Meet Kristal Pedroza of Inglewood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristal Pedroza.

Hi Kristal, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
First and foremost, my name is Kristal Pedroza—not Crystal like the glass, because “it breaks easily,” in my mother’s words. Frankly, I’m grateful for that distinction because I love so deeply to the point where I should be breaking. But like reggae artist Mike Love says, “Love Will Find A Way.”
I was born on August 8th 1996.

I’m a 28-year-old mother of two and a singer-songwriter from Inglewood, California. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved music. Some of my deepest, earliest memories are of two-day car trips to Mexico with my parents and older brother Danny. We’d listen to Los Tigres del Norte, Joan Sebastian, Vicente Fernández, Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers, children’s songs, and a mix of other Spanish classics.
When I was five, my dad released his first album. I listened to it on repeat until I had the lyrics memorized. One day, he said, “If you can sing one of my songs from beginning to end, I’ll give you $50.” I stood at the foot of my parents’ bed and sang his tracks from start to finish. Easiest 50 bucks I ever made.
During that time, I was also listening to Hilary Duff, Miley Cyrus, and eventually Gwen Stefani. I’ll never forget the day my parents took Danny and I to Best Buy—we each got to pick out a CD. He chose Encore by Eminem, and I picked L.A.M.B. by Gwen. Trippy thing is, Eminem mentions Gwen in his song “Ass Like That” with the line, “So Gwen Stefani, won’t you pee-pee on me, please?” Funny enough, they both came out the same day—something I realized only while writing this.
Wild.
We played those CDs all the way to Mexico, challenging each other in lyric battles—mostly with Eminem’s tracks and some of the Spanish songs our parents loved. Through Danny, I found my love for artists like Eminem, System of a Down, Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Korn, Avenged Sevenfold—the whole metal/alt scene. He also introduced me to skateboarding, which became a huge part of my identity too.
Then there’s my much older brother, Jose (but we always called him Freddy, short for Alfredo). He’s 15 years older than me and introduced me to classic cars, rap, and hip-hop. Some of my earliest memories with him were riding around in his Coupe DeVille’s (he had like three over the years), a Bronco, and a K5 Blazer, bumping Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Warren G, Westside Connection… the OGs.
Growing up in L.A., I was always tuned into stations like Power 106, Kiss FM, KROQ, and later, 93.5 KDAY once Power 106 stopped playing the classics. One day, in what I believe was 2009, I was listening to KROQ and “Lay Me Down” by The Dirty Heads featuring Rome came on. I was instantly hooked. From there, I started discovering music on my own. YouTube had just taken off, so I’d look up every artist I ever loved and watch their videos—especially since MTV and VH1 stopped doing the countdowns I used to live for.
One song I watched over and over during the summer of 2010 right before going into high-school was “Stand Tall” by The Dirty Heads. In the recommendations, I saw a gorgeous face and the title was called “Move Like Creatures” by a band named Katastro. I clicked it—and fell in love. Their blend of hip-hop, rock, and rap pulled me in. Andy J Chavez, their lead singer (RIP), had a voice and energy that lit something up in me. They became a staple in my life, especially during a really painful time—my parents’ divorce.
That divorce dragged on for years, and even though they tried to make it work, it just never did. In a weird way, it was a relief. Watching them fight constantly was painful, and my relationship with my mom was tough. I had no sense of freedom or choice. But once the divorce was finalized and I stayed with my dad—who was much more lenient—it felt like someone took the cap off a shaken soda can. I was free… maybe a little too free.
I got into a lot of things young; but in hindsight, I think it’s better it happened early than late. I’ve come out the other side gracefully. Thank you to the Universe, to Creation, and to all the guides who’ve walked with me. Truthfully, I probably wouldn’t be playing guitar if my parents hadn’t divorced. And that’s a big piece of my story.

I was drawn to musicians. There was one guy I liked—I “got it done,” if you know what I mean—but that fizzled. Then I went for his friend, also a guitarist. That one lasted longer, and one night, we were at the park with a group of friends. Four of them had guitars and started playing and man, when I tell you ELECTRIC. I didn’t sing—I was too shy—but I felt something ignite. I knew I wanted to do that too. I wanted to be that.
Time passed. I kept seeing the same guy… until one day, my dad caught us red-handed. That was the end of that—at least for a while. Missing him, I decided to pick up the guitar so I could still feel connected. My parents bought me one, and that was the start of my journey as a musician.
Out of that experience, I co-wrote my first song, “Stay or Walk Away,” with a best friend at the time. (It’s on YouTube and will hit streaming platforms soon.)The very first song I ever learned (or at least the intro) was “Come As You Are” by Nirvana. My brother Danny would tease me because all I learned were intros—he called me “intro girl.” But hey, he never got past Guitar Hero, so like Tupac said, “I ain’t mad at cha, got nothin’ but love.”
It only took me a few months to get decent on guitar, reading tabs and chords. From there, I just kept writing songs and uploading covers and originals to YouTube—and I still do. In late 2016 I met the father of my children. He’s a musician and guitar tech, which felt like a divine match. Our journey hasn’t been perfect, but we’ve always chosen each other, and for that, I’m thankful. (Fun fact: we have the same birthday—seven years apart—and when we met, we both wore Aztec calendar necklaces. Trippy, right?)
For a long time, I was a closet musician. I’d play guitar but never sing in front of people. My voice felt sacred, fragile—like if someone judged it, they’d be judging my soul. I uploaded stuff online, but never sang in person. No one really asked, so it just stayed hidden.
In 2019, I started going to shows and concerts, and the energy I felt there was like non other—full of synchronicities I couldn’t explain the energy, it was overwhelming. By then, I was walking alone, no close friends to talk to, no mentor to help me process my experiences cause they were so out of this world and “unrealistic”. I went through what some might call a “mental breakdown,” but for me, it was a spiritual emergency. I was placed on a psychiatric hold, and while it was terrifying and humbling, it was also transformational. That experience cracked me open and marked the start of my healing and creative rebirth.
but I kept going. Music, again, was my light. My healer. My truth.

On April 22, 2023, I played my first show at the Five Dollar Art Party, curated by Reb Duce connected by mutual friend Jen Peterson in Arizona. Shoutout to both of them. I shared the bill with well known artists like Tolliver and Sabet. From there, I performed at more Five Dollar Art Parties, painted live, played a cover show with a band at 33rd Hill, hosted an open mic at Native Son LA and Radical Arts (again with Reb), played the Giddy Up Festival, a couple birthday parties, and many other shows in Hollywood, Torrance, Redondo Beach, and Indio. My last show was with Dylan Garcia in Indio where we performed one of his songs im featuring in. Also Shoutout to him for referring me for this interview. I am so ever grateful!
I’m currently working on several collaborations and recording my own music as I learning Logic Pro. This is just the beginning, and I’m so excited for what’s in store. Being a mother of two means constantly finding balance. I am capable, willing and able. Huge shout out to Voyage La Thank you for this opportunity to share my story. I look forward to what the future is serving.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
definitely not, just trying to find my own voice and owning it has been something that I am still discovering and unfolding to this day!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Im a Full Time Mother so it’s a lot of work. Trying to find balance with raising my children and also finding time for myself as an individual. Right now I am really working on honing my craft. Having the ability and freedom to do it all from the art, music, and the producing. Being in control of what I want my branding and sound to be. Im proud of how far I’ve come and really taking the initiative to learn how to do things myself instead of waiting on someone to do them for me cause in the end no one sees the vision like I do. I think what sets me apart is im very raw and nitty gritty. I do my best to keep me, me. I don’t like when artist are following the crowd or doing things out of popularity. The right flock will come if it’s meant to be. I’m just gonna sit back and do my thing, naturally

What makes you happy?
my family. without them, I may not of been pursuing my dream as a musician. I owe them alot. being on stage and sharing my heART makes me happy. Seeing people sing along with me to songs we all know and love. Being able to talk to those people after a set and connecting on a human level cause after all we all are just that. and we all deserve kindness, love and respect. no matter what<3

Pricing:

• open to donations<3

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/KristalPeeMeth?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaemmVXYrJs-q-ZkcnIO7HB0glNvTNda63j8ES8Gx2V25zNCSU53zCJVvR7bCQ_aem_JM-xC_Lz_ETQr8UHGfhUSQ
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/KristalPeeMeth
• Twitter: https://x.com/KristalPeeMeth
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@kristalpeemeth?si=UtZ0RmqDKzydJiV1
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kristal-pedroza
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/kristal-pedroza

Image Credits
@alittlewarmlight
@rosemarine
@mass_guitartech
@entertainmentphotographyplus