KREE WOODS

HOMETOWN: Memphis, Tenn.
INFLUENCES: Joni Mitchell, Patty Griffin, John Mayer
ALBUM: Talking Underwater, out now
WEBSITE: kreewoods.com

After graduating from Auburn University with a degree in musical theater, Kree Woods was headed to New York City. That is, until a meeting in Nashville with Grammy Award-winning engineer and producer John Jaszcz. Sensing her potential, he convinced her to reconsider and record a few tracks. Her self-titled debut EP spawned the string-laden ballad “Cave In,” which was featured on an episode of MTV’s The Real World: Las Vegas in 2011. Woods continued to document her unlikely journey with her first full-length album, Talking Underwater. “This record is basically a musical underscoring of my life the past few years,” she says. “I’ve had so many unexpected shifts in plans I’d made and ambitions I’d carried.” Next up for Kree, a U.S. tour beginning in May. Learning how to navigate the oft-choppy waters of the music business hasn’t dampened her passion. “Almost anyone in this industry can attest it’s a turbulent ride, but it’s completely worth it,” she says.