On Sun., Oct. 7, dance-music diva Kristine W will perform at The 720 Club, 720 N. Wells, at a show called 'Dance for Leukemia Support' ( sponsored by the Leukemia Society of Chicago ) . The event has a special meaning for the chart-topping singer, as she was diagnosed with the disease several years ago. ( Her fight has been successful, as the disease is in remission. )
A day after talking with grade-school kids about leukemia, Kristine W talked with Windy City Times about the disease—as well as lighter topics such as dance music and drag queens.
Windy City Times: Yesterday, you gave a speech to some fifth-graders. Tell me about that.
Kristine W: For the next couple of weeks, the Light the Night leukemia walk is taking place around the country, and a lot of different schools are reading about leukemia and talking about it. Some friends of mine, a principal and a teacher, asked me to talk to a class about [ the disease ] . It got pretty heavy; they talked about family members who had been affected. It opened the floodgates.
WCT: And you're quite the fighter.
KW: Yes. Leukemia is an aggressive disease, and it takes you out pretty quickly. Fortunately, I had health insurance so I could fight the good fight, but a lot of people don't have that option. The odds are grim but there is hope, because I'm here.
WCT: What did you learn about yourself from fighting and surviving this disease?
KW: I learned that I'm definitely stronger than I thought I was. I've sung songs like Land of the Living and written songs like Stronger, but I never really had to live it; it's really different when you have to live it. In hindsight, my music really helped me because I'd listen to the songs and would say, 'OK...you've talked the talk, now you have to walk the walk.'
WCT: Speaking of Land of the Living, how do you feel that your music has changed since that album was released [ in 1996 ] ?
KW: [ The music ] takes on the vibe of what I'm doing at that particular time. The songs are definitely a musical journal; they take me back in time and I relive those emotions again. [ The album ] Stronger came about when my grandmother was ailing and when I had my first baby...watching life come into the world and watching life go out was traumatic at the time; I had to be strong for my baby and for my grandmother.
WCT: It sounds like you put a lot of yourself into these songs.
KW: It's hard and it takes a long time to put albums together. Sharing is what it's all about, and the thing about dance music is that it can breach some pretty serious topics with a happy dance beat—it doesn't get too heavy that way, and that's what I love about dance music. I'm a pretty lightweight person; I use my music to deal with the deep side of life.
WCT: Tell me about [ the newest dance album ] The Power of Music.
KW: Now, here we go again. I've been through a really interesting time; I've had my five-year anniversary from leukemia. The last three years that I've been working on this album—and all of my albums take three years [ laughs ] —have been an organic process. I want my songs to be real; one song, Into You, I've been working on since my Land of the Living days. [ The fans are ] going to know if I believe what I'm singing, and the songs are your [ legacy ] .
WCT: I have to tell you: I remember you performing at what I believe was [ the Boystown club ] Vortex about 10 years ago, and you were wearing a bubble-wrap dress.
KW: Oh, yeah! [ Laughs ] That kind of stuff I love to do—stuff that makes people say, 'No, she just did not do that.'
We went to the Billboard Music Awards a couple of years ago. A friend had given me her old Louis Vuitton bag; I had this drag queen cut it up and make a bustier out of it—and it was the talk of the town. I got in People magazine wearing it. I have it in my closet; I'll bust it out again one of these times.
WCT: And you certainly stood out at the Gay Games Closing Ceremony last year. It was one of the highlights.
KW: That big blue Marc Bower cape—he gave that to me.
[ Performing in Wrigley Field ] was amazing. It was so much fun. It was neat to be a part of it after hearing about it all these years. It's funny, too—a straight mother of two getting to come to all of these cool events. I just feel like part of the family.
WCT: When did you first become aware of your gay following?
KW: When I was on stage in New York in '96 at The Sound Factory. I was working on my album in Europe, and didn't know much about the club scene in the States. Then, I was in Vegas and was told that I had to go to this club in New York because my song was [ popular ] there—and it was a mob scene.
I think some people thought that I sounded like a Black girl, so they didn't expect a white girl coming out. The audience was cocking their heads, like a dog does, because they weren't sure I was singing live. Then, I sang a capella—and they went crazy. Then on the next song, Clubland, I started crawling down the runway; they loved that.
WCT: How many Kristine W drag queens have you met?
KW: Oh, thousands. My favorite is Laritza Dumont; she's a Latina drag queen and she performs at The Monster in New York—although she's recently moved to Miami, so she'll [ probably ] be at Parliament House and The Coliseum. She does me very well.
Doors open at 9 p.m. for the Oct. 7 show. See www.kristinew.com for more info about the show and her music.
