Crystal Waters is dancing back into town and this time it's for a good cause as she appears at the Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus' 8th Annual LoveFest.
Waters grew up with a strong musical family, as her father was esteemed jazz musician Junior Waters and her great aunt Ethel Waters was a vocalist. She eventually penned a song called "Gypsy Woman" that took the world by storm in the '90s. She followed it with the dance track "100% Pure Love," which won her a Billboard Music Award. She has been active on the dance charts ever since, with her signature vocal lower register.
Waters talked Nunn on One about her upcoming show in the park.
Windy City Times: Hey, Crystal. I am glad you are coming back to Chicago.
Crystal Waters: Me, too. I love Chicago.
WCT: Last time I saw you was at Chicago Pride Fest last year, and we all had drinks at Kit Kat Lounge afterwards.
Crystal Waters: Oh, my—that was with Inaya Day and Sweet Pussy Pauline. Yes, I remember.
WCT: That was fun. I want to go through your career from the beginning. You originally didn't plan on being in the music business, did you?
Crystal Waters: No; I went to Howard University before getting a job. I was bored. I looked how much jobs were going to pay to work in my field and I thought, "This is not going to work!" My mom told me to go to a psychic. That is when the psychic told me that I needed to do something with my voice. I went back to work and my co-worker said their cousin has a studio where I could sing background. I did it and that was it. I knew what I wanted to do.
WCT: That was a good psychic to go to!
Crystal Waters: [Laughs] Yeah, when she said I needed to use my voice I would need to be a speaker or something like that. I was too afraid to do anything like that. It all worked out.
WCT: That must have been a roller-coaster when "Gypsy Woman" blew up.
Crystal Waters: Yes, because I wanted to be the next Sade. I actually wrote "Gypsy" and "Happy" for someone else but they stuck it on my demo tape. It took two or three years but I was happy because I was signed. It was the big time. It happened really fast. I kept my job for a year because it didn't really sink in that I was going to be doing for the rest of my life.
WCT: What do you think of dance music these days?
Crystal Waters: I like that it has come back around a little bit to more soulfulness. It kind of went totally techno, which I wasn't feeling. But I am so happy now because you have to remember when I was growing up dance music was a bad thing. No one claimed to be a dance artist back then. We were the underdogs. Nobody gave us any respect.
With the scene happening now with David Guetta and Rihanna ruling the airwaves, it's kind of like what we did back then. I'm enjoying this right now.
WCT: What is your song with Yolanda Be Cool, "Le Bump," about?
Crystal Waters: It is supposed to be vague. I will tell you that I originally wrote "let's play le funk" because I thought it was really funky. They decided to make it ambiguous and let people decide.
WCT: I don't want to spoil it for people. I listen to it all the time.
Crystal Waters: I had fun writing it.
WCT: How many songs are you doing at this event?
Crystal Waters: It depends on the contract. I try to do all the hits and if they want more then I go back and do some of the older stuff. I don't think I will do any newer ones this time. I am not quite ready.
WCT: It is really important to have gatherings like this one.
Crystal Waters: Is it indoor or outdoor?
WCT: Outdoor. It is at the park.
Crystal Waters: You never know. They just send me a list and I get to pick.
WCT: I noticed your website is in works.
Crystal Waters: Yes; I still have to approve everything. I wanted to slim it down a little bit, make it more modern. I need someone to run it. It takes a lot of work to keep things updated. Everybody is really going to Facebook. I spend two hours a day on Facebook trying to make that look up-to-date. Times have changed!
WCT: I know it. Do you more music coming out?
Crystal Waters: I just did a song with Inaya Day Allstars called "Long Day." It stayed in the top three for three weeks. Then I re-sang "Gypsy" and it was remixed, going to number one on the house charts and number three on the main dance chart. That was really nice. I was shocked on that one. I just got two more ASCAP songwriter awards for Mary Mary's "Walking."
WCT: I just met them not too long ago. I really like them.
Crystal Waters: Yes; they are sweet. I am also being featured on Jonathan Mendelsohn's new song coming out. I wrote a little bit on that. I have a song coming out with Chris Cox called "Momma Hey."
WCT: Heyyy.
Crystal Waters: [Laughs] I think it will do really well for the gay crowd. Just like the one I did with Inaya is really house-y; I wanted to get back to my roots. With "Momma," I think the gay audience will really love it. I have something a little more commercial coming out in mid September because in Europe everybody is on vacation in August. I've been working.
WCT: You have been busy! You have a family to take care of, too.
Crystal Waters: I love my family and I try to stick a vacation in but I haven't had a vacation in years.
WCT: Hopefully you get a little time in Chicago to relax.
Crystal Waters: I kind of grew up in Chicago. My dad was a jazz musician in the area. I spent most of my summers there. I even wrote my name on Gino's wall a few times.
WCT: I will have to look for that.
Crystal Waters: It is probably painted over now…
WCT: Well, have some pizza while you are in town.
Crystal Waters: I might do that! I am coming a day early just to hang out a little bit. I will look forward to the LoveFest.
Crystal Waters headlines the LoveFest Sunday, Aug. 26, 12-8 p.m. at Jackson Park, 63rd Street and Cornell Drive. Visit www.chiblackgaycaucus.org for more information.
