Her singing career started in 2013, with her formation of the music duo Got a Girl with Dan the Automator.
The youngest of five children of James Ronald and Betty Lou (née Knight) Winstead, Winstead was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Winstead's grandfather was a cousin of actress Ava Gardner. Winstead was only five years old when her family moved to Sandy, Utah, a Salt Lake City suburb. As a girl, Winstead attended Peruvian Park Elementary, where she excelled academically and attended advanced classes. A talented dancer and singer, Winstead studied dance in a Joffrey Ballet summer program in Chicago, Illinois and was also a member of the International Children's Choir. During her youth, Winstead initially hoped to pursue a career as a ballerina and appeared in local ballet productions. As she entered her teens Winstead was forced to quit ballet due to her height. She later stated "I realized pretty early on that I was already too tall by the time I was 13... You know, your body has to stay that way for your entire life, and it's pretty hard on your muscles and your bones". Realizing that her career as a ballerina was unlikely, Winstead turned to acting instead; as she was still a teenager at the time, this required her to be homeschooled through most of high school.
