Kristina Morales

Vocalist Kristina Morales has carved out a name for herself as a fearless and soulful performer with a brassy voice that reflects the native sounds of her New Orleanian upbringing and Puerto Rican heritage. From a very young age she was exposed to the sounds of New Orleans, growing up in her parent’s restaurant in the heart of the French Quarter. From the moment she was born the backdrop of her life was filled with music, good food and cocktails. Comfortable exposing her voice in all it’s shades and colors, she curates a set of music where she taps into the soul of every song she sings. She does this with a seamless sense of musicality and improvisation, interacting easily with her band to create beautifully developed spontaneous moments in the music. More comfortable onstage than off, Morales is a natural performer and communicator who can stun audiences with the power of her brazen voice one moment to shear and soft vulnerability the next.

As a high school student she studied at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA) and continued her education at The Boston Conservatory (BoCo) wherefrom she holds a BFA in Musical Theater. Her studies in music at NOCCA and BoCo were diverse ranging from classical, jazz, pop, r&b, and musical theater including rigorous training in acting and dance as well.

For the past 8 years Morales has been developing her sound on New Orleans’ famous street, Frenchmen, where she’s maintained a residency at the famous Spotted Cat Music Club for just as long. She’s as equally comfortable commanding intimate spaces in hotels, restaurants and clubs as she is on major stages in arenas and theaters.

Throughout the years she’s explored singing with a variety of projects including The Bayou Shufflers (traditional New Orleans jazz), The Inner Wild/Organ Trio (soul/jazz), Derrick Freeman’s Soul Brass Band (New Orleans brass band), Fat Ballerina (funk), Graham Hawthorne’s High Standards Orchestra (big band/swing), Courtyard Kings (gypsy jazz), Azucar (latin jazz), The Kirk Nasty (experimental jazz rock) and her own electro pop project Kristiani.