SINGER Kristen Cruz left a mark while competing on Season 17 of America's Got Talent.
Although she wasn't crowned a winner of the popular NBC reality show, fans of the 20-year-old want to know what Cruz has been up to lately.
Who is Kristen Cruz?
Kristen Cruz is a singer and songwriter from Crowley, Texas.
According to her website, the 20-year-old started singing at the early age of five and is inspired by the sounds of Amy Winehouse, Adele, and Lauryn Hill.
She has over 730k followers on Instagram alone, where she often shares videos showcasing her vocal talent, sparkling humor, and coffee-making skills.
In a 2023 interview with Fort Worth Magazine, Cruz explained where her love for music originated.
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"I grew up loving the beautiful music we would sing during the worship service at my church when I was younger," she told the outlet.
"From there my love of music grew into me wanting to sing. Then there were some talent shows at my school I auditioned for and then I got into Rock Band and began writing music from there."
When did Kristen Cruz get kicked off AGT?
In 2022, Cruz joined America's Got Talent for the show's Season 17.
She told Fort Worth Magazine that after years of being rejected by talent shows, she decided to put all her efforts into social media.
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"Then after I hit 900k, America’s Got Talent reached back out to me and asked me to be on the show without having to do any pre-auditions," she explained.
"I had already told God I didn’t really want to do this anymore because its draining and after praying with my friends I felt compelled to this. When I hit the stage, I was nervous because it was my first time performing live in five years."
Nevertheless, her soulful voice left the judges in awe, with Heidi Klum telling her: “I want your voice! I love everything about you, you are a star already in the making. I mean, you just have a real gift!”
Cruz's charm also helped her win over the hearts of viewers but it, unfortunately, wasn't enough to win the entire competition.
The youngster was knocked out after her semi-final performance, where she chose to sing the power ballad Nothing Breaks Like a Heart by Miley Cyrus and Mark Ronson.
Where is Kristen Cruz now?
Cruz continued on her musical journey, even after America's Got Talent, and occasionally performs live shows around the Texas area.
As of August 2023, she has 6.6million followers on TikTok, where she does a majority of her social media outreach.
In June 2023, she released her newest single, Love In The Dark - less than a year after the release of her last single, Love Shouldn’t Be a Fight. She has over 68k monthly listeners on Spotify.
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