Everyone has a different, stress-relieving outlet. For some, it may be reading a novel. For others, it may be working out.

For Misty Boyce, the outlet is music.

“I think as a kid [music] is always an outlet for things that you feel,” she said. “I think that has gotten to be more and more true. It’s an outlet that I need in my life to sort of keep me sane. Both as a listener and a performer, I really need it, like medicine.”

Boyce, along with Nick Africano, will use her musical outlet today at 8 p.m. at Public Space One, 129 E. Washington St. Admission is $5.

Her love of music started at age 5, when she began taking piano lessons. She became more serious about the piano when she turned 13. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music with a major in jazz, she became a professional singer/songwriter.

When asked to describe her music, Boyce explained it as “pop with a bit of quirkiness or Regina Spektor meets Patti Smith.” This style is evidenced in her songs — her voice drips soulfully against the piano as she croons lyrics of heartbreak and toil.

Unlike Boyce, Africano taught himself how to play the guitar and piano. He said that he has enjoyed touring with Boyce.

“I love her as an artist,” Africano said. “She just feels and seems to be so comfortable on stage, and it’s really inspiring. She comes on, and she plays a little bit more of an upbeat set. And I think we complement each other very well.”

The two musicians will play both solo and together at tonight’s show.

“We’ve been having a great time exploring the country and playing at all these different places that I’ve never played before or even driven through,” Boyce said.

She has been away from her New York home for four months this year while on tour. Besides performing, she said, she loves reading, working out, and “doing little art projects in her apartment.”

She also lists tequila shots among her inspirations on her MySpace page. She does not drink that much, she said, but when she does, two tequila shots do the trick.

Besides touring, Boyce writes all her own music. She explained the songwriting process as “a magical one” in which the music and words come to her as she sits at the piano. Considering her lifelong study of music, she feels that she has all the necessary tools to write songs and the next step is “just doing it.”

She is looking forward to her performance with Africano tonight, she said, and she believes the show is going to be “awesome.”

“The Iowa City gig is kind of at the end of our whole tour, so you’re going to see us with all of the experiences behind us,” Boyce said. “I think our music is getting deeper and richer every time we play, so I think it will be a really great show.”