Who is Kirstin Maldonado?
Kirstin is an American singer and songwriter, probably best known to the world as the mezzo-soprano of the a cappella group Pentatonix, with which she has worked on numerous albums, and in recent years has also launched her solo career.
Kirstin Maldonado Wiki: Age, Childhood, and Education
Born Kirstin Taylor Maldonado on 16 May 1992 under the Taurus zodiac sign, in Fort Worth, Texas USA. She’s the daughter of Michael Cisneros and Angelica Maldonado. Of Spanish, Italian and Mexican ancestry, she grew up in Arlington, Texas, raised by her mother – her parents never married, and her mother later married a different man. Kirstin started showing interest in becoming a singer at just five years old, and three years later she sang at her mother’s wedding reception.
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She eventually convinced her mother to enroll her in voice lessons and even into theater classes, subsequently appearing in several local productions. She met her future colleague Mitch Grassi through the local theater community, and with whom she later started Pentatonix. Kirstin went to Holy Rosary Catholic School, and then enrolled at Martin High School, where she met Scott Hoying, another future member of Pentatonix, and together with Grassi formed an a cappella trio, covering various popular songs. After high school, she enrolled at the University of Oklahoma, to study musical theater on a full-ride scholarship as a National Hispanic Scholar. However, she never graduated as she focused on a music career, and formed Pentatonix.
Career Beginnings
She was called up by Scott for his new creation, an a cappella group for the NBC’s competition “The Sing-Off” – the group also included Mitch Grassi, and they added Avi Kaplan and Kevin Olusola. The group participated in the third season of the popular show, which they won, performing such songs as “E.T.” originally by Katy Perry, then “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf, “Toxic” by Britney Spears, and their victory song was “Eye of the Tiger”, an international hit by Survivor. As winners of the show, the members received a $200,000 cash prize, and a recording deal with Sony Music.
However, they were dropped by Sony’s Epic Records, and to distribute their music, they launched a YouTube channel, which brought them international stardom with over 19.5 million subscribers, and over 5.5 billion views.
The group next released the EP “PTX, Volume 1” on 26 June 2012, which charted at No. 14 on the US Billboard 200 chart, followed on 13 November 2012 by their Christmas EP entitled “PTXMas”, while their debut studio album “PTX, Vols. 1 & 2”, came out on 30 July 2014. The first two albums didn’t meet their expectations, but the Christmas album “That’s Christmas to Me”, which came out on 21 October 2014 reached No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and eventually achieved double platinum status in the US.
Rise to Prominence
Pentatonix was on the rise in the second half of the 2010 decade, and they reached the top of the US Billboard 200 chart with their self-titled album, which was their first No. 1 album, also achieving gold status in the US.
Their next album – “A Pentatonix Christmas” – came out on 21 October 2016, and became the second No. 1 album of the a cappella group, and achieved platinum status in the US. It sold over two million copies around the world, as well as over a million copies in the US. To speak further of the group’s success, Kirstin and the others released five more albums, including “PTX Presents: Top Pop, Vol. I” (2018), then “Christmas Is Here!” (2018), “The Lucky Ones” (2021), and “Evergreen” (2021).
Solo Career
Additional to her work with Pentatonix, Kirstin has pursued a musical career on her own. In January 2016, Kirstin performed the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” at the World Dog Awards, in honor of the dogs who have played the role of Toto from the iconic story about The Wizard of Oz. The next month she collaborated with the a cappella group Voctave on the songs “I See the Light”, “You’ll Be in My Heart”, and “Go the Distance”, from various Disney animated films; her performance was a part of the video “Disney Love Medley”. Her first solo single, “Break a Little” came out on 19 May 2017, followed by her debut EP “L O V E”, released on 14 July 2017.
Her debut original release debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes Pop Albums Chart, however, since then she hasn’t made new music on her own, but on the other hand, she made her Broadway debut, portraying Lauren in the musical “Kinky Boots”, co-staring Jake Shears and comedian Wayne Brady.
Net Worth
As of early 2022, Kirstin Maldonado’s net worth has been estimated to be over $10 million, earned through her successful career as a singer and songwriter.
Personal Life, Dating, Married, Single, Children?
When it comes to her personal life, Kirstin has been rather open about it. In August 2013, she met singer and entrepreneur Jeremy Lewis when they both were contestants in the show “The Sing-Off”.
The two started dating in October 2013 and less than three years later became engaged while together in Paris, France. However, they didn’t go through their wedding vows, as they postponed their wedding in 2017 to work on issues in their relationship, and ultimately called it off in October the same year. In 2018, she started dating freelance filmmaker and photographer Ben Hausdorff, who has helped her in some of her projects, including Pentatonix and tours, creating videos, and taking pictures.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
The prominent singer has dark brown hair, though she often dyes it half blonde, and has brown eyes.
Kirstin stands at a height of 5ft 4ins (1.63m), weighs approximately 148lbs (67kgs), with vital statistics of 37-25-37, and bra size 42C.
Hobbies, Interests, and Trivia
Kirstin was a touring member of Theatre Arlington for eight years, which helped her learn to sing 8-part harmonies. She is known for her philanthropic work, as she’s collaborated with the non-profit organization Little Kids Rock, performing in the charity concerts organized by the organization. Kirstin is fond of tattoos and has several tattoos on her body, including of her pet dog on her right forearm, and an owl on her right shoulder.
