TRISTAN PRETTYMAN

Singer-songwriter Tristan Prettyman shares the difficult aftermath of her breakup with fellow artist Jason Mraz on her recently released third album, Cedar & Gold. At first reluctant to sing about the personal trauma, she eventually embraced the opportunity to connect more deeply with her audience. “I wondered if it was going to be too much information,” Prettyman says. “But it’s my experience, and it’s important to surround yourself with people who support you and care about your story. People have written me to say my songs have helped them heal through tough situations and heartbreaks. Music is the one thing that can heal us all.”

After undergoing vocal-cord surgery in 2010, Prettyman was forced to take a hiatus from touring and recording. She’s moved on from that health scare with a more determined frame of mind. “I wanted to make sure I was on the right path, doing something I loved and was my purpose,” Prettyman says. “Before my surgery, I had a batch of songs ready. I’m glad I waited to finish the record instead of feeling the pressure to release it and just settling. It’s what I had to do to get to the quality of songs I wanted.”

As a fledgling performer in her hometown near San Diego, Prettyman wrote most of her songs alone. After signing with Virgin Records in 2005, she was introduced to music industry veterans who helped tend to the technical aspects of her music. “At first I criticized artists who had co-written,” Prettyman admits. “Over time I’ve warmed up to the whole idea.”

While stepping out of her comfort zone, she emphasizes authenticity as her final goal. “I have a hard time singing lyrics that someone writes,” she says. “It’s arrangement-wise where I might have some trouble, whether that be chord changes or with building the song up or slowing it down. It’s been wonderful to work with people who could bring my vision to life.”

Prettyman, a Taylor Guitar endorser, says the cedar acoustic she plays inspired part of her new album’s title. But it was another instrument that proved to be the catalyst for much of her recent creativity. “I actually wrote most of this album on a 1968 Gibson J-45 I bought on eBay,” says Prettyman. “The owner sold it to me for the original listing price after I spoke with him. He said, ‘I felt like it needed to be with you.’ I’ve always heard people say that different guitars have different stories,  and it’s so true.”  –Blake Boldt