Biography
Crystal Waters, born on November 19, 1964, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in New Jersey, hails from a musically inclined family with her father being a jazz musician. She studied computer science at Howard University, worked at a parole board, got married, and had two children before entering the music industry unexpectedly after a psychic predicted she should use her voice professionally. Her first music job was as a backup singer for artists like Chaka Khan, C+C Music Factory, and Steve Winwood at a local recording studio, where she realized her desire for creative control through songwriting.
Waters signed a writing contract with Mercury Records in 1989 and met the Basement Boys production team at a DC conference, blending her jazz influences with their house style to create early tracks like 'Makin' Happy' and her breakthrough hit 'Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)' in 1991, which reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the Dance Chart, and became a global crossover success addressing homelessness. Her debut album Surprise produced Top 40 hits, followed by the 1994 album Storyteller featuring '100% Pure Love,' which charted for 45-48 weeks on the Hot 100 at #11 and sold over 1 million copies in the US. All three studio albums yielded Top 40 Hot 100 singles, and she has 12-16 #1 Dance Chart hits.
Known for her house and dance music style with insightful lyrics on social issues, Waters has earned 6 ASCAP Songwriter Awards, 3 American Music Award nominations, an MTV Video Music Award nod, 4 Billboard Music Awards, and recognition as one of Billboard's most successful dance artists. Later hits include 'Destination Calabria' with Alex Gaudino (2007, #1 in 40+ countries), 'Testify' with Hifi Sean (2017), and ongoing releases like 'Party People' (recent). She owns her label, hosts a podcast and Sirius XM radio show, and continues touring.
Fun Facts
- A psychic once told her she was supposed to do something with her voice, leading her to her first backup singing gig shortly after.
- She studied computer science at Howard University and worked at a parole board with no initial music career plans before her breakthrough.
- '100% Pure Love' re-entered the Billboard Electronic Dance Top 10 in 2021, decades after its 1994 release.
- Her father was a jazz musician, influencing her self-described jazz style blended with house music.
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Basement Boys - Production team she met at a DC conference who encouraged her songwriting and collaborated on her early hits ('Makin' Happy', 'Gypsy Woman') [Late 1980s-early 1990s]
Key Collaborators
- Basement Boys - Key producers for debut hits ('Makin' Happy', 'Gypsy Woman') [Late 1980s-early 1990s]
- Steve 'Silk' Hurley - Remixer for early single ('Makin' Happy') [1989-1990]
- Alex Gaudino - Collaboration on major European hit ('Destination Calabria')
- Hifi Sean - Collaboration on recent dance hit ('Testify')
External Links
Tags: #american, #club-dance, #disco-house
References
Heard on WWOZ
Crystal Waters has been played 2 times on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.