Kristen Englenz

Singer-songwriter Kristen Englenz paints musical stories of loss and heartache with a soulful sensibility both intimately aching and defiant with hope. A classically trained pianist and acoustic guitarist with a voice virtuosic and vulnerable, her music is fragrant with Americana roots and a modern indie vibe. 

Roots music journal No Depression called Englenz’s music “stream of consciousness Beat poetry imbued with good-down-home Southern sensibility.” And Stomp and Stammer said, "There is a stirring intimacy to these performances that holds you in their grasp."

Englenz attributes her melodies to be partially inspired by the natural world. Her interest in environmental activism is shared in her popular web series “Caterwauling with Kristen” where she mimics birdcalls and teaches about avian species.

“I don't know why a certain chord progression makes us want to cry or to laugh,” says Englenz. “If we figured that out, we would probably understand birds and nature much better!”

Englenz’s debut album, ingénue, was recorded in Nashville by three-time Grammy nominee and producer Ken Coomer, former drummer for Wilco. It includes a collaboration with five-time Grammy winning gospel legends, The Blind Boys of Alabama, recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals.

The album explores themes of vulnerability, betrayal and hope. Englenz cries out to the lonely and the lost, opening portals for the passage of grief as well as reassurances that we are not alone.

“Sometimes it can feel like you're damaged, defective, not worth being seen,” she says. “We all have these stories.”

A fast-rising fixture of the East Nashville music scene, Englenz frequently performs at The 5 Spot, The Basement, and The Bowery Vault as well as at famed Eddie’s Attic in her hometown of Decatur, Georgia. Englenz also plays French horn on several tracks of her new album and can be heard contributing her musical talents to other artists and bands in Nashville.

Her songs have appeared on compilation albums for Amplify My Community, a nonprofit organization using music to defeat homelessness along with those of REM, Drive By Truckers, Widespread Panic and many more.

Englenz was recently signed by Atlanta, Georgia based indie label, Saturn 5 Records.