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.
Smoke
Tristan Prettyman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'd float myself out of here
And I'd go wherever you are
And I'd never have to be too far from here
And I'd linger in your fingers
A transparent shade of gray
And watch as you watch me
Slowly fade away
Where are you when I need you by my side
Shouldn't it be that easy
To just be happy for awhile
Get lost in a moment
Wasting time trading smiles
Shouldn't it be that easy
To just be happy for awhile
Come on won't you waste my time
Baby waste my time
Won't you waste all my time
Things are never what they seem
Lately you're all I dream
Well I'm running but I'm not getting anywhere and
Do you even care?
Shouldn't it be that easy
To just be happy for awhile
Get lost in a moment
Wasting time trading smiles
Shouldn't it be that easy
To just be happy for awhile
Come on won't you waste my time
Baby waste my time
Won't you waste all my time
C'mon and waste all my time
I'm just trying to find my way
Between the glitter and the gray
Baby I just want some time with you
And ohh I swear this time I'll make it through well well
Shouldn't it be that easy
To just be happy for awhile
Get lost in a moment
Wasting time trading smiles
Shouldn't it be that easy
To just be happy for awhile
Come on won't you waste my time
Baby waste my time
Won't you waste all my time
C'mon and waste all my time
The lyrics to Tristan Prettyman's song "Smoke" speak to the longing to be with someone that is not currently present. The singer wishes they were smoke, able to travel to wherever their loved one is without constraint. The idea of being a "transparent shade of gray" suggests that the singer wants to be around the person they love without necessarily being noticed. The phrase "slowly fade away into the night" highlights the desperation the singer feels for the presence of their loved one.
The repetition of the lines "Shouldn't it be that easy, to just be happy for awhile" throughout the song speaks to the idea that sometimes love can feel like a burden or complicated, and the singer longs for a simpler time with the person they love. The lines "Get lost in a moment, wasting time trading smiles" suggest the desire to just be in the present moment, not worrying about the future or past.
Overall, the song is a melancholic ode to the ebb and flow of love and the desire for simplicity in those relationships. It speaks to the idea that sometimes love can feel overwhelming, and we long for a simpler time with the person we care about.
Line by Line Meaning
If I could I would be smoke
The singer wishes she could turn into smoke so she could be close to the person she loves without any impediments.
And I'd float myself out of here
She would leave everything behind to be with the person she loves.
And I'd go wherever you are
She wants to be with the person she loves wherever they go.
And I'd never have to be too far from here
The singer doesn't ever want to be away from the person she loves.
And I'd linger in your fingers
She wants to be as close to the person she loves as possible, even if it's just in their touch.
A transparent shade of gray
As smoke, she would be like a ghost that is barely visible.
And watch as you watch me
She wants to see the person she loves watching her, even if she's just a small, smoky presence.
Slowly fade away
Like smoke from a candle, she would eventually disappear into the night.
Into the night
The singer wants to vanish into the darkness, almost like a shadow.
Where are you when I need you by my side
The singer can't understand why the person she loves isn't there for her when she needs them the most.
Shouldn't it be that easy
The singer thinks love should be simple and effortless.
To just be happy for awhile
The singer wants to be happy with the person she loves without any stress or drama.
Get lost in a moment
The singer wants to get caught up in a happy moment with the person she loves.
Wasting time trading smiles
She wants to spend time aimlessly smiling and enjoying the moment with the person she loves.
Things are never what they seem
The singer knows that reality is often very different from what people perceive.
Lately you're all I dream
The singer thinks about the person she loves all the time, especially when she's asleep.
Well I'm running but I'm not getting anywhere and
The singer is trying to get closer to the person she loves, but feels like it's not happening.
Do you even care?
The singer wonders if the person she loves even cares about her at all.
I'm just trying to find my way
The singer is lost and trying to make sense of her feelings.
Between the glitter and the gray
The singer is trying to navigate through the good times and the bad times in her life.
Baby I just want some time with you
The singer wants to spend time with the person she loves, uninterrupted by anything else.
And ohh I swear this time I'll make it through well well
The singer is determined to make their relationship work this time around.
Come on won't you waste my time
The singer wants the person she loves to spend time with her, even if it's just wasting time with no real purpose.
Baby waste my time
She wants to be with the person she loves, even if they're just killing time together.
Won't you waste all my time
The singer wants the person she loves to occupy all of her time, even if it isn't particularly productive.
C'mon and waste all my time
She's urging the person she loves to spend as much time with her as possible, because she enjoys their company.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Tristan Prettyman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind