Taking advantage of the town's proximity to the ocean, she began surfing at the age of 12. She competed in the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) High School Division and earned fifth place in the state title while still in middle school.
At 15, she was given a cassette of Ani DiFranco's 1993 Puddle Dive by her half-brother's friend. She played the album constantly and it still has great sentimental value to her. It serves as a reminder of when her musical ambitions started to blossom.
Inspired by DiFranco's music and due in part to her nature of being a self-described "nosy kid" she entered her parents' room and began playing around with her father's old acoustic guitar. Although her parents were initially angry with her for "taking" her father's guitar, they eventually became supportive of her interest in music.
She began playing in front of friends at their homes and they encouraged her to begin writing her own material. One night, while performing for some friends, an employee of the production company The Moonshine Conspiracy, run by surf filmmaker Taylor Steele and professional surfer Chris Malloy, heard her and asked Tristan to appear in the film the company was working on at the time entitled Shelter. Tristan's song, Anything At All was chosen to be on the soundtrack.
Prettyman began playing in clubs and bars throughout San Diego County before being invited to join fellow San Diegoan, and future boyfriend, Jason Mraz on his national tour.
Prettyman spent the winter of 2004 in New York collaborating with producer Josh Deutsch who had worked with Mraz and Lenny Kravitz.
Prettyman is half-sister to Cody McClintock, an independent film producer.
She is signed to Virgin Records, and put out her first major label album Twentythree on August 2, 2005. Tristan credits her half-brother with much influence on her thinking and the title of her debut album pays partial homage to the "23 enigma". A perceptual concept which refers to the abnormally high occurrence of the number 23 in daily life as described in the book Cosmic Trigger by Robert Anton Wilson, as derived from friend and fellow author William S. Burroughs.
Twentythree peaked at 24 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart.
In 2008 Tristan released her sophomore album, entitled Hello.
In Bloom
Tristan Prettyman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Along with the leaves
And bloomed into spring
Taking all of our chances
And all of our dreams
And turned 'em into possibilities
I wanna know
When you're lying in your bed late at night
Trying to keep so still
My heart is pounding
And it's trying just to keep up with the time
I am not yours
You are not mine
Trees sway, seasons change
And so did my heart
We bend 'til we break
And then we fall apart
You made your point
And I rest my case
My dear, you're just a little bit too late
I wanna know
What you're thinking
When you're lying in your bed late at night
Trying to keep so still
My heart is pounding
And it's trying just to keep up with the time
I am not yours
You are not mine
Tristan Prettyman's song "In Bloom" is a love story that bloomed in spring and fell apart in winter. The lyrics describe how their love was filled with chance and dreams that turned into possibilities. However, as the seasons changed, so did their love. Spring brought a new beginning, but winter brought an end to their love. The lyrics use the metaphor of trees swaying and seasons changing to describe how our hearts can be bent until we break and fall apart.
The chorus of the song has the repetition of the lines, "I wanna know, what you're thinking when you're lying in your bed late at night, trying to keep so still." These lyrics capture the anxiousness and uncertainty that come with a love that's falling apart. The verses also echo the sentiment that both parties have accepted that their love has ended, "I am not yours, you are not mine."
Overall, "In Bloom" is an emotive and introspective song that describes the bittersweet end of a love story that bloomed in spring.
Line by Line Meaning
Our love fell out of winter
Our love ended like the season of winter, with coldness and barrenness.
Along with the leaves
Our love ended like the leaves falling from trees, with a sense of finality and change.
And bloomed into spring
Our love blossomed like the season of spring, filled with new beginnings and hope.
Taking all of our chances
Our love embraced all of our opportunities for happiness and growth.
And all of our dreams
Our love embodied all of our aspirations for a shared future.
And turned 'em into possibilities
Our love transformed our dreams into the potential for a fulfilling relationship.
I wanna know
What you're thinking
When you're lying in your bed late at night
Trying to keep so still
My heart is pounding
And it's trying just to keep up with the time
I am curious to know your innermost thoughts when you are lying in bed at night, feeling the weight of our relationship on your mind, while my heart races with anxiety, struggling to synchronize with time.
I am not yours
You are not mine
Our relationship is over, and we no longer belong to each other.
Trees sway, seasons change
And so did my heart
Just as nature undergoes changes, so does the human heart, and my heart changed as our relationship changed.
We bend 'til we break
And then we fall apart
We tried to hold on to our relationship until it was too late, and it broke under the pressure, causing us to fall apart.
You made your point
And I rest my case
Your actions have spoken louder than your words, and I have no further argument to make.
My dear, you're just a little bit too late
Although you have realized the value of our relationship, it is too late to save it.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Tristan Prettyman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind