TAKE THIS PERSONALLY: Big Artists & Big Quits: The Real Life of a Touring Background Singer

Summary

Podcast Summary: TAKE THIS PERSONALLY: Big Artists & Big Quits—The Real Life of a Touring Background Singer

The Bobby Bones Show (Premiere Networks) | March 22, 2026

Host: Morgan Kielsman
Guest: Kristen Rogers, touring background singer (Post Malone, The Killers, Hosier, Eric Church)

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Episode Overview

This episode offers an illuminating and candid conversation between Morgan Kielsman and Kristen Rogers, a seasoned and sought-after background vocalist in the touring music industry. Kristen shares insights into her unique career path, detailing the joys, quirks, and challenges of a life spent behind some of the biggest names in music. With humor, vulnerability, and wit, she explores the realities of choosing the background over the spotlight, what quitting means in a gig economy, and the deeply personal choices involved in crafting a sustainable, creative, and genuine career.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bonding Backstage & Women in Music

• Instant Connection: Morgan and Kristen reflect on how they met backstage at Rebel Jukebox, instantly bonding as the only two women in the space (03:40).
• Kristen’s Philosophy:

  "Life is extra hard for women. I'm not willing to contribute to that."
  — Kristen Rogers (03:57)

• Supporting Each Other: Emphasis on building camaraderie, encouraging each other, and breaking stereotypes of female competitiveness.

2. Discovering a Path as a Career/Background Singer

• Musical Upbringing: Kristen’s mother was a classical singer who used music at home, influencing Kristen’s early and deep love for creative harmonizing (05:14–06:42).
• Boot Camp for Harmonies:

  "Every time she'd turn the page, I'd try to find a new harmony part. And it was like my favorite game as a kid. So I was basically in like background vocal boot camp because it was fun." — Kristen Rogers (07:07)

• Rejecting the Solo Artist Route: As a teen, Kristen turned down a pop record deal in favor of a path that felt truer to herself—background singing—citing pressures around image and brand that felt deeply uncomfortable (08:18–12:37).

3. Choosing Autonomy: The Joy and Power of Quitting

• Job Freedom and Control: As a background singer, Kristen values being able to choose her bosses, tours, and work environments (13:04).
• Three-Year Rule: She only stays with a gig for about three years to keep things fresh and protect her energy, recognizing the emotional toll of tour life (15:24).
• On Quitting:

  "Quitting is one of my favorite things... I can just be like, thanks so much. That was good. I like that money part that we exchanged. I was sick. Good luck, man. When I get to walk away, that is a freedom." — Kristen Rogers (14:34)

• Protecting Energetic Boundaries: Recognizing her empathic nature, Kristen explains her responsibility to keep her energy healthy for herself and those she works with (17:02).

4. Touring Life: Highlights, Chaos, & Favorite Gigs

• Wildest Gigs: From Pride Week at the Gap in NYC (21:17) to major TV performances and stadium shows, Kristen cites the randomness and diversity of her gigs as a major plus.

  "They turned a clothing store into a venue slash bar where you're now performing—but it's kind of a music video. It's a vibe." — Morgan Kielsman (22:54)

• House Band “Babe”: Kristen describes the season working as a “house band Babe” for all sorts of award shows and touring with Americana band Humminghouse, A Thousand Horses, and more (33:06–35:12).
• Tour Bus Life: Honest (and humorous) details about crowded buses and tour hierarchies (36:52).

5. Navigating the Industry: Diversifying & Staying Flexible

• Studio Work and Teaching: Kristen balances touring with studio session work and teaching, noting the value in diversifying within music (39:24–42:07).
• Advice for Artists: Encourages those pursuing their own music to only put out work they stand behind, warning of the lifelong impact of ‘hating your big hit’ (13:35).

6. AI & the Future of Music

• Creativity vs. Automation: Kristen voices concerns about AI in music, but emphasizes the irreplaceable humanity and vulnerability in real vocals:

  "AI can't do cry with you in the middle of your dang song. I'm in this space where if you're still gonna call, I'm gonna send it way harder than I ever did." — Kristen Rogers (29:24)

7. Big Opportunities—and Big Quits

• Major Tours:
  • Hosier: Joined after a sudden vacancy; describes the challenge and satisfaction of handling complex, choir-driven arrangements (49:52–53:36).
  • The Killers: Childhood dream gig, but quit after two months due to a bad cultural fit (55:43–57:26).
  • Eric Church: Called with eight days' notice to fill a key spot in the live band—another testament to the value of being able to say yes (59:11–60:27).
  • Post Malone: How a one-off set at Stagecoach for Post Malone turned into a tour gig, after a whirlwind schedule of performances (64:57–66:48).

8. Maintaining Identity and Self-Worth

• Aging in the Industry: Both host and guest discuss internalized ageism—Kristen pushes back:

  "Age is a Fact, not an insult. The only thing that makes us hate ourselves is us. Don't be mean to you. You deserve better." — Kristen Rogers (18:00)

• Imposter Syndrome & Confidence: She openly talks about struggling early with hearing her own voice and detaching her identity from musical output (42:01–44:25).

9. Personal Life: Relationships & Challenges of Tour Life

• Dating Difficulties:

  "It is without question harder to be home. It is without question harder to be left... The more successful I get, I feel like... it is occasionally a sense of insecurity for men that I have the exposure that I do." — Kristen Rogers (70:38–73:26)

• Protecting Privacy: She never Googles collaborators after meeting them, preferring real human connection (71:40).

10. Parting Wisdom

• Kristen’s closing message is a compassionate exhortation to self-care in a stressful and chaotic era:

  "The only experience you have is your own. Take care of yourself, take care of your nervous system, and remember what you can do something about. If you can't, it's not about feeling powerless, but about feeling grace and maybe not sitting in misery that is pointless." — Kristen Rogers (75:37)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Women Backstage:
  "As the only two women in any space, you just have to bond up quick."
  — Kristen Rogers (03:40)

• Musical Family Quirk:
  "She would sing opera because it was the loudest safe noise she could make. So it'd be like, 'kristen, come down for dinner.' I'm like three. I'm like, yes, mother." — Kristen Rogers (05:41)

• Reflecting on Quitting:
  "Quitting is one of my favorite things." (14:34)

• On Teaching & Emotional Connection:
  “I love to sit with the artist and be like, why the hell did you write this?...because I'm going to add my voice to your voice. That carries a lot of emotional content if we let it.” (28:25–28:58)

• On AI in Music:
  “AI can't do cry with you in the middle of your dang song.” (29:24)

• Three-Year Rule Explained:
  “There's just always this law of diminishing returns with tour jobs. First year is magic. Second, you see people honestly. Third, you gotta go.” (17:42)

• Stagecoach/Post Malone Career Pivot:
  “We need a background singer that can come in and learn songs with no time. Could you do it?”
  — How one random call changed her career path (64:57)

• On Dating Challenges:
  “The added layers of security or insecurity...I do live on a bus with one woman and eight men. That of course can feel a certain kind of way.” (73:01)

• Advice for Listeners:
  “Take care of yourself, take care of your nervous system. Remember what you can do something about. And if you can't, it's not about feeling powerless, but about feeling grace.” (75:37)

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Key Timestamps

• 03:40: Bonding backstage and supporting women in music
• 05:14–07:07: Family musical background and harmonies “boot camp”
• 08:18–12:37: Rejecting pop stardom for authenticity
• 13:04–15:24: Advantages of background singing, three-year rule
• 21:17: Favorite gig: Pride Week at the Gap, NYC
• 29:24: On AI and preserving humanity in music
• 49:52–53:36: The “Hosier call,” choir music, learning triangle on Today Show
• 55:43–57:26: Dream gig with The Killers, and why she quit
• 59:11–60:27: Eric Church, quick turnarounds, thriving under pressure
• 64:48–66:48: The Post Malone opportunity
• 70:38–73:26: Relationships, dating while touring
• 75:37: Kristen’s closing advice

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The Episode’s Tone & Vibe

Candid, self-deprecating, warm, insightful, and hilarious. Both Morgan and Kristen foster a spirit of authenticity and empowerment, with a focus on supporting each other (especially women in music), encouraging emotional intelligence, and embracing both chaos and calm. Kristen’s stories cut through illusions of glamour, painting a realistic but inspiring picture of modern musical careers beyond the spotlight.

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For More:
Follow Kristen Rogers on Instagram (see show notes) for on-the-road adventures and music insights.
Podcast IG: @takethispersonally

Next Week:
Morgan welcomes her fiancé for a special episode on wedding planning and relationships.

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Transcript

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[Kristen Rogers]

Take this personally with Morgan Kielsman.

[Morgan Kielsman]

As we continue and wrap up the series on conversations to better our lives, I'm bringing on an awesome woman who I met while backstage at Rebel Jukebox. Not only is she a great talent in the world of music, but she's also someone who created her own path for her life and continues to live by her own terms. I've been in awe of her ever since I met her. So time for you to meet her, too. Super excited right now because Kristen Rogers is joining me, and Kristen and I met at Red Bull Jukebox. We're hanging backstage. So, Kristin, thanks for joining me.

[Kristen Rogers]

It is my pleasure. Thank you for having me.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I'm so excited for this. We were just backstage. We shared a dressing room because you were part of the house band that night. And we were just hanging out in the dressing room most of the time. And Kristen and I got to talking and I looked at her. I said, you're gonna come on my podcast.

[Kristen Rogers]

Look, as the only two women in any space, you just have to bond up quick. And this was one of those. Just. Just really worked.

[Morgan Kielsman]

It really did. Like, that's the best bonding experience I've had in a dressing room.

[Kristen Rogers]

Are you serious?

[Morgan Kielsman]

Truly, Sometimes it can be a little hostile. So you know what? We'll start one of those.

[Kristen Rogers]

We'll start off with one of my first, like, core thoughts as a human, which is, life is extra hard for women. I'm not willing to contribute to that.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I love that. And you did exactly that. All you did was make me feel excited and safe. And then we got to talking about dogs and all kinds of things.

[Kristen Rogers]

And let's be real, you were looking hot. I had to mention it. And that is how friends tend to be born.

[Morgan Kielsman]

You did. You hyped me up. We were hyping each other up. There was makeup being done. It was just a whole bonding. So I appreciate you. You guys are going to get to know why I wanted to bring Kristen on because she just has incredible stories. But her really, what Kristen does is she's a background singer. Is that What? Or backup vocalist. How do you guys identify?

[Kristen Rogers]

You can call me anything you want. I just call myself a career singer, background vocalist, backup vocalist. And in England, it's backing vocalist. For some reason, they have to slightly change.

[Morgan Kielsman]

It feels weird calling it backing, but I get it.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah, sure, whatever.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah, we're back there. We're happy to be there.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay. And how do you even get into a career like this? Because I met you as a house band. But you have toured with.

[Kristen Rogers]

Presently on tour with Post Malone, but previously have done the Killers. Hosier, Eric Church. I've been very, very lucky to bop around a lot and have a lot of really fun experiences, which is what

[Morgan Kielsman]

I'm excited to talk about. But I need to know how, why the who, the what of how you even got into this.

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh, my gosh. Probably started. No, it definitely started when I was a child. My mother is a phenomenal singer in the classical opera realm and was always playing music in the house. She's a fabulous pianist as well. And me and my sisters, I've got two sisters. We all sing, of course. It's like one of those, like literally von Trapp family, really. Sound of Music. Do a dear. Like all of us have to walk

[Morgan Kielsman]

in the door and start singing when you see each other?

[Kristen Rogers]

It's not quite like that, but there's just a ubiquitous sense of music in the home. Yeah, my mom didn't. She was always very conscious of her vocal health, which is, turns out hereditary, but she never wanted to scream or yell. It was a waste of her instrument. And so, for instance, when I was a young child, she wanted to summon us for dinner. She would sing opera because it was the loudest safe noise she could make. So it'd be like, kristen, come down for dinner. I'm like three. I'm like, yes, mother.

[Morgan Kielsman]

And that's all you knew? You didn't know any different?

[Kristen Rogers]

No, she's just batty ass family is what we did.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I need to know though, when you got as you got older and people didn't sing to bring you food, did that really impact?

[Kristen Rogers]

I still haven't adjusted. I'm still facing a certain layer of depression somewhere in my adult life because we don't always do that. But I do work in music, so I kind of sing everything, as does everyone. To me, it's pretty weird.

[Morgan Kielsman]

But not to bring you food now.

[Kristen Rogers]

No, no, never do they sing to bring me food. And I've never realized how mad I am till this very moment.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Sorry for bringing that to the line.

[Kristen Rogers]

I'm Gonna go home and deal with that. No. So ubiquitous music for sure. Just ever present everywhere and everything. But I was walking through the room one day, my mother was playing a hymn. Was raised very much in the church. And she was singing. And I don't. Did not consciously know what I was doing at the time, but she called me over, she's like, kristen, come over here. And I was like, okay, sing that again. So I go and I start singing the song as I know it. And she's like, no, you were singing different. Something different a second ago. Did you realize that you were singing something different? And I'm seven. I'm like. So I switched notes, I switched parts and I. Because I was, I think raised in such a dense musical environment, just naturally started hearing harmonies. Was also going to a church that did like the hymnal, the full on choir parts kind of thing. So that definitely impacted the development of my ear that young. But yeah, I thought I was in trouble. And it turns out we just started this game which was like every time she'd turn the page, I'd try to find a new harmony part. And it was like my favorite game as a kid. So I was basically in like background vocal boot camp because it was fun. And then as musical opportunities started to present themselves through my teen years, I was offered a record deal around that time in the pop sphere. Around that Britney Christina era. Yeah. And immediately felt that everything was about like my body and how I looked and my presentation to the world and my brand. And I don't think we were saying it that way yet, but.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah, but I know what you mean.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah. I just hated the way that felt and just went to. Actually this is such a very specific memory, but went to a show when I was 15 at Red Rocks, which I'm from Denver, so I'm spoiled. I'm the most spoiled person on earth.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I'm so jealous. Red Rocks is one of my dream locations to go to a show.

[Kristen Rogers]

You haven't been.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I have not been.

[Kristen Rogers]

Guess what we're doing next summer.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I know. I feel like I've been holding out for the right concert to see there for some reason.

[Kristen Rogers]

No, because you want it to be a special experience. You don't want to go to just go.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yes. So that's what I've been holding out. So if we can find the perfect one. Yes, we're going.

[Kristen Rogers]

Keeping an eye on that schedule. I got people. I know. You also have all the people. We'll be fine.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Between the two of us.

[Kristen Rogers]

Between the two of us, there's no tour that goes on without us knowing someone, I'm sure. So all that to say. I was at a show there. My parents took me to see Lyall. Love it.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Wow.

[Kristen Rogers]

And there was this background singer that was with him who was just having a ball, obviously. Lyle's a great singer, great band leader. He does a simple thing. Lyle's like, what's up? He might as well be talking to you. Yeah. His background singer is this, like, incredible gospel style singer. Just ripping, having all the fun. So much freedom in his space and also so little pressure because of what role he plays. And that is a singer in town called Jason Eskridge, who remains a good friend. Owns Music City Sandwich Company on Gallatin. Y' all go get a sandwich. Support my boy sandwich. Sorry, I don't plug everybody, but I'll plug Jason because he inspired me to do this. And he's a wonderful person and a good friend, which I love.

[Morgan Kielsman]

A good plug, by the way.

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh, hell yeah.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay. So, yeah, this is great.

[Kristen Rogers]

The cool thing about me is I have nothing to promote. So you, like. There will be no personal plugs. It'll just be like, plugs of people. I actually believe.

[Morgan Kielsman]

And honestly, the most authentic version of that is just things that you want to support and people you love.

[Kristen Rogers]

He makes steam sandwiches, and they're freaking delicious. Don't sleep on it. Go get you one. Anyway, so Jason, brilliant human cook, business owner, but fabulous singer, and was doing something that the minute I saw it in 15, you're old enough to conceive of your own career or potential, I was like, oh, so you can do all that and not have to do all the other stuff that is being presented to me that I really don't vibe with. And once I saw that door open, it was such an easy idea. And the coolest thing about being a background singer is nobody wants your job. Nobody really wants to be you. People conceptually do. They'll always be like, oh, you're the one with the tambourine. I've always wanted to do that. You're like, great. But then they get. The talented singers of the world are almost always drawn to the artist space. They're creators. They have something to say. It's not that I don't have anything to say. It's just that I do know most people are gifted to say it better than I personally am.

[Morgan Kielsman]

And you trusted your intuition at a really early phase right when you had the opportunity, which I'm not surprised. You're incredibly talented. You had an opportunity to go the route of being an artist and being front stage and doing that. And something in you just said, this doesn't feel like me. And how unique. Right? Because at 15, everybody's trying to figure themselves out. They don't know what they want, they don't know what's happening in their lives. They're trying to determine what that looks like. But you had enough wherewithal happening to say, I just don't think that's the right path for me.

[Kristen Rogers]

I don't mean to sound so woo woo, but I think that little girl all the time. I made that final decision at 17 and my parents were, were so cool. They had saved a budget to like help with college and I had already gotten into Belmont here in Nashville and basically the record deal was on the table and college was on the table and it was, they sat me down and just said, it's your choice. We trust you. You can take this money and go start college or you can take this money and go to LA and start your life like, and do this deal and we trust you. Which is insane to say to a 17 year old, I think when you're handing them five figures of support. But I just, I never felt good and safe with those men with that record deal, with the situation and I, I didn't know I'd be safe as a background singer either. And let's be real, I don't think anyone is like actually safe in the music industry if I'm honest.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah.

[Kristen Rogers]

But I made that choice at that point and I just, I don't know, whatever gut part of me was screaming. I'm just so glad I listen because I actually enjoy my career and there is a lot of protection in working in a space like I do versus the exposure of being a successful artist puts a pressure on your life that can never lift. Depending on the scale.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah, very much so. So like to your point, yeah, there, there is different situations in choosing the path.

[Kristen Rogers]

Right.

[Morgan Kielsman]

But there is something to be said about doing the background vocalist career because you do get to choose your boss. You, you get to decide which tours you're going to join. You get to say yes or no. You have a little bit more autonomy in what happens versus artists. You really have to scrape and take all the scraps and do all of this building that just. And I'm sure there's a level of that still happens with the beginning of your career, but I just feel like there was a little bit more that

[Kristen Rogers]

you had control over very much and still have control over. I think about it all the time. And I teach as well. And that is where I think I show. That is my opportunity to show care to artists and musicians. But I tell people all the time, I'm like, if you hate this song right now that you're like working on, if you hate this song that you wrote for whatever reason, if you don't connect to it, this could be the biggest song you ever put out. Don't you want these things to work out? Don't you? Aren't you recording this because you want to work out? If you're sitting here telling me you don't believe in the producer, don't believe in whatever's going on that you don't believe in, this is a specific conversation I can remember having. I was like, this song could be your biggest single of your whole career. And you don't get to walk away from that. Yeah, you don't get to be somebody else tomorrow. If I work for you and you have this big single blowup and I hate it, I can just be like, thanks so much. That was good. I like that money part that we exchanged. I was sick. Good luck, man. When I get to walk away, that is a freedom. And of course there's a very forward facing part of my career as well. But I'm telling you, I love quitting. Quitting is one of my favorite things. And I have walked away from some gigs that people are like, what? And I don't have to answer for it like an artist would. An artist has much more of a connection with the public. I have received so many dms specifically about one gig I left. And I'm just like, I don't read my message requests. Wink. Never seen.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Was it like some. When you decide to leave something, I'm assuming it's because of a situation, because of treatment, because of the experience, because you're touring with these people, you're spending a lot of time with them. Is that a right assumption?

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah, I. It is varied. Every time I left a gig, I have a secret, not secret rule, which is the three year rule. Don't know why it's three years, but it's just always made sense to not stay on a gig much longer than that. And I think there's a few reasons I feel that way. One of which is you do you get too close? That thing that at first you're like, wow. And they sing so good and they're so cool. Then they're pulling stuff three years in when you've been living on a bus with them and you're like, that's less cute to me. That is a lot less cute to me. I feel more comfortable. I feel more inclined to say something. I'm a very communicative person and that can be not my best quality in those environments. So I have to be a little cautious at a certain point. And also, you get sick of things. You get sick of people. You're not supposed to live with any of your co workers. That's why you don't.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah, that's exactly true. But you have to do your job.

[Kristen Rogers]

And so I think three years is great. You can, you can have. I always joke, like, first year you're like, wow, new people, new things, new music. Hell yeah. Getting in second year you're like, okay, get to know everybody, avoid you now. Like, it starts to build and grow a little bit. But that's okay. You're not supposed to be best friends with everyone. I'm very at peace with that. Then by year three, you're like, and I can't stay far enough away from you. And you annoy me in this thing you're doing. Just like it all starts. But the minute my energy becomes negative in the space, that's why I quit. That's why I want to go. Because my energy is huge and it spills out over the whole floor and everybody can feel it. And so it's my responsibility to take care of my energy.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Let me guess, you are also an empath. This is probably why we bonded so well.

[Kristen Rogers]

Because I'm like, are you okay? We knew we need to go on and be hosting. I have to go on and sing. But it's the same thing. And I love you.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yes, we. And we were exchanging emotions back there so heavily.

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh yeah.

[Morgan Kielsman]

And notified. Impass, impasse often bond. But yes, it is very much a protecting yourself, especially in spaces where that energy can be tested often.

[Kristen Rogers]

Constantly. Really?

[Morgan Kielsman]

So is there ever somebody that you stayed past your typical three year mark?

[Kristen Rogers]

I have not done it yet. Wow. I have not done it yet. I'm two years into the gig. I'm on right now. We'll see how this year goes. This is the one.

[Morgan Kielsman]

This is the year that determines a lot.

[Kristen Rogers]

1. I'm going in optimistic and with a whole lot more tools than I have in previous years because the older you get, it is actually almost completely a rule. You get wiser and smarter and hotter.

[Morgan Kielsman]

That's true. True. Glow up. You are hot. So I didn't know you any other age.

[Kristen Rogers]

I'm saying it to all the girlies all the time. Age is a Fact, not an insult. And the only thing that makes us hate ourselves is us. Don't be mean to you. You deserve better.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I see. And that's what I need to. This is why we bonded again. Because I just needed you on my shoulder for everything, in every moment.

[Kristen Rogers]

By the way, if you think you're not great, you're the only person thinking that. Pie.

[Morgan Kielsman]

That's what I needed. That's all that I needed. Okay, so over the years, how long have you now been doing this career?

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh, my gosh. I started, I guess technically. Really, I started right after college. So that would make 16 years, which is so scary.

[Morgan Kielsman]

That's not scary. Hey, what did you just tell me about age?

[Kristen Rogers]

You're right. It's just. It's. Wow. Like that. That sounds like I should have done something. I guess I did do something.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I watched you on tv, so technically

[Kristen Rogers]

you did you see me wave at you?

[Morgan Kielsman]

You were not waving at me. But it was during Post Malone. Was during a football game.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yes, the Thanksgiving Cowboys game.

[Morgan Kielsman]

And I was like, oh my gosh, it's her. We were just hanging out with her girl.

[Kristen Rogers]

And you know what? These things, you see them and you're like, wow. They're like, oh, wow. My point of view that day was like, I am desperate to make friends with a single cheerleader. Please be my friend.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I just walk around the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. Is that why?

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah. And I totally watched the show. I'm so into it. So the whole day I just felt like I was like, did you make friends like a nice auntie? Hi, guys.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I feel like you would have made friends. Did you or did you even have really an opportunity to.

[Kristen Rogers]

I believe the impedance in our path was that they are very serious and very professional and very focused. And the time that we were interacting, they were like on the field rehearsing. So I actually think it probably amounted to me annoying and interrupting them.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I feel like you need a second try.

[Kristen Rogers]

Notice the lack Shame on my face. It was worth me and my Kobe GV background singer, Mr. Jeremy Lister. Listen to his music. He makes his own eps. He's unreal. The way that man makes me cry when he sings. I was like, listen, Jeremy, our task today is we are learning two dance moves and we are jumping in on the choreography and we sure did.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I love this and I really feel like you need a redo with him. I think you need an actual meet cute with them.

[Kristen Rogers]

You know what, if you put up anything online along with your stories, I have a video of us practicing our Choreography. I'll be happy to send you.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I do need this. I need this for the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. So maybe you can be an honorary Dallas Cowboy cheerleader. Done.

[Kristen Rogers]

Done. I'm in. I was born in Dallas. I deserve it.

[Morgan Kielsman]

We found your new dream.

[Kristen Rogers]

Thank you.

[Morgan Kielsman]

This is it.

[Kristen Rogers]

Thank you. I will never be able to kick that high. But you guys have to let me in anyway.

[Morgan Kielsman]

You can do other things. You can sing for them.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Live music, Dallas Cowboys scene cheerleader.

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh, my gosh. And they do like that really legendary choreota. Thunderstruck.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yes.

[Kristen Rogers]

Thunder. I gotta work on my rest, but I'm in there.

[Morgan Kielsman]

You could do that.

[Kristen Rogers]

I got. I. It's the only thing I have left.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay, so this is obviously just one of a million things that you've gotten to. What are some of the coolest things you've gotten to experience?

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh, my gosh. I have had, I think, such a wide array of gigs. I need to take just a moment, think about this. But I will say I feel like I've gotten to do so many things. People would be like, whoa. But the gig that is popping to mind, of course, because my brain is full of random chaos.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I want all the random chaos. So. Yes, ma', am, please continue.

[Kristen Rogers]

Welcome, without question, the funniest gig I've ever done and like, probably the most unique is for Pride Week in New York City. I was singing with this artist named Jake Wesley Rogers, who is an unbelievable talent, but just one of the most fun performers you can be working with. Like, he is a runner arounder, he's a climber. He's scared the pants off of me sometimes because he is just fearless. And I am. Well, while not being a mother, I have like serious mom energy. So if you're running around, I'm like, oh, God, please don't climb nuts. Scaffolding does not look safe.

[Morgan Kielsman]

This is why you actually maybe haven't had children yet. I think it would cause you true anxiety in your life.

[Kristen Rogers]

And let me be real. The way that I have a million children, they're just 20 something men that I have to live with. Yep. And I always, will always have them. Whether or not I want them, they're mine. This is one of those. And they booked this gig for Pride Week in New York City at Gap.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Like the clothing store.

[Kristen Rogers]

The Gap store. Okay. There, it's a two level Gap. And they basically took all of the little rolling racks, everything, moved it all to the side on the bottom floor, put in a bar and had a show. And it was funny, incredible. Because people that came in droves with hundreds of people, it was super fun. And then we're between two escalators, and Jake has no chill, so he's, like, riding up the escalator, like, climbing down, sliding down the thing. Like. It was one of the most funny shows of my life. And I couldn't just. Every time I just come to Presence, I'd be like, I'm a cat.

[Morgan Kielsman]

All you can think of is that you're. They turned a clothing store into a venue slash bar where you're now performing. But it's kind of a music video. It's a vibe.

[Kristen Rogers]

Sure. It couldn't have been more random. And everybody was just having a blast with it. Gap dressed us for, like, a month's worth of wardrobe. Thank you, Gap.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay. That's what I was gonna ask. Did you get Gap closed?

[Kristen Rogers]

Then we getting swagged out for these brand games. I had to know, you know? Yeah, they spoiled us to death. And they just had such a wonderful staff and approach, and that was just one of the most fun gigs I've ever done. And I don't know why that's one I had to tell you about, but it is.

[Morgan Kielsman]

No, I love that one. And that's a really good one.

[Kristen Rogers]

Random.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Did you have other ones come to mind? Because I feel like you just have a plethora of stories, so I want to make sure before I. Oh, my

[Kristen Rogers]

gosh, there's so many. Something will pop up if we keep going. Something will pop up because I'll just sit here and just think, and that's no good.

[Morgan Kielsman]

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[Morgan Kielsman]

Obviously, when you speak to anybody who's in the artist world, they obviously have these goals that they'd love to hit. From your perspective, what are your goals? What are the things that you would love to achieve? Maybe some that you've already achieved.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah.

[Morgan Kielsman]

But is there anything that you still hope to accomplish in this space?

[Kristen Rogers]

The bucket list is a weird one because sometimes I'm like, I didn't even know to put something on my bucket list that was so good that I got to do.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Those are interesting, right?

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Like, when you have those moments in your life.

[Kristen Rogers]

Totally. Like, for instance, doing a halftime. Like, that was not even on my bucket list. I was like, there's no way, my nerd ass. It's not gonna happen. But, like, then I'm on TV doing a halftime, then I'm headlining Coachella, then I'm shoot on every country music award show I've done. Now the CMA seven times. You're like, what do you put on the bucket list? At a certain point, because I've been, and let me just say, like, I am one of the luckiest people I know. I do not take that for granted. I do not misunderstand that. To have gotten to do all these things and again, not absorb all the artist drama. Lucky girl.

[Morgan Kielsman]

But also, there's a huge artistry to you that you're not giving yourself enough credit for here.

[Kristen Rogers]

Thank you.

[Morgan Kielsman]

You are incredibly lucky. Yes, I feel that way often in what I do, but there's also so much talent that comes with what you do. That's why a lot of people can't do it.

[Kristen Rogers]

Thank you. Thank you. I've worked really hard, and I really love what I do. And I think, if anything, if I'd like to think that anything has influenced the stability of my career to this point, it is that one of a very deep and important thing to me is to treat all opportunities with respect and to sing down and to care. Like, when I sit down with you in the studio, we're going to record your song, sometimes you don't really have a moment. Sometimes it's let's go. A time pressure. But when we don't have that, that I love to sit with the artist and be like, why the hell did you write this?

[Morgan Kielsman]

Find the story and the depth of

[Kristen Rogers]

it, because I'm going to add my voice to your voice. That carries a lot of emotional content if we let it. And vulnerability is one of the only things I'm good at. So let me come with you. Where you went. Give me a taste and. And when I get that, I'm singing a thousand times better. Singing a thousand times and just giving more. But we're in this very interesting time as artists where, as I call them, the robots are offering a threat to some of our creative output. Sure. Yeah, There. There is a fear among my community pretty heavily right now of those things. And something I think about right now is, okay, can't fix it. Don't know anything about it. Have not even typed anything into chat gbt. I know that's a brag. Sorry, guys.

[Morgan Kielsman]

You should keep bragging about that.

[Kristen Rogers]

As long as you have not used AI for anything yet. But that said, and I know it can be a great tool, I'm not just ragging on it. You have to work with progress. And I hear that too. But I think right now I am one of the musicians that is still being called to make lots of music. And so guess what? AI can't do cry with you in the middle of your dang song. I'm in this space where if you're still gonna call, I'm gonna send it way harder than I ever did. Which, like, let's be scared of that. Like, let's go ahead and do that because let's say it is our last opportunity. I'm gonna enjoy it. Like, I'm gonna. I'm gonna make music I can be proud of. If it's some of the last music that humans make, which, let's be real, is not a real threat. We can be that dramatic.

[Morgan Kielsman]

But you also. It's a fair thing, right? Because it's more the unknowing. We don't know what's to come. We know that this is here. We know that it has the ability to do a whole lot of things. And we haven't even touched the surface. So it's fair to be fearful of the unknown. That's what's happening. But I do. It's crazy. There was a song that popped up. I love to listen to just different curated playlists so I can get new music and hear different voices. And one popped up And I was like, that's interesting. I haven't heard of this person before. And I went to their thing. I like to hear the story. I want to know the backstory of who this person is. And I love to support artists and see their coming of age.

[Kristen Rogers]

If you will actually want to do the thing that you're doing. That's so cool.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yes, very much so. Rarely, but in that moment, I do. But I went and dug on this person. And first thing, I go with social media, because that's what I'm really at. And I know I can learn a lot about somebody through that. I go to this one's page and I was like, are you kidding me?

[Kristen Rogers]

Robot?

[Morgan Kielsman]

It was an AI artist. And I was like, immediate delete. Get that off of the playlist. This shouldn't even be on the playlist.

[Kristen Rogers]

I know.

[Morgan Kielsman]

It wasn't even something I chose to listen to. You know what I mean? And I was just like, we no listening to that ever. No. And it's not that I don't support it. I do support it in ways, and there's going to be a lot of things that benefit from it. But when it comes to creativity, the reason that people connect is because it's human. Yes, we're connecting in that way. If you would like to connect with a robot, that's an option. But it's not music, anything, any entertainment.

[Kristen Rogers]

That's it. In theory, music, movies, all of this is art. And the point of art is release and creativity in the process. And we have, in ways, as a culture, made art into a consumable thing. And let's be real, was one of those, like, early 2000s hipster kids. It was like, I'm never gonna be on the gig that, like, I don't believe in, or I'm never gonna work in this genre or that genre because of what they think. And that's hilarious. That's so cute. I love that for me. But what is that actually? That is saying, I want to make art in a vacuum for me. And you can always do that. That is always allowed. Always. But if we want to consider making art for a living as well, then we do have to start considering an audience. And those balances can get really strange.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Very much. And it has. You speak about genres. So walk me through all the people that you've ever done this with. Obviously we have award shows, which is difficult because that means you've done it for a whole lot of people.

[Kristen Rogers]

And there's a. There was a season, and it continues randomly in which I Was what I call a house band. The word I use wasn't nice, but if you put another B word after that house band babe, we'll say.

[Morgan Kielsman]

And she called herself that just.

[Kristen Rogers]

I. Oh, this is self referential. Let me be very clear. The way that I talk to me is hilarious because it has to be because I am ridiculous.

[Morgan Kielsman]

So you aren't ridiculous, but I hear you.

[Kristen Rogers]

Good way. I celebrate her.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Like, I love your chaos.

[Kristen Rogers]

Look, being a normal lady is very available.

[Morgan Kielsman]

It's true.

[Kristen Rogers]

It's obviously not what I've chosen.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Who wants to be normal? That's not any fun for anybody, so Especially in this field too.

[Kristen Rogers]

I consider it an insult personally, but you're not normal.

[Morgan Kielsman]

So thank you. You're welcome. Thank you.

[Kristen Rogers]

Anyway, all that to say. I have gotten to work in so many genres, and that is without question my favorite thing about my freedom. I started in an Americana band. I was in it.

[Morgan Kielsman]

You were in it. So you were not a background vocalist.

[Kristen Rogers]

But I was that in the band, which is so funny.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay.

[Kristen Rogers]

I graduated college and I met up with these guys. They were all a couple years older, and one of them was just recording a single and I went and did the background vocals in the studio. And then he called us all a couple weeks later and he's. But what if we were a band and I was 22, so I was like, that still sounds like a good idea.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Sounds fun. Let's try it.

[Kristen Rogers]

And let me be real. I'm still friends with all those guys.

[Morgan Kielsman]

And are they still a band to this day?

[Kristen Rogers]

No, they are not. But they kept up many years after I left. I was in the band for like two or three years and then started getting a lot of studio opportunities for background vocals. And I love the studio. The studios jump through a hoop. I'm gonna put the hoop over here. We'll light it on fire. Okay. It goes up, goes down. And I just. I love of really fast work. The faster the better. I'm just a little speed demon as a human brain. So studio I love. And it was really lighting me up. And I was young to be getting some of these opportunities, so I was like, all right, love you guys. Bye. So started Americana.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Wait, what was the band? What were they called?

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh, they're called humming house.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Humming house, yes.

[Kristen Rogers]

Did quite a bit in Nashville for a while. We still got some old music videos online.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I'm gonna have to go watch some of this.

[Kristen Rogers]

How long you been in Nashville? A long time or shorter.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I'm coming up on my 10th year.

[Kristen Rogers]

Okay. This is Back. Like, our first music video we made was in Germantown when Germantown was not Germantown.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay.

[Kristen Rogers]

Nailed it. There was this old tea house there in this old building called the Savannah Tea House. And we just, like, dance in this cute. It's such a cute little video.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay, I'm watching. This is. Okay, so we've got humming houses where it begins.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yes. The genesis of my Nashville time again, kind of moving in Studio world. And through that, I sang on a band's record, A Thousand Horses, you may remember. There's she Smoke My boys.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yes.

[Kristen Rogers]

I sang on their record. And they were doing this. They had just gotten signed a big machine. And we're doing this big kind of Southern rock family band vibe thing. And they wanted background vocalists. And so they called me after I'd done the record. And they're like, hey, we want to do the three girl thing with the choreography and the Honkettes wannabe thing. They were just like, you can call. We trust you. We don't know anyone. Call whoever you want.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I was like, I get to create this.

[Kristen Rogers]

Literally, I get to pick anybody I want. So I called two of my best friends, phenomenal singers. And we started that gig and that scene where they're getting all the Muppets together, it's just a dang mess. And they're all gonna go start the band.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yes.

[Kristen Rogers]

It was that every weekend. We were just young. We were absolutely having too good of a time. I love that bus 12 deep, which, for reference to the layman, there are 12 bunks on a bus. So if you're 12 deep, you are

[Morgan Kielsman]

packed in like sardines. Sharing one bathroom, I would think.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah. I call buses a studio apartment with a half bath because you can't use a. There's not usually a shower. And if there is, nobody uses it. And the toilet itself is singular function. I'm sure you're aware of that. You guys only want to be doing the one thing in the toilet. I'm not going to explain that any further.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I don't think we need to. That's okay.

[Kristen Rogers]

But it's a gross way to share space with everyone. But we had the best time. Like, we were young. It was all of our first time on a bus or touring like that. So we were just. Oh, I love those boys. I still talk to them all the time.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I love that. And they're great guys.

[Kristen Rogers]

There's a nerds. They're all dads now.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Like, you gotta love watching a band more from young. And nobody had any responsibilities to dad and Mom.

[Kristen Rogers]

Life If I put my memories, some of the more unstable moments we shared together, back to back with the sweet dads I know they are now, I'm like, like, huh? But you know what? Humans grow. And that's something you can always hold.

[Morgan Kielsman]

It's one of the funniest things to watch your friends become parents.

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh, my God. Yes.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Hilarious. You're like, I saw you do crazy things at a bar one time, and that is not the same person that's sitting in front of me right now. It's a joy to watch that experience. So I do understand.

[Kristen Rogers]

I literally can't retell any stories from that era and I have not signed any NDAs. That's just respect, baby.

[Morgan Kielsman]

This is probably a good thing. Sometimes things are better left unsaid.

[Kristen Rogers]

I don't think I want them to tell my stories either. I think we're good. I think we can all let it rest.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Mutual respect.

[Kristen Rogers]

Anyway, Horses were great. Did that for, you guessed it, three years. And then it was exactly that. We were family and they were having some changes and figuring out what they should do, and it just made sense for all of us to part. That one actually felt more like a mutual breakup. And I was always. It was very cute. They had me, like, bring in singers to audition and I held auditions for them and then they ended up not even hiring anybody because it just wasn't the same.

[Morgan Kielsman]

That's when you know you did something.

[Kristen Rogers]

But we were just dependent. They were just dependent because what ended up happening is they did not hire more background singers, but they can all sing. So they just hired me on as their vocal coach to teach them the parts that we'd all been doing and they started doing it themselves and it was great.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Oh, that's cool.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah, I very occasionally still go back and do that with them and they're. I love those boys. They're family forever. So did that for a few years and then just was feeling like I needed a change and kind of went into a gap year, which, like, that's the scariest year of your career, is when you take away the main job and you figure out if you can do freelance.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Freelance meaning just picking up in studio opportunities or like one offs and different moments. Is that what freelance looks like?

[Kristen Rogers]

Yes. And for a while I was doing. I picked up some one offs with this artist named Ryan kinder, who is an angel, baby.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I've heard some of his songs. Yes.

[Kristen Rogers]

He was on Warner for a while. So I was doing some stuff with Ryan, which was a good stability piece. And then, yeah, I Was just like I've been doing some studio work and I felt like it was going to be more sustainable. But that's when I started teaching, which I love and I miss it all the time when I'm on the road. But teaching has be been a really stable piece of my career when the rest of it is very seasonal and gig based and all that so.

[Morgan Kielsman]

And teaching. Are you teaching at a college?

[Kristen Rogers]

A school? Vocal coach?

[Morgan Kielsman]

Like just lessons.

[Kristen Rogers]

Lessons.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay.

[Kristen Rogers]

Just totally. I teach I'd say a quarter of my students on Zoom whether they're touring or just out of town. And then I prefer to have people in person which I have a dedicated space in my home for. And it is. Oh, it's the best.

[Morgan Kielsman]

You want to know something crazy?

[Kristen Rogers]

What?

[Morgan Kielsman]

Way back when this was before young Morgan knew anything about anything. Baby girl, I very much wanted to be a singer.

[Kristen Rogers]

Hell yeah.

[Morgan Kielsman]

And I took a lot of vocal lessons.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yay. What style?

[Morgan Kielsman]

I could not tell you this. This is like young Morgan.

[Kristen Rogers]

These are like. Were they making you do like classical? Like Broadway? Were you singing pop songs? You like country?

[Morgan Kielsman]

No, it was more classical cuz I was also in choir so I was singing just a lot of songs and learning how to read music.

[Kristen Rogers]

Very common to end up in classical first.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yes. And I did all the do me that I had on my warm up.

[Kristen Rogers]

Let's go.

[Morgan Kielsman]

All the things. Things. But that was clearly not. My mother helped me on that one to be like, I think we should deter in a different direction. I was really great at harmonizing with people, but I was not good at singing by myself. I could not find a beat to save my life by myself. It was the wildest thing. But like you put me with like people or like you put me on a track with it. I could sing it perfectly.

[Kristen Rogers]

You were meant to be one of us. You just didn't have your avenue.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I didn't know it existed. Nobody told me I could do that.

[Kristen Rogers]

That's it. It's. You have to go to that one show at Red Rocks and have your.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Exactly.

[Kristen Rogers]

Come to whatever God you believe in moment.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Literally. It's okay. It worked out in the way that it needed to.

[Kristen Rogers]

Don't worry. After this, no one will pay me to speak either. We're gonna. We're gonna stay in our zones in a good way.

[Morgan Kielsman]

That is not true. You're so good at this. And definitely nobody's paying me to singing. But it's funny because I really loved my vocal coach and I did piano lessons, I did guitar lessons. I tried. I really tried. Everything. But I did love my vocal coach, and it was a cool experience for me. So I know the impact of what you're doing for whoever you're working with.

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh, it's just sweet. I think people are so freaked out by their voices. Like, if they're not working, they're like. And let me say also, I am not immune to that. If I'm sick, if my voice isn't working right, no quicker way for me to be moody. Mean. Because it. Not only is it necessary for my career, for doing anything that I do, it is also a big part of our identity. And actually that's something that I kind of work to help my students release. Is that singing has to be part of our identity. No. You are something. If you never utter a note again, you are the same thing you were.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Can you also help me work with the shame of hearing my own voice? Yes.

[Kristen Rogers]

Do you want some vocal nerding?

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah. Tell me. Because this is what's funny about doing podcasting.

[Kristen Rogers]

Really.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Or just having anybody on. Nobody loves to listen to themselves.

[Kristen Rogers]

Nope.

[Morgan Kielsman]

It's the one thing we all don't like. So I know why nerd out on me.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yes. If you ever want to just vocal nerd, we'll. We're having a coffee. Okay. But the reason you don't. You've never heard your own voice until it's recorded. You've never heard it. It. Two major reasons why. A, your ears are here. Your voice goes this way. You're hearing reflection mostly of what your voice actually sounds like. The actual sound of your voice you only hear reflected. Secondly, what you identify as a sound of your voice actually is going to be vibration of a bunch of tissues. Your voice is here, vibrating. Your ears are here. You're mostly hearing vibration and muffled. And that's why you think your voice is lower than it is.

[Morgan Kielsman]

And that's why you don't like the

[Kristen Rogers]

sound where really what's coming out is just a clear.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Wait, let me know. Let me know if. Because you know that and you, like, know the science behind it. Does it make you like your own voice more?

[Kristen Rogers]

Speaking voice?

[Morgan Kielsman]

Any voice that you listen back in here?

[Kristen Rogers]

At this point, I'm so healthily detached from my voice. I've sang on hundreds of records. Like, I always have to hear my voice. Like, I'm so used to it at this point. But is that something like I remember early in my career very much struggling with. Yeah. But even my speaking voice I'm used to now. I'm just used to it. The millionth time you hear anything? Yeah, well, there it is. But yeah, no, when you guys hate your voices, it's because you don't hear your voice. Sorry.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Isn't that funny? I love the nerd. Yeah. And now that you've, like, said it out loud, now it feels like that. And now all I hear is an echo, Right?

[Kristen Rogers]

Because you're hearing the bright part of your voice coming back to you. That's it. It's coming back from the wall. That's the part of your voice you can hear.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Our bodies are so interesting.

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh, dude.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Conversation for another day for sure.

[Kristen Rogers]

I'm like, how long do we have?

[Morgan Kielsman]

Oh, I can always. I can keep anybody here forever. I just love having conversations. But I did interrupt you, like in the middle of your. We were talking about your past arc of career.

[Kristen Rogers]

And let's be really interrupted myself because I might have that thing. I'm undiagnosed, but I might have it. There's a chance.

[Morgan Kielsman]

There's always a chance. As one little.

[Kristen Rogers]

If I read anything, I'm sure. So anyway, after that little gap space of time, which let me say also something that I love about quitting is that when you quit something, you're free to be called for something. A lot of my friends have gotten stuck on gigs for a million years and they're like, I don't know why nobody ever called me to do something else. And it's. That might in part be because you were doing that thing and everybody thought you were happy there.

[Morgan Kielsman]

That's something I think about often in general, just with most people of being unhappy in jobs. And you think about all the people who have quit and something better came along. But man like to think about you and how quitting is such a freedom for you.

[Kristen Rogers]

I love it.

[Morgan Kielsman]

That's so rare.

[Kristen Rogers]

I know, I'm weird.

[Morgan Kielsman]

No, but it's so you're lucky in that sense. You want to talk about being lucky? Oh, I'm lucky truly in that way. Because most people are not comfortable in change and change is difficult. We see changes, this really big thing that is hard to overcome. And so quitting is often associated with that. I actually think I found where you're the most lucky. And it's because you have a freedom with quitting.

[Kristen Rogers]

Economy, of course, makes you more bold to do that because the gig economy is seasonal and it moves and people change jobs all the time. So it's not as weighty as someone who might have a 9 to 5. Something that is really, really established. I can't imagine what that is. And I won't pretend that I do.

[Morgan Kielsman]

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[Kristen Rogers]

But that said, I quit. I was free. And because I was free, I very luckily got called. Somebody had dropped off the Hosier tour and two months of notice to go on like a two year tour. They were just like we had a dropout and we hear you're good and tell you what, if I'd been on another gig, it would have been very, very difficult to make my way out of it in that time and make it there for rehearsals and do the thing and I don't know, just whatever stupid gut thing just guides me through all of it. I was just sitting there. No problem.

[Morgan Kielsman]

It's working.

[Kristen Rogers]

It did and it was great. I was with Hosier for his second record tour, which that genre is very hard to define. It falls in, I think the indie pop category. But my role on it was mainly classical because everything on it is very coral. Which you know what? Credit to this man. At least there's first records. There's no women singing on them. Like he's saying that stuff. Why it's high. It is tricky. I became so grateful I had the mother I did when I got in that gig. And, like, day one of rehearsals, they're like, can anyone sing? Hi. And everybody's, like, trying the part. And they're like, no. And I'm like, it'll be me. Okay, fine. I can do that. I can do that for months at a time. Let's do it.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay. So at the time when you were touring with them. Because now it's been a massive social media trend to, like, post videos to Hosiers Yell.

[Kristen Rogers]

So many.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Were you there?

[Kristen Rogers]

Which song?

[Morgan Kielsman]

I'm trying.

[Kristen Rogers]

You're too sweet. Or is it would.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Let me see. Because I've only literally heard the yell 80 million times.

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh, that one.

[Morgan Kielsman]

You can keep doing that. That was so pretty. Okay. Oh, okay. So it was in Hosier Yell refers to him performing Northern Attitude with Noah Khan. So that would have been after the fact.

[Kristen Rogers]

After. Yes.

[Advertisement Voice]

Okay.

[Kristen Rogers]

That was last year. They think that they. Maybe they recorded it the last year I was there. So I was there for 2018, 2019, for that tour, which was supposed to chaotically. Was supposed to go into 2020. And we ended up cutting it off.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Covid.

[Kristen Rogers]

Not for Covid. We cut it off for other reasons. Okay. And I am so grateful I did not get pulled off the road in the middle of that. That is one of the things I'm most grateful for.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah.

[Kristen Rogers]

Ouch.

[Morgan Kielsman]

That was crazy. Talk about good timing of that happening. Okay. But he's awesome. Like, his vocals and stuff are.

[Kristen Rogers]

He's a crazy. Very talented musician.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah.

[Kristen Rogers]

And, like, really involved in his music. Like, that very much comes from his brain. Yeah. Very, very creative, but very high. Ask on a musician level. Like, I was singing classically, essentially, and playing percussion, which, like, often I would have two different percussion instruments, and each. I was playing triangle, girl.

[Morgan Kielsman]

So you're doing the high one and you were playing multiple instruments at the same time.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yes. Yes. But that's so fun for me as somebody that. That is most likely to fall into a lack of stimulation, make my gig hard, make me go home and practice triangle. And I did. I practiced. The first time we played the triangle song was on the Today show, and I was like, damn it. So I had to buy a triangle, and I walked around my house for two weeks just practicing this triangle part because I had to sing something that was just in no way rhythmically lined up with it. So I just sit in my house. What you're giving just, like, over and over and over and over and over and over and over. But you know what? Give me something to work on. Stimulate my mind. So grateful for all the things I got to do on that gig, because I got to play some keys and key bass, too, which was great.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay, so that's what I was gonna ask you. What all have you done, instrument wise?

[Kristen Rogers]

Okay. I am a terrible instrumentalist generally.

[Morgan Kielsman]

That's okay.

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh, I think so too. But I just don't feel the passion for it. So I'm gonna just claim that I play guitar abominably, I play piano badly, and I play percussion. All right.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay. In percussion, include. Would you put triangle under percussion?

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh, hell yeah.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay.

[Kristen Rogers]

It's the hardest percussion instrument I've had to play. No question. Because it just rings, baby. You can't screw up.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Isn't that funny? Because people would look at the triangle and be like, that's sure the easiest job.

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh, people think all percussion is easy, and they just picked the amount of people that pick up a tambourine. I got it. And you're like, okay, go ahead.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Let's see how this goes.

[Kristen Rogers]

Go ahead. I'm very particular about tambourine. That's probably, if I'm honest. It's like, voice tambourine, like, as far as my skills go.

[Morgan Kielsman]

But that's cool, because it truly is hard. I've definitely picked up a tambourine just because I love anything that Shakespeare takes. Well, that's it.

[Kristen Rogers]

And it seems like it's just gonna be fun.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah, it's not fun. I'll be honest. Yeah.

[Kristen Rogers]

It's way scary the minute you start making noise. I love. I love watching, like, a female artist pick it up. They use it as a prop. And how quickly that thing goes down because you realize you are just. You've forgotten it's in your hand. You're like, what am I doing with this?

[Morgan Kielsman]

Shaking but not making any good noise.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah, man, it's the best. And I do. I watch drummers faces fall when I pick one up in rehearsal. If we don't already know each other, they're like, oh, please, please. No. I realize I'm Just give me a chance.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Let me play this for you. And let's try.

[Kristen Rogers]

I will not repeat this list because it's just an ego rush. But I do keep a list of drummers that have complimented my tambourine playing, and it makes me feel good kind of every day.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Do you reference hatches when you need a little glimmer?

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah. Yeah. If I feel like occasionally people are condescending to women in this industry. I'm sure you felt that occasionally. Ouch. We felt, yeah. Somebody's gonna pull that energy on me. I'm like, insert name here. Told me I'm good at tambourine. So you can't really tell me that much, can you?

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah. Hey, you gotta use it when you get it right.

[Kristen Rogers]

Anything, really, to keep us going.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Truly. Okay. Sorry I derailed you again.

[Kristen Rogers]

No, we both did.

[Advertisement Voice]

It's good.

[Kristen Rogers]

I like it. Hose your happened.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Hoser. Okay.

[Kristen Rogers]

Did that. 2018, 2019. Then we had the year of no touring. And that is a total conversation for another day. And then 2021, late 2021, kind of getting back to things being slightly normalized in the tour space. I got an offer from the Killers, which was, like, dream stuff, because, like, at my core, I'm a rock girl.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Oh, yeah. You couldn't. You don't have to tell me that. You said between Hozier and the Killers and we got, like, a folk indie. The Killers are like, the top of that.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah. And that was like, I was being called to do the high part. So I'm like, I got so. But I'm not a soda. That was me. And I got to do that.

[Morgan Kielsman]

That's crazy.

[Kristen Rogers]

It was so fun. It was so fun for a minute, and I got to. It was the first time I worked for an artist where I legit. Remember buying that CD at Target at the separate desk in the media area for myself with my babysitting money. I remember screaming that part in my bedroom over and over and over and over. And specifically that part, because I wanted to always be that diva chick. And then to get to go do it was just like, am I real? Is this happening? It was so cool, but I will say it is not the band's fault whatsoever. But the culture of the tour was not right for me, and I quit after two months. That was a big quit. Oh, wow. Big quit. Big scary quit. Wow.

[Morgan Kielsman]

So you didn't even make it the three years on that one?

[Kristen Rogers]

Not even three months, girl. Wow. It just wasn't right. It just wasn't right. I think it was a mixture of coming out of the most stressful time of our lives for them and for me personally. It was one of those situations. I don't know if you've been in this kind of situation, like a room, a job, whatever. You walk in and you're like, oh, my gosh. And if I'm honest, I felt it from the moment I got the call that I shouldn't do it, but I think that was a moment where. Hey. I think the fear of the last couple years got in of, like, take whatever comes and be like, the Love of the band. And C, just like, you'd be crazy to turn this down, right? Yeah.

[Morgan Kielsman]

And I would imagine you'd be hoping too, that it was. You were wrong.

[Kristen Rogers]

Sure.

[Morgan Kielsman]

When you're, like, thinking that, you're like, there's no way I've loved this band. This is a full circle moment. I'm getting a cool opportunity after a really hard time in life. Surely I'm wrong.

[Kristen Rogers]

The drummer might tell me I'm a really good tambourine player. Don't know. Maybe that'll happen. Yeah, all of those things. But it was for my ego that I wanted to do it. I love the exposure of it. I loved how big it was. And I did love the beauty. The music. Do love the music. And actually, one of the things I said whenever I quit is I was like, I do not want to ever hate their songs when they come on. I'm gonna go now. And it really. I can't say this enough. It wasn't the fault of any one person. It was just like there was a culture there I could tell I wasn't going to thrive in again. Just.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I would love to applaud the fact that you're just such a good quitter. I want that energy in my life.

[Kristen Rogers]

I will also say, at the time, I had a partner who was really supportive and he was just like, don't do something that's going to make you miserable. Your energy spreads out. He's right. And I'm glad I quit. I got to do it a few times. I got to do the thing. It was really enjoyable, but because I was free, I guess it was. Let's see, I was doing a lot of work with Jake Wesley Rogers the next year, and then that early that next summer. I quit at the end of that. I quit at the end of 21 with the killers. 22. Doing some work. Just doing my freelance thing. We're all getting back. Music industry sun's back out. Woohoo. I got a call from his music director about two hours before he called my friend who is at the time music director for Eric Church calls, and he's like, hey, I think, like, Joanne is not going to come out with us this summer and Eric's going to call you and hire you. And I was like, like what?

[Morgan Kielsman]

And you have a brief moment in time to just.

[Kristen Rogers]

And you're in the industry. You understand Joanna. Like, she was Eric's background singer for more than a decade. Was a heavily featured sound in his music. I mean, phenomenal singer, powerhouse performer, terrifying. I love her I'm so grateful I've gotten to meet her and hang out with her some. But yeah, I'm being called to like, like basically fill like a character role. I was just like, oh, okay. And then Eric called me two hours later and it was on. And I had eight days of notice to learn a three hour gig. Wow. Which if I had been real tied up on something else, if I hadn't been quitting, I would have. Let's be real. I was panicked. I was in the middle of other gigs, but I got it done. And that was when I was so grateful I wasn't in the middle of a gig that I couldn't get out of. I was like, hell yeah, I want to do this. This is like peak country gig for me. It's a screamer.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah.

[Kristen Rogers]

It's really cool music. Eric himself is a really classy person. I love his camp. And it was just crazy dreams one

[Morgan Kielsman]

to join him at such a point in his career where he just had a plethora of music that he truly he was choosing. He had a three hour set and he was still choosing what he was leaving off.

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh yeah. Oh yeah.

[Morgan Kielsman]

It's a cool place to be in too.

[Kristen Rogers]

And he's calling you 20 minutes before the gig adding a song. We love him. Oh my gosh. If he ever popped up on my phone, I was like, oh. Because it was always just, you want to do something crazy last minute. I'm like, yeah, okay. He'll look at you on stage in the middle of a song, be like, take a burst. And you're like, what? Neat? And you're off. But I love that. I love being on my toes. We got along great after that year. Had some personal. At the time I was. Was romantically involved with some of the hosier camp and he had gone through some pretty serious stuff. And so when that tour came back up for the third record, he asked me to come back and so had to leave Eric and did so in such a lovely fashion. We were like, see ya. And I credit that whole camp for being reasonable. Sometimes people get upset when you have to leave and I understand that too. But they were so kind to me. Me and understood the reasons I was doing what I was doing. So I did another year of hoser in 23. So kind of like from like rock country way back to Irish pop world and then left that at the end of 23 for good. And I remember you never believe someone. But I called Eric to quit because he called me to hire me and I really appreciated that. So I called him, we talked, and he's like, all right, girl, you can leave for a little while. We'll see you again, though. I was like, oh, you're so nice. You're so nice.

[Morgan Kielsman]

But he didn't know you. He didn't know your rule.

[Kristen Rogers]

I was like, but it hadn't been. It hadn't even been a year. We were still safe.

[Morgan Kielsman]

That's true.

[Kristen Rogers]

So we had to go another round, girl. But I was like, you're not gonna call me? Like, okay. He totally did. Beginning at 24, I'm sitting at home. We're in a therapy zone. Like, it's when you're out on the road a lot. Like, 23, we're just never home home. You're out on the road a lot. You just need therapy for something when you come home.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah, you're just readjusting, getting back to normal life.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah, yeah. It can be so many things, but it's a dissociative experience out there. You're not living your normal life. So there's a lot to process. So I was going to come home mode, and that February, I got a call from Eric and once again, his music director. And they were like, hey, we have this idea to do this choir thing at Stagecoach. So then I'm like, me and his music director put together that legendary performance, and that's the first thing I did back, which was just crazy. But in the middle of that, so I'm arranging all the coral parts, working with Eric and with Billy, his music director, on that. And that is so fun for me because I'm combining my, like, weird classical brain with my, like, love of gospel music brain with country music sensibility. Yeah, that was, like, such a fun use. And honestly, a leadership position I was terrified to take. At first. I was like, why do you want me to do this? I don't have a lot of experience.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Teacher.

[Kristen Rogers]

Right, right. And I will say, the first couple rehearsals we had for things I do remember, some of my friends were like, oh, my gosh, you're just a nerdy choir teacher. Everything makes sense. Like, you have been putting all these, like, cool rock star looking rules, but, like, like, you're just a little nerd. I'm like, yeah, I'm just a nerd. This whole time.

[Morgan Kielsman]

You basically came singing out of the womb 100. If anybody knew that part of your story, I'd be like, okay, yeah, this tracks.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yes, baby. And I was in every choir. I was in every choir that there's ever been, so it was just so fun. To step into that role. And that snowballed into doing a ton of events. And I'm sure I saw you at one of those.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I'm sure.

[Kristen Rogers]

I don't know how much I'm allowed to talk about that, but there were a lot of events and I brought a 40 piece choir into each of them. 33 events over the course of the year. Wow.

[Morgan Kielsman]

So it was all spun off of that particular stage coach situation.

[Kristen Rogers]

But then in the middle of that, I am at rehearsals with our choir getting ready for Stagecoach, which for reference, we were doing a 50 minute medley of just Eric on guitar and vocals. It was an incredible undertaking for the choir and for us. Us. And I'm so proud of every individual that contributed that performance. It was a beast. But I got a call during rehearsal one of the days and it was like, hey,

[Morgan Kielsman]

you have so many odd phone calls is what I'm realizing. A lot of this.

[Kristen Rogers]

It could really be anything. The kinds of things that I have

[Morgan Kielsman]

to be like, okay, you probably are so used to answering abnormal phone numbers.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yes.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Because you have to.

[Kristen Rogers]

If it says no caller id, I should answer.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Really? Most of them call without the phone number. That makes sense.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay.

[Kristen Rogers]

So I get one of these phone calls and this one, it was from a person I know, to be fair, but it's. Hey, so stage coaches this weekend definitely know that. Yes, I do know that. And Post Malone is going to do a surprise set on Saturday night now. And we need a background singer that can come in and learn songs with no time. Could you do it? I was like, almost certainly not. I've got these days of rehearsal with Eric and then I have two days off and then I've got. We have a sound check day with Eric for this festival. That's kind of rare. I gotta get out to Indio early, all this stuff. And it turns out that I have exactly three days to work with over the course of a week. And that is exactly the three days they need. Wow. And so you said yes. Yeah. But that's a life changing, career changing.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yes. Yeah.

[Kristen Rogers]

I had no idea. Nobody knew if he was actually going to put a record of being country music at that point. He knew he was making the record that wasn't publicly known. And I was just like, I'll do this one off. That's a once in a lifetime to work with a pop artist that big. I'd never gotten to work with a pop artist that big. I was like, you know what? Oh, that was it. Which was an insane choice, I admit. There was one of the days that week that I was trying to, like, rehearse something with the. I peeled someone off from my choir. Jeremy Lister, I was talking about earlier. Peeled him off to come do the one off with me with Post as well. Cause I was like, you're already gonna be there. And there was a day we were trying to rehearse this, the two of us, and catch up, and I looked at him and I was like, I have found the end of my brain. Like, this has never happened. I have to go lay down and sleep right now. There is no way I can communicate.

[Morgan Kielsman]

You're a complete mush after that actual dad.

[Kristen Rogers]

But I swear, whatever thing supports you in this world. I got on stage, we did the Eric thing. That was incredibly weird and emotional, of course. But then the very next day, I had to wake up and be like, like, okay, let's do the Post Malone set. Now that we got songs for four days ago.

[Morgan Kielsman]

And then I'm assuming that's what snowballed into this job that you're doing now.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yes, we did that. And then a little bit a few months later, we did the acms. Is that right? No, a few weeks later, we did the acms. I'm gonna get this right. But then by the fall, they were looking to put together a band for the tour. And at that point, I was doing all these Contract Inquirer gigs for Eric, and it was a very difficult decision. But I was in a space where I just. I knew if I went on the Eric tour, which is out right now, it's a fabulous tour. The Machine tour has a choir, strings, horns, and I did get to be involved in the record and lead the choir on that record, which was awesome. I'll be real with you. I was so excited to meet Jay Joyce. He's like, one of my, like, musical heroes. Oh, wow. He's the producer.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay.

[Kristen Rogers]

So he. He has produced, like, a lot of Eric's music over the years. Almost all of it that you would probably know.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Got it. Yes.

[Kristen Rogers]

Brothers Osborne, Laney. He does just a lot of the weird Little Big Town records. Like the Pontoon. The production's just kind of weird.

[Morgan Kielsman]

That's him. Like a stamp of J.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yes, A hundred percent. And he's just got a brilliant mind that I really respect. So I was so stoked to get in there for that. But at the end of the day, I started considering what's going to make my energy spread out and be really good, and leadership roles as much as I do think I have a lot of the skills that are good for that. I thrive with a little more freedom. So I was like, you know what? The postie gig, all I have to do is go and like goof off. Literally.

[Morgan Kielsman]

True. It's so funny because you have such an inside view, but I'm not here to talk about this because there's a lot of things you can't talk about.

[Kristen Rogers]

Of course.

[Morgan Kielsman]

And. But two, it's so, so cool to look at you and see your experience from a different viewpoint.

[Kristen Rogers]

Right.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Because we get the story of theirs. We know the stories behind the songs and we know the stories of where they're at and the pictures and everything. But for somebody who's very involved, but it's for lack of a better word, background.

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh, for sure. No, choosing. Love it.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah. But back there, the background. But you have such a unique perspective that we often don't get to hear or see about.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah, you like nobody would think about the person who's ping ponging around doing all that. You just watch the show and you're like, oh, hey girl.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah. And you're really thinking that the artist is. In some cases they are, but that the artist themselves is the one who puts everything together and does all. You know what I mean? The typical person who's listening to music. You're not seeing all the other sides.

[Kristen Rogers]

No, and I'm such a small piece of that. Like I. The post tour that we did in the fall, which was. Or sorry, in the. The spring of last year, which was us, Jelly Roll and Sierra Farrell. I think with everyone out, like all the tour buses, all the staff of traveling tour, not the venue people, because we're doing stadiums. That's like a thousand more people just of us, I think is like almost 250 staff.

[Morgan Kielsman]

That is insane.

[Kristen Rogers]

You're walking around, you don't know everybody at work.

[Morgan Kielsman]

There's no way.

[Kristen Rogers]

I really try.

[Morgan Kielsman]

You're like. And this is why you don't stay for very long because energy would be gone.

[Kristen Rogers]

Do you know his name? I'm like, oh, Poncho. He's from blah blah, blah. We're best friends. He's from Venezuela. We speak Spanish together. I try so hard, but it is impossible.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yes, I guess, to know all of them. And that's who you are. And. Okay, so I have to ask this before we end because you had made this comment and you're like, I'm off the road for a few months and now I gotta find a boyfriend. So I imagine in general that real life outside of the tour is just difficult. It's Harder to adapt to. And you just, just. You have your gap years where you can get adjusted back to things, but the constant bouncing back and forth has to be difficult.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yes. And I will say this. I have obviously toured a lot, and I have also had partners that are touring when I'm not. And it is without question harder to be home. It is without question harder to be left. When your partner leaves, there's a hole in your life where they go. When I leave, I'm met with, like, absolute chaos. And I'm just like, how could I? There's not like a place where my partner fits out here. In fact, often when they come out, that's also a difficulty of figuring out where they can fit out there.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah. So, like, visiting each other is also difficult.

[Kristen Rogers]

Right. Because you're at work and you have to. I always tell my family this when they visit me on the road. I'm like, hey, I don't ask to come to your meetings. Like, respect that. I want a little space here, that I'm at work, that there's sensitive relationships I don't need. You guys run around backstage age half drunk, being met. Not that my family's like that, but you know what I mean. Like, I fear that it's a high sensitivity environment in a high privacy environment is what I consider, too. I really protect the privacy of those I work around because they have enough exposure.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yes.

[Kristen Rogers]

One of my rules. I don't Google you. Once I met you, I think that's mean. You don't get to Google me and know everything that I did. That was stupid. I'm not going to Google you either.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I love that.

[Kristen Rogers]

I think it's fair.

[Morgan Kielsman]

And then you get to. Yeah. You get to know them for exactly who they are.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah. Most of the saucy headlines are probably from 10 years ago anyway.

[Morgan Kielsman]

That was very much how my fiance was when we first met. Hot. Yeah.

[Kristen Rogers]

Can I say his name?

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah, you can say his name. Yeah. He was like. We had met and I only told him. I was like, I work in radio. And that was all I said. That's typically what I say. And he was like, okay. And he looked me up once and he was like, okay, there's a lot of fancy pictures. I'm just gonna exit out of that and have her tell me this story.

[Kristen Rogers]

That's. He wanted to get to know you, not who people think you are or how you have to present to the world, which is always gonna be part of it. But that said, dating is harder and harder. If I'm honest. The More successful I get. I feel like age actually is not even the major impact. It is occasionally a sense of insecurity for men that I have the exposure that I do, I think. And it is a hard lifestyle to commit to. Yeah, it's a hard lifestyle to be like, I'm gonna leave in mid May and I'm gonna be gone. I might get to come home once or twice for, like, a day, but be gone for two months.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah, it's a different lifestyle than a lot of them are used to or accustomed to.

[Kristen Rogers]

Oh, my gosh. And then the added layers of security or insecurity. I do live on a bus with one women. One woman and eight men. And that, of course, can feel a certain kind of way. I don't discredit that. That at all. That's hard. But I have to go do it. And I do love it. And I know that I'm not into any of those. I'm not into any of those men.

[Morgan Kielsman]

And you shouldn't have to stop doing something you love just so you can have both.

[Kristen Rogers]

Of course. And we find this all the time. But I do think I'm pretty sweet and peaceful energy, too. But I do have that we'll get it done kind of woman thing going as well. And I think that can be. I hate it because you're like. I'm sure, like, everybody's mom said this to them at some point. Boys are just intimidated by you. It's not that they don't like you. They're. And it's actually true, right?

[Morgan Kielsman]

Oh, it's terribly true.

[Kristen Rogers]

It. I hate that. It's true. I hate that I feel that way. I hate that it sounds so narcissistic to say, but it comes up in most dating scenarios. No, you're doing this, and I'm doing this. I'm like. But we're not meant to be compared. I just need you to be cool.

[Morgan Kielsman]

The data is there. The data is pointing to a certain direction, and we just have to follow the data.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yeah, dude. And I'm like, I don't need your career to look like mine. I don't want your career to look like mine necessarily. I just want to hang out. I just want to hang out. Nashville.

[Morgan Kielsman]

There's your self promotion that we just found.

[Advertisement Voice]

All right.

[Kristen Rogers]

This is the plug. The plug is I'm insane.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Don't start with I'm insane. You are not insane, but, like, fun insane, saying, you're chaos. You're a beautiful chaos. Thank you.

[Kristen Rogers]

I do consider myself chaotic neutral. And you know what? While we're in confessions mode. I play Dungeons and Dragons every Monday. If that's a deal breaker, don't worry about it. But I do play with cool music industry people.

[Morgan Kielsman]

We need to find you a nerd.

[Kristen Rogers]

Duh. That's all I can date. I need a good old nerd. You do.

[Morgan Kielsman]

The nerds are the best. Anyway.

[Kristen Rogers]

Give me a tasty little nerd.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah. Okay, that's it. So we're looking for Kristen. This is her self promotion.

[Kristen Rogers]

Yep. I'm 38 years old. Old. I'm well established, and I'm just looking for. For a little dork to delight me.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Dork to delight me is my new headline.

[Kristen Rogers]

By the time this comes out, I'm gonna be, like, married. Something's gonna happen. It's gonna be totally moot that I even said this.

[Morgan Kielsman]

No, that'll be within the next month. So if you get married in the next month, I'm gonna be so proud.

[Kristen Rogers]

Girl, you're. You're invited. I'll be there.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Okay. I've kept you for so long.

[Kristen Rogers]

Not at all. This has been wonderful.

[Morgan Kielsman]

We need to end on this is what I love to end on is. Is it's a piece of advice or motivation or inspiration or anything that's kind of heavy on your heart that you want to share. I give the floor over to you, and you end us out on something.

[Kristen Rogers]

Thank you.

[Morgan Kielsman]

You're like, dang it.

[Kristen Rogers]

No, I actually do have something present to mind. I can't help but think constantly about what a difficult time this is. Just in our timeline, humans are always going to have personal things going on that are difficult. But beyond that, the world is obviously struggling, and it's very collective and pretty regardless of what you believe. This is pretty rough right now. Just the collective. And I just want to remind everybody, the only experience you have is your own. Take care of yourself, take care of your nervous system, and remember what you can do something about. And if you can't, it's not about feeling powerless, but about feeling grace and maybe not sitting in misery. That is pointing pointless. I love you guys.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Oh, that was a good one.

[Kristen Rogers]

Working on that.

[Morgan Kielsman]

I liked that one.

[Kristen Rogers]

Working on that.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Yeah. You got that energy. That's a perfect place for us to end on. Kristen, thank you for joining me.

[Kristen Rogers]

Thank you for having me.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Thanks for sharing everything. I loved it.

[Kristen Rogers]

I got just on the edge of what I can say. It was good.

[Morgan Kielsman]

Perfect. You're not gonna get sued.

[Kristen Rogers]

That's because I didn't say any of my real opinions. We got to turn this off.

[Morgan Kielsman]

If you want to follow along Kristen's journey? She's on Instagram. I'll link her page in the show notes because as you heard, you'll want to follow along on all her adventures. Get subscribed to the podcast. That way you don't miss an episode. Next week my fiance will be coming on for a one off to talk all things wedding planning and relationships. Hit up the podcast Instagram at. Take this personally if you want us to answer any specific questions. Otherwise, I'm so happy that you're here. Thanks for listening to the podcast and I'll yap with you guys next week.

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[Kristen Rogers]

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[Kristen Rogers]

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[Kristen Rogers]

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