Crystal Waters facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Crystal Waters
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Waters performing in 2012
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| Born | November 19, 1961 |
| Nationality | American |
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| Years active | 1989–present |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
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Crystal Waters (born November 19, 1961) is an American singer and songwriter. She is famous for her dance and house music hits from the 1990s. Some of her most well-known songs are "Gypsy Woman", "100% Pure Love", and "Destination Calabria".
All three of her studio albums had a song that reached the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart. In 2016, Billboard magazine named her one of the most successful dance artists ever. She has won many awards, including six ASCAP Songwriter awards and four Billboard Music Awards. She also had twelve songs reach No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Chart. Her song "Gypsy Woman" has been used in hundreds of other songs. Crystal Waters has sold over 7 million records around the world.
Contents
Life and Music Journey
Growing Up and Early Life
Crystal Waters was born in Deptford Township, New Jersey, in the United States. Her father, Junior Waters, was a jazz musician. Her great-aunt, Ethel Waters, was a famous singer and one of the first Black American vocalists to appear in big Hollywood movies.
Her family moved to New Jersey and then to Washington, D.C.. When she was eleven, Crystal started writing poetry. She was very serious about it and became the youngest person ever to join the Poetry Society of America at age 14.
She later studied business and computer science at Howard University. During this time, she had less time for her creative music work. After college in 1989, she worked as a probation officer. This job helped her support her two daughters. One of her daughters, Ella Nicole, is also a singer-songwriter.
Starting Her Music Career
Crystal Waters' first job in music was singing backup at a local recording studio. She soon realized she wanted to write her own songs and have control over her music. She met a music group called the Basement Boys at a conference in Washington, D.C. They decided to work together. Crystal's style was jazz, and the Basement Boys made house music. The first two songs she wrote for them were "Makin' Happy" and "Gypsy Woman".
In 1989, Crystal Waters signed a writing contract with Mercury Records.
Her song "Makin' Happy", with help from remixer Steve "Silk" Hurley, quickly became No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
Big Hits and Success
In 1994, Crystal Waters released her second album, Storyteller. This album brought her back into the spotlight with her huge hit song "100% Pure Love". This song reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. It stayed on the Hot 100 chart for 45 weeks, which was a very long time. Her first hit, "Gypsy Woman," had stayed on the chart for 16 weeks. Her album Storyteller sold over one million copies in the United States.
In 1996, Waters took part in the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Rio. She performed the song "The Boy from Ipanema" for this project.
In 2007, Crystal Waters had a massive hit in Europe called "Destination Calabria" with Alex Gaudino. This song reached No. 1 on the European Pop Chart in more than 30 countries. The song combined the music from Rune's "Calabria" and Crystal Waters' vocals from "Destination Unknown".
In 2012, her song "Le Bump" with Yolanda Be Cool also reached No. 1 on the Beatport House Chart.
In 2013, she teamed up with DJ Chris Cox for the song "Mama Hey". This song became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. Billboard magazine even listed it as one of their "Top 50 Dance Songs of 2013".
Crystal Waters continued to have success. In November 2015, she released "Synergy". In October 2016, she released "Believe". Both of these songs quickly went to No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
Her 2017 song "Testify" with Hifi Sean was released by Defected Records. It quickly became popular on BBC Radio and earned another No. 1 spot on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
In 2018, her third song with Sted-E & Hybrid Heights, called "I Am House", also reached No. 1 on the club charts. This gave Crystal Waters a total of twelve No. 1 songs on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
In February 2020, she started her own monthly radio show and podcast called "I Am House".
Awards and Recognitions
Crystal Waters has received many awards and nominations throughout her career. Here are some of them:
- 1991: Nominated for three American Music Awards for "Gypsy Woman" and as a dance artist.
- 1994: Won two Billboard Music Awards for "100% Pure Love" as the Top-Selling Hot Dance Music Club Play Single.
- 1994: Won Vibe magazine's Music Poll for Best Album – Club/Dance for Storyteller.
- 1996: Won an ASCAP Pop Music Awards for "100% Pure Love" as a Most Performed Song.
See also
In Spanish: Crystal Waters para niños
- List of Billboard number-one dance club songs
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart
