Meet MTV’s Newest Artiste – Traci K (Kochendorfer)

Vocal Music Award winner, Emmy nominee in 2010 and nominated twice for Independent Music Awards and Carolina Music Awards, Traci Kochendorfer, stylized as Traci K (formerly known as Traci Shoop) is a singer, model, scriptwriter, actress, fitness champion, producer and an activist.

Born Traci Lynn Kochendorfer on August 28 1968, in Dayton Ohio, she kick started her career at a young age – winning talent shows and later formed her own girl group, Tre Finesse. She also collaborated in productions with Cover Girls, Calloways and popular RNB singer Joe. In the 90’s she toured alongside NFL players and attending events with other music artistes leading her to start a solo act with a Jazz and Blues band based in the United Kingdom.

She became a star champion in 2010 after earning five Olympic medals and serving in the armed forces. Hence she began to feature on sports and reality shows on Fox sports and ESPN 2. She’s starred in television shows like Fitness America, Bodyshaping, and Fitness Universe. She recently released an album which she titled Fitness Fantasy.

She began her music career at a very young age. She had an uncle who frequently sang to her in German and taught her to play the harmonica. Her grandfather, a WWII Air force veteran, played the Banjo while she listened. In 2013 she released her first album; a Christmas album titled Merry Christmas Baby, which she claimed was a tribute to people like Michael Jackson and Elvis. She cited Stevie Ray Vaughn, Kenny G, and Beatles Linda Ronstadt as her inspiration when she began her solo tour with her United Kingdom based band, Swing Shift.

Traci K in her wide brim hat and purple earrings

She’s also a professional athlete, an all-American out of high school who performed on stage for a long time in her younger years. She gained for herself the official brand Ss which is an All-American to become internationally renowned.

Traci lost her hearing at a young age and had to deal with a digestive disorder to beat cancer. After serving under army sponsorship for 15 years with disabilities, she made a return to her music and arts in 2013 to put out new albums. Her music has featured on television series like Vampire Diaries and the Carrie Diaries.

Kochendorfer has starred as an actress, producer, director, script editor, scriptwriter and composer on various film projects like Beckinfield – a TV series that ran from 2010 – 2012, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), Safelink (2014), Traci K- Transition Phase (2015) and provided soundtracks for episodes of the Vampire Diaries and Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos.