Kristina Maria

Kristina Maria Chalhoub, known professionally as Kristina Maria, is a Canadian pop singer-songwriter.

Early life
Kristina Maria Chalhoub was raised in Ottawa, Ontario. She joined her school's choir as a second-grader, and wrote her first song in third grade. She continued to write poems and setting them to music, and at 12 she participated in talent shows in Ottawa and spent time in local studios recording demos. She also enrolled in dance classes and took formal lessons at the Canadian Conservatory of Music in Ottawa singing in many styles, from pop to opera to R&B. She graduated from Garneau High School.

In 2005, her vocal coach put her in a group named The Showstoppers with seven other girls and sent them to Florida to sing medleys of ABBA songs and Motown hits at theme parks, including Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld.

Career
In the summer of 2009, veteran music industry executive Vito Luprano (Céline Dion, Garou) heard some of Chalhoub's recordings and the pair began working together to record some of her renditions.

She released her first single, "Let's Play", which peaked at number 19 on the Canadian Hot 100, on 11 June 2011 followed by "Co-Pilot" that reached number 26 on the Canadian Hot 100, prompting her to record a bilingual English/French version with Corneille and a hit in French Singles Chart. Her third single, "Our Song Comes On" reached number 23 on the Canadian Hot 100 in 2012. In 2014, Kristina released "Move Like a Soldier" peaking at number 22 on the Canadian Hot 100.

Kristina Maria went on tour in Canada in 2011, promoting the upcoming release of her debut album, Tell the World. Also on the tour were two members of Blueprint Cru (America's Best Dance Crew). The album was released in April 2012 On Luprano's label, Lupo One.

In 2012, Kristina Maria performed along side featured artist Corneille in Agadir, Morocco at The Concert for Tolerance in an effort to promote open mindedness. By 2013, Tell the World was nominated for a Juno Award for pop album of the year.