Kiki started playing piano as a child, following in the footsteps of her mother, aunt, and grandmother. Picking up melodies effortlessly by ear, she began composing her own songs at an early age. She pursued her love of music balanced by her love of animals and nature while growing up in the coastal town of Balboa Island, California and on a ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains. While Kiki was in high school, Buddy Ebsen developed a family troupe, during a hiatus from filming the CBS television show, Barnaby Jones, that went on a tour of southern California. Kiki sang and played keyboard, brother Dustin played drums, and sister Bonnie sang and danced with Buddy, while older sister Susannah was the company manager, and another sister, Cathy, helped with transportation when her schedule showing horses permitted. The Ebsen troupe traveled to dates in Merced, Visalia, Placerville, Sacramento, San Jose, and El Camino College in Torrance. An equal amount of time was spent studying acting with her mother, performing and singing in several productions before graduating from high school.
