In the balancing act of life, singer-songwriter Kirsten Bornkessel finds her craft to be a grounding force. At 20 years old, the New England native is passionate about writing her own material, which she has been performing around the Boston area. Songwriting, she says, "Makes me feel as though I can express myself much more than just having a conversation with somebody. Whenever my emotions are heightened, I'll sit down at a piano and come up with a simple chord progression. I write lyrics while playing the chords, so essentially whatever I'm thinking spills out into a melody." Bornkessel's newest material was a collaboration with the New York based producer Alex Houton of AHM Media (Jennifer Lopez, Panic at the Disco, Jet). Mixed by the Grammy Award-winning engineer Brian Vibberts (Elton John, Faith Hill, Green Day) , the upbeat, modern pop songs include the heartfelt "Gasoline," "Sunrise," and "Heavy," - all of which are inspired by Kirsten's own romantic experiences.