Allen first picked up the guitar at age 13, after spending much of his childhood singing in church in his hometown of Jacksonville, Arkansas. Writing his first song in his late teens, he self-released an album at age 22 and auditioned for the eighth season of American Idol the following year. Several months after his Idol victory Allen put out his self-titled major label debut, with lead single "Live Like We're Dying" climbing to the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. In addition to releasing his sophomore album Thank You Camellia in 2012, he spent the next several years sharing stages with such artists as Maroon 5 and Keith Urban, as well as landing Billboard, Teen Choice and People's Choice Awards nominations. See more at www.krisallenofficial.com. 

A portion of profits from the sale of Kris Allen's strings go to the Blackbird Arts Collective: At Blackbird Arts Collective, we believe the arts promote confidence, creativity, healthy emotional outlets, and collaboration in students. By partnering with other arts organizations, we are working to ensure all students have access to the arts — regardless of their financial circumstances. See more at www.blackbirdartscollective.org.