The daughter of Ellen Lilley, a director of marketing/event planner, and Vince Lilley, Jennifer Elizabeth Lilley was born on August 4, 1984 in Roanoke, Virginia. She had wanted to become a singer since childhood, and in 2001 she garnered the National Educators award in Guatemala by giving several concerts for underprivileged Guatemalan youth. In late-summer 2007, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. Lilley devotes her spare time to charities focusing on children, homelessness, and the world water crisis.