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.
Mess
Tristan Prettyman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And this time I won't ask why
'Cause I'm runnin from the things that I cannot hide
And this time
Reminds me of last time
And I watch you pack your bags
Get in the car
Well I wouldn't make you stay
'Cause it's better if you go
It's better if nobody knows
What a mess you make of me
'Cause you and your goodbyes
And though I tried, I tried, I tried so many times
Oh well it's just something that gets me every time
Oh and this is nothing new
And I'll be fine
'Cause you said you miss me more when I go
Well is that so
'Cause well I've been gone for quite some time
But the mood in the room and I'm consumed
With you every time
You take my breath away
'Cause you and your goodbyes
And though I tried, I tried, I tried so many times
Oh well it's just something that gets me every time
Oh and it's nothing new and I'll be fine
I know
'Cause you and your goodbyes
And though I tried, I tried, I tried so many times
Oh well it's just something that gets me every time
Oh well there's nothing new and I'll be fine
Yeah there's nothing new and I'll be fine
This song is called "Mess" by Tristan Prettyman. The first verse starts with the singer taking a deep breath and not questioning why things are happening. She is running away from things that she can't hide from and is reminding herself of the past where things similarly fell apart. The second verse is about the singer watching the person she is with pack their bags and leave, but instead of making them stay, she thinks it's better that they leave. She explains that nobody else needs to know how much they cause her to become a "mess".
The chorus continues by talking about the difficulties of saying goodbye. The singer has tried multiple times to say goodbye, but it still gets her every time. She acknowledges that this is nothing new and that she will eventually be fine. The bridge of the song seems to be a response to the person who is leaving, as the singer wonders if they really miss her when they are not together, and the mood in the room is always consumed with thoughts of the other person.
Overall, "Mess" is a song about a relationship that is falling apart. The singer is struggling to come to terms with the end of the relationship, even if it's what is best for both parties. The recurring theme of saying goodbye is a reminder that sometimes things do not work out the way we want them to.
Line by Line Meaning
I take a breath and I sigh
I am feeling tired and defeated
And this time I won't ask why
I have stopped trying to find explanations
'Cause I'm runnin from the things that I cannot hide
I am trying to escape my internal struggles
And this time
The present situation
Reminds me of last time
It brings back memories of similar situations in the past
And I watch you pack your bags
I see you preparing to leave
Get in the car
You enter your vehicle
Drive away and if I could
You depart from my presence and though I wish it weren't so
Well I wouldn't make you stay
I wouldn't force you to remain
'Cause it's better if you go
It may be easier for us to part ways
It's better if nobody knows
It's better if others don't see the emotional turmoil you cause me
What a mess you make of me
You cause chaos and unrest in my life
'Cause you and your goodbyes
Your frequent farewells
And though I tried, I tried, I tried so many times
Though I have endeavored to make it work many times
Oh well it's just something that gets me every time
It still affects me deeply
Oh and this is nothing new
This is not the first time this has happened
And I'll be fine
Eventually I will recover and move on
'Cause you said you miss me more when I go
You claim to value me more when we are apart
Well is that so
I am skeptical about your claim
'Cause well I've been gone for quite some time
I have been absent for a while
But the mood in the room and I'm consumed
The energy in the space reminds me of you and I can't help but think of you
With you every time
You remain on my mind
You take my breath away
You have a powerful impact on me
'Cause you and your goodbyes
Your frequent farewells (repeated)
And though I tried, I tried, I tried so many times
Though I have endeavored to make it work many times (repeated)
Oh well it's just something that gets me every time
It still affects me deeply (repeated)
Oh well there's nothing new and I'll be fine
This is not the first time this has happened and I will eventually recover (repeated)
Contributed by Gianna Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@0787Joy
This song will never get old
@sick1407
they should make more songs like this so catchy! love tristan prettyman's voice so soothing ^^;
@nafzarm1
2 very underrated artists. Jason has to be one of the best live singers of his generation.
@deoxys101993
Can't the world recognize real music like this?
@dp01975
This is a really great song!!
@whiteregit
I love this song & so glad someone put it up on Youtube!
@remalewis6675
Beautiful song 😍
@kirkwatson1442
I thank my friend for this
@BAOLEPT1
Thank U.
If you look deep enough you will see music; the heart of nature being everywhere music.
@babymarshmellow6077
just makes me sway ,love this at first heard!