway Park.
At The Voice's blind auditions on February 24, 2014, Merlin performed Sugarland’s "Something More," persuading Adam Levine and Shakira to turn their chairs. Merlin chose Shakira and remained on her team the entire season. During the season's first live episode, Merlin's microphone went dead while she was singing Sugarland's "Stay." Merlin continued to sing until she was brought another microphone about 20 seconds later, enabling the audience to hear the final note of the song. She received overwhelming enthusiasm from the audience and the coaches.
Adam Levine, of Maroon 5 fame, praised Merlin for her performance. During the semi-finals, Merlin performed Miranda Lambert's "Gunpowder & Lead" and Jewel's "Foolish Games." The latter made the top 10 on the iTunes top 100 singles chart. Merlin then toured 31 U.S. cities on "The Voice Tour" in 2014.
In January 2015, Merlin independently released her first EP, Boomerang, which reached number two on Billboard's Heatseekers Northeast chart. Boomerang was produced by Corey Britz, engineered by Paul Fig, and recorded at Southland Records in Los Angeles. The five-track EP features four songs written by Merlin: "A Little While," "Confusion," "For Now," and "Pocket Love Song." The title track, "Boomerang," was co-written by Corey and Kara Britz.
In February 2019, Merlin released her second independently released EP, Humans Being, which reached number four on Billboard's Heatseekers Northeast chart. The first single from the EP, "Don’t Call It a Comeback" (written by Alex Kline, Kellys Collins, and Hannah Blaylock) was released in October of 2018. The five-track EP includes three songs co-written by Merlin, "Disengage" (written with Rob Pagnano and Lauren Weintraub), "Anyway" (written with Chris Parker), and "Humans Being" (written with Brian Dean Maher and Skip Black), as well as "Living Proof" (written by Matthew McVaney, Emily Weisband and Jennifer Schott).
