In case you didn't hear her name once she states it twice, the young singer known as Krissy Krissy is giving insiders something to talk about these days. She was discovered in a karaoke bar then quickly impressed MTV with her early music.
This fall she joins the band Girl in A Coma for more than twenty stops on their tour as a special guest. Windy City Times talked to her about life on the road among other things.
Windy City Times: Hi, Krissy. How are you?
Krissy Krissy: I'm chilling, man. How are you?
WCT: Great. Where in the world are you calling from?
Krissy Krissy: I am in Brooklyn right now. The tour is starting tomorrow. I just got back from doing Minneapolis and some different spots around the city. We are on the route to five dates tomorrow.
WCT: Are you excited?
Krissy Krissy: I am super-excited! I was driving my mother crazy this morning at 7 a.m. packing, then repacking. She said, "Now everything you packed just take out half of it!" She was right. She asked if I needed 95 pairs of underwear. I said, "Ma, you never know!" I have to keep some and give away some. She didn't want to hear that.
WCT: You might have to throw some out into the crowds...
Krissy Krissy: My mom prefers that I give them clean drawers.
WCT: Is your family all from Brooklyn?
Krissy Krissy: Yeah, the thing is my parents were raised on the same block that I live on now. My dad is from Puerto Rico and moved on the block with his sister. He stayed there for years and moved to California where I was born. I don't remember anything from Cali since I was raised in Brooklyn since I was two. There is a lot of history there.
WCT: Does Brooklyn make you a tough person?
Krissy Krissy: Brooklyn has changed a lot. My block has stayed the same. It was a little tough in the beginning because there were eight of us living in a two bedroom apartment. We knew about sacrifice. To feed eight mouths on one income was very difficult.
WCT: You were raised religiously?
Krissy Krissy: Yes, my mother was a church girl and raised Pentecostal. My parents wanted Christ in our lives. I am not bad at that. It gave me a better foundation and made me more discipline in my ways. Wearing a skirt seven days a week is not something I would choose for myself but it was something I had to do.
WCT: Did you sing in the choir?
Krissy Krissy: Oh, yes. I was asked to sing in the adult choir even when I was very young. I taught people how to sing there and learned leadership. I could not only sing but teach people as well. I was in every ministry in the church. I got the boot because I kissed a girl. The threw me out and my mother didn't understand that. One sin being bigger than others was not what she was trying to teach us. Because I was so involved in the church it was hard for them.
WCT: Do you want to go back?
Krissy Krissy: I have been there since. It was difficult in the beginning. I had to ask permission to be there. They had me sit in the corner like I had something wrong with me! My father never stepped foot back into that church ever again. A lot of my family stood by me.
The church has given me an apology. They invited me back but not to be a part of the church as a lesbian. Now that they see me going on tour and doing my thing they want to be friends. That is hypocrisy to me. It bothers me.
WCT: What led you to singing?
Krissy Krissy: When I was kicked out of the church I was 14 years old but continued to sing in school. I did karaoke circuits and wound up competing in bars even though I was underage. I won $21,000 in one month in competitions. I would go in and sing Barbra Streisand or Celine Dion. I would sing show tunes from Chicago The Musical then I would sing something current.
I had just broken up with a girlfriend and had to go out with my friends to get over it one night. I was singing Melissa Etheridge's "Like the Way I Do." I was crying and singing at the same time. A guy grabbed me, gave me his email, and told me I was a good singer. He has kept me working as my manager ever since.
WCT: Your single "Dream" is about touring and is such a feel-good song.
Krissy Krissy: Thank you so much. It was pretty awesome making that record. I had to leave town because of writer's block. I went to Pennsylvania and wrote what was in my heart. I wrote a song about my mom. The song "Dream" was an acoustic song first but when we produced the record and made a sound to it we changed the chords. It breathed life into it and that was amazing to see before my eyes.
WCT: You are currently working on new music?
Krissy Krissy: My EP is obviously out and the new album is finished. I am even working on a second album. I am putting things together. I am always working. That is what I like about my management team. You will never find us doing nothing. I am always in the studio or making a song.
I never know if a song is going to make an album or not. Something could happen and one song goes out or in. My dad died when I was making the EP. It was unexpected and I was in the middle of becoming Krissy Krissy as an artist at the time. Then boom it was the worst thing that ever happened to me. This was the person that showed me what music was I had to watch die. It was hard so I wrote the song "Above All" about it. It ended up being the title track to my EP. People ask me to sing the song at 9/11 events because they connect with the song at that level. It is pretty amazing. I had a moment that I can share with millions I hope.
WCT: People reach out to you about it on social media?
Krissy Krissy: Yes, I call my fans my "buddies." In Brooklyn you have to have a buddy. Lady Gaga has her "monsters" but I have my "buddies."
WCT: How many tattoos do you have?
Krissy Krissy: Too many to count! I have been under the needle over 50 times, some were retouches or cover-ups. I made the mistake of putting people's names on my body.
You can see at least 25 tattoos visually on my body. There are a few that are hidden and not allowed to be seen, know what I mean?
WCT: Only privileged people have seen those...
Krissy Krissy: That's right. If I still wore a diaper my mom would see them, too!
Look for Krissy Krissy Oct. 4 at the Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave., with tickets at www.doubledoor.com .
