Kristen Merlin
Born (1984-12-13) December 13, 1984
Hanson, Massachusetts, United States
GenresCountry, pop
Occupation(s)Singer/songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active2010–present
Websitewww.kristenmerlin.com

Kristen Marie Merlin (born December 13, 1984) is an American country singer. She is best known for finishing in the top 5 on Season 6 of NBC's signing competition The Voice in 2014 as a part of Shakira's team.[1]

Career

2014: The Voice

At the 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.[2]

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, allowing the audience to hear the final note of the song. She received overwhelming enthusiasm from the audience and the coaches.[3][4][5]

Adam Levine praised Merlin for her performance, saying, "You handled it so gracefully. It was as if nothing happened. Well done. I would have been in a puddle of my own nerves. I would have been crying. I would have had a thumb in my mouth. That was real inspiring to see you be cool – ice water in your veins."[6]

During the semi-finals, Merlin performed Miranda Lambert's "Gunpowder & Lead," and Jewel's "Foolish Games."[7] The latter made the top 10 on the iTunes top 100 singles chart. Merlin and Kat Perkins were eliminated, while Josh Kaufman, Jake Worthington and Christina Grimmie progressed to the finals.[8]

Merlin toured 31 U.S. cities on "The Voice Tour" in 2014.[9] Other performers included Season 6's Kaufman, Worthington, Grimmie and Jake Barker, Season 5's Tessanne Chin, Jacquie Lee and Will Champlin, Season 4's Holly Tucker and Season 1's Dia Frampton.

2015–present: Boomerang and Humans Being

On January 20, 2015, Merlin independently released her first EP, Boomerang, which reached #2 on Billboard's Heatseekers Northeast chart.[10] 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.[11]

On February 8, 2019, Merlin released her second independently released EP, Humans Being,[10] which reached No. 4 on Billboard's Heatseekers Northeast chart.[12] The first single from the EP, "Don’t Call It a Comeback" (written by Alex Kline, Kellys Collins and Hannah Blaylock) was released on October 26, 2018.[13] 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).[10]

Discography

Extended plays

Title Album details Peak Billboard chart positions
Heatseekers – Northeast
Humans Being
  • Release date: February 8, 2019
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: Extended play
 4
Boomerang
  • Release date: January 20, 2015
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: Extended play
 2
"—" denotes items which failed to chart.

Releases from The Voice

Year Single Peak Billboard chart positions
Bubbling Under Hot 100
[14]		 Hot Country Songs
[15]		 Heatseekers Songs
 Digital Song Sales
 Digital Tracks
 Country Digital Song Sales
 Pop Digital Song Sales
 Hot Canadian Digital Song Sales
2014 "Something More" — — — — — — — —
"Turn On the Radio" — — — — — — — —
"I Can Love You Better" — — — — — — — —
"Two Black Cadillacs" — — — — — — — —
"Stay" — 38 — — — 23 — —
"Let Her Go" — 35 — — — 23 — —
"I Drive Your Truck" — 40 — — — 30 — —
"Gunpowder & Lead" — 47 — — — 47 — —
"Foolish Games" 11 — 19 44 44 — 24 58
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos

Year Video Director
2018 "Don't Call It a Comeback" Sean Hagwell

References

  1. ↑ Valdez, Jennifer. "'The Voice': Season 6, Top 5, Semifinals". www.metro.us/newyork/. Metro. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  2. ↑ Rohwedder, Kristie (February 25, 2014). "'The Voice' Is Baaaaaack!". Bustle. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  3. ↑ "'The Voice' contestant Kristen Merlin powers through mic outage". EW.com. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  4. ↑ "'Voice' singer Kristen Merlin on audio malfunction: I wanted to 'run off and cry'". TODAY.com. April 22, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Watch Kristen Merlin Lose Sound Mid-Performance on The Voice Live Shows". Us Weekly. April 22, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  6. ↑ "The Voice: Adam Levine Praises Kristen Merlin After Her Mic Dies". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  7. ↑ "'The Voice' Recap: Top 5 Double Up for Semifinals, Usher Sings 'Good Kisser' (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. May 12, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  8. ↑ "The Voice: Season 6 finalists named | The Star". The Toronto Star. May 14, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Dynamic Singer, Songwriter Kristen Merlin to Perform in AMU". Findlay Newsroom. January 30, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 "The Voice's Kristen Merlin Don't Call It A Comeback – Times Square Chronicles". February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  11. ↑ "The Voice: Season 6 Top Five Finalist, Kristen Merlin, Releases Debut EP, Boomerang". Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  12. ↑ Anonymous (January 2, 2013). "Heatseekers – Northeast". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  13. ↑ Don't Call It a Comeback – Single by Kristen Merlin, October 26, 2018, retrieved February 20, 2019
  14. ↑ "Kristen Merlin Album & Song Chart History – Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Kristen Merlin Album & Song Chart History – Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
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