CKay

Listen to "CKay From NBC's Songland" on Spreaker. Ckay -- a Nutley native whose real name is Christina Kapushy -- will pitch an original song to guest celebrity artist and five-time CMA-winning country superstar Martina McBride, along with series producer-mentors Ryan Tedder, Shane McAnally and Ester Dean. A classically-trained opera singer, Ckay's musical journey began when she was 12 years old, performing in famous venues such as Carnegie Hall. At her uncle's urging, she auditioned for “Showtime at the Apollo” when she was 16 and made it to the finale. Shortly after, she began writing down things that she didn’t want to talk about and turning them into stories about someone else. She now does three to four writing sessions a week and finds it easier to express her feelings through music. Ckay aspires to have the same career trajectory as her inspirations Sia and Julia Michaels.