Country singer/songwriter Karen Waldrup released her first independent record in 2009. Nearly a decade later, she released her first full-length album, Justified, to a dedicated fan base amassed through her hard work. Waldrup earned that audience not just through touring but through reality TV and social media, with each new video, digital single, and post increasing her exposure. All of it added up to a successful launch of the amiable Justified. Born and raised in the New Orleans suburb of Mandeville, Karen Waldrup started singing as a child, picking up guitar when she was 16. After high school, she attended the University of Southern Mississippi. Following her graduation with a degree in marketing, she headed out to Nashville in 2008 to pursue a career in country music. Waldrup's debut recording, With Love, Karen, appeared in 2009, followed by an eponymous EP in 2010. Next up was an appearance on Bravo TV's music competition Platinum Hit; she was on the show for three weeks. A third EP, The Beginning, arrived in 2012. In 2015, she made another stab at television, becoming a Nashville Rising Star finalist. Afterward, she released the EP Getaway. In 2016, "I Got That Kind of Time" made waves on CMT; it was one of a series of digital singles that also included "Start a Scandal." "Warm in Your Sunshine," the first single from Justified, charted in September 2017, paving the way for the 2018 release of the album. Upon its July release, it charted at 26 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine