About 300 St. Thomas students gathered in the Anderson Student Center’s Woulfe Alumni Hall Wednesday night to watch country singer Jana Kramer perform in the second St. Thomas Activities and Recreation concert this semester.

Kramer’s performance included her hit singles “Whiskey,” “Why Ya Wanna,” and the latest, “I Hope It Rains.” The 2013 Academy of Country Music Award “Top New Female Vocalist” winner said the St. Thomas crowd was fun to play for.

“Their energy was really high,” Kramer said. “It’s always fun to play college shows because of that energy.”

In addition to her hit songs, Kramer sang a compilation of cover songs and the Christmas classic, “Walking in a Winter Wonderland,” which she said is her favorite holiday tune.

Singer Ryan Kinder warmed the crowd up as Kramer’s opener. Kinder’s keyboardist, Reed Pittman, said he enjoyed playing for the room of St. Thomas students.

“It was great, and the kids were awesome,” Pittman said before joking about being close to the audience’s age.

Sophomore Mitch Kern said he’s been fan of Kramer’s songs and acting for a while.

“It started when I saw an episode with her on ‘One Tree Hill,’” Kern said. “Her singing is great too … it’s mind-blowing.”

Kramer closed her set with her 2013 single, “I Hope It Rains,” dedicating the tune to all of her ex-boyfriends.

The St. Thomas crowd also got to hear a new song titled, “That’s Hot.” Kramer joked about the cold temperatures on stage and when asked how she liked St. Thomas.

“It’s cold,” Kramer laughed. “But everyone’s very nice, and I like it a lot.”

Molly Sigler can be reached at sigl1215@stthomas.edu.