Crystal Waters
Crystal Waters | |
|---|---|
 Crystal Waters in 2014 | |
| Born | October 10, 1964 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Known for | Queen of House |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) | vocals |
| Labels | |
| Website | www |
Crystal Waters (born October 10, 1964) is an American house and dance music singer and songwriter, best known for her 1990s dance hits "Gypsy Woman" and "100% Pure Love". All three of her studio albums produced a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. In December 2016, Billboard magazine ranked her as one most successful dance artist of all-time.[1] Her accolades include 6 ASCAP Songwriter Awards, three American Music Award nominations, an MTV Video Music Award nod and four Billboard Music Awards.
Life and career
Early life
Born in Camden, New Jersey, Waters is the daughter of Betty and Junior Waters, a famed jazz musician; her great aunt, Ethel Waters, was one of the first black American vocalists to appear in mainstream Hollywood musicals. Her family moved to New Jersey for a while but they again moved to Washington, D.C.. At age eleven she began writing poetry and took her writing seriously enough to be inducted into the American Poetry Society when she was 14, the youngest person ever to receive that honor.
She studied business and computer science at Howard University, but her creative work dropped off as she found less time for it. After earning her college degree in 1989, Waters secured a job as a computer technician with the Washington, D.C. parole board, making a living that would support her two daughters. One of her daughters is singer-songwriter Ella Nicole.
Music career
Crystal Waters first approached the music world in 1989 as a behind-the-scenes worker, writing demos for a production team known as the Basement Boys, securing a writing contract with Mercury Records in 1989 and began penning songs for recording artists.
In one of her assignments, Waters penned a song called "Gypsy Woman" for dance artist Ultra Naté and recorded a demo herself of the song. The producers were so taken by her rendition that they drew up a recording contract with her for the song, never passing it on to Ultra Naté. The song became a worldwide hit, memorable for its "la da dee, la dee da" refrain and its often sampled keyboard riff. The track reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100,[2] and found more success in Europe, reaching number 2 on the UK Singles Chart,[3] and number 1 in the Netherlands[4] and Switzerland.[5] A year after its release, a new version was featured on the Red Hot Organization's Red Hot + Dance AIDS fundraiser disc (1992, distributed by Sony Music), gaining remixer Joey Negro his first American exposure.
Her next single, "Makin' Happy," with contributions by remixer Steve "Silk" Hurley, shot quickly to #1 on the Billboard Dance Chart.
With her 1994 follow-up album Storyteller, Waters made a mainstream comeback with her hit single "100% Pure Love," which hit number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100[2], #1 on the Billboard Dance Chart, and became one of the longest-charting singles on the Hot 100 at 45 weeks ("Gypsy Woman" had remained on the chart for 16 weeks). Along with the single, her second album Storyteller, sold over 1,000,000 copies in the United States.[6]
In 1996, Waters participated in the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Rio, which was produced by the Red Hot Organization, performing the song "The Boy From Ipanema".
In 2007, the mega European hit "Destination Calabria," by Alex Gaudino featuring vocals by Crystal Waters, went to #1 on the European Pop Chart in over 30 countries. The track is a mashup, taking the instrumental from Rune's "Calabria" and the vocals from Alex Gaudino's and Crystal Waters' "Destination Unknown," both originally released in 2003. It was produced with the help of Maurizio Nari and Ronnie Milani (Nari & Milani), matching the saxophone hook/riff from "Calabria" to Crystal Waters' voice. "Destination Calabria" was released as a 12 inch single by Italian label Rise Records, and as a CD single, on 19 March 2007, by British label Data Records. It originally charted in Australia in February 2004 peaking at #98 under the title "Destination Unknown"[2] before being re-released as "Destination Calabria" and reaching #2 in 2007.
In 2012, “Le Bump,” with Yolanda Be Cool, gave Waters another #1 on the Beatport House Chart.
With DJ Chris Cox in 2013, the #1 Billboard Dance Chart Hit "Mama Hey" was listed as one of Billboard's "Top 50 Dance Songs of 2013."
In November 2015, Waters released "Synergy," and in October 2016 she released "Believe." Both songs quickly rose to the # 1 spot on the Billboard Dance Chart.
Her 2017 single, "Testify," with Hifi Sean, was released on Defected Records and went straight to the A-List on BBC Radio and garnered yet another #1 on the Billboard Dance Chart.
Crystal Waters tours regularly. Concert dates can be found on her website IamCrystalWaters.com
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] |
AUS [8] |
AUT [9] |
GER [10] |
NED [4] |
SWI [5] | ||
| 1991 | Surprise
|
197 | — | 23 | 45 | 81 | 24 |
| 1994 | Storyteller
|
199 | 55 | — | — | — | — |
| 1997 | Crystal Waters
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1998 | The Best of Crystal Waters
|
| 2001 | Gypsy Woman – The Collection
|
| 2001 | 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Crystal Waters
|
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] |
US Dance [11] |
AUS [8] |
AUT [9] |
FRA [12] |
GER [13] |
IRE [14] |
NED [4] |
NZ [15] |
SWI [5] |
UK [3][16] | ||||
| 1991 | "Gypsy Woman" | 8 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 50 | 1 | 2 | Surprise | |
| "Makin' Happy" | — | 1 | — | — | 17 | — | 22 | 27 | — | 22 | 18 | |||
| "Surprise" | — | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Megamix" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 39 | Megamix! | ||
| 1992 | "You Turn Me On" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Encino Man soundtrack | |
| 1994 | "100% Pure Love" | 11 | 1 | 2 | 26 | — | 33 | 30 | 15 | 44 | 20 | 15 | Storyteller | |
| "What I Need" | 82 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Ghetto Day" | — | — | 94 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 40 | |||
| 1995 | "Relax" | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 37 | ||
| 1996 | "In de Ghetto" (with David Morales & The Bad Yard Club) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 35[19] | Non-album song | |
| "The Boy from Ipanema" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Red Hot + Rio | ||
| 1997 | "Say... If You Feel Alright" | 40 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 32 | — | 45 | Crystal Waters | |
| "Just a Freak" (with Dennis Rodman) |
— | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2001 | "Come On Down" | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DJ Escape: Party Time 2002 | |
| "Enough" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album song | ||
| "Nights in Egypt" (with Sunseeker) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Various Artists: Club Base Vol. 9 | ||
| 2003 | "My Time" (with Dutch) |
— | 1 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | My Time: Remix EP | |
| 2004 | "Destination Unknown" (with Alex Gaudino) |
— | — | 98 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album song | |
| "Lies" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DJ Boom: Electro Compilation | ||
| 2006 | "Destination Calabria" (with Alex Gaudino) |
— | 8 | 3 | 55 | 6 | 30 | 2 | 14 | 35 | 50 | 4 | Non-album song | |
| 2008 | "Dancefloor" (with Speakerbox) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Dancefloor: Remix EP | |
| 2009 | "Never Enough" | — | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album song | |
| "Gypsy Woman 2009" (vs. Tristan Garner) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 76 | — | — | — | Gypsy Woman 2009: Remix EP | ||
| "Gypsy Woman 2010" (vs. DJ Flava) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album songs | ||
| 2010 | "When People Come Together" (with Bellani & Spada) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011 | "Say Yeah" (vs. Fred Pellichero) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Le Bump" (with Yolanda Be Cool) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Masquerade" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2012 | "Long Day" (with Inaya Day Allstars) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Love I Call My Own" (with Nicola Fasano & Steve Forest) |
— | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Love I Call My Own: Remix EP | ||
| 2013 | "Oh Mama Hey" (with Chris Cox and DJ Frankie) |
— | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album song | |
| "Blow" (with Armand Pena, Harry Romero, and Alex Alicea) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Gypsy Woman 2013" (with Musique Boutique) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Gypsy Woman 2013: Remix EP | ||
| 2014 | "Be Kind" (with StoneBridge) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Be Kind: Remix EP | |
| "Every Day" (with Murk) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album songs | ||
| 2015 | "Let Me Be the One" (with David Tort & Nick Marsh) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Synergy" (with Sted-E & Hybrid Heights) |
— | 1[20] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2016 | "Believe" (featuring Sted-E & Hybrid Heights) |
— | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017 | "Testify" (Hifi Sean featuring Crystal Waters) |
— | 1 [21] |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | ||||||||||||||
Awards and nominations
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)" | American Music Awards | Favorite Single – Dance | Nominated | |
| Herself | Favorite Artist – Dance | Nominated | |||
| Favorite New Artist – Dance | Nominated | ||||
| 1994 | Billboard Music Awards | Top Hot Dance Music Club Play Artist | Nominated | ||
| Top Hot Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales Artist | Nominated | ||||
| "100% Pure Love" | Top-Selling Hot Dance Music Club Play Single | Won | |||
| Top Hot Dance Music Maxi-Single Sales | Nominated | ||||
| MTV Video Music Awards | Best Dance Video | Nominated | |||
| Storyteller | Vibe's Music Poll | Best Album – Club/Dance | Won | [22] | |
| The listed years are of the annual ceremonies, usually held the following year. | |||||
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
References
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-top-dance-club-artists
- ^ a b c "Billboard > Artists / Crystal Waters > Chart History > The Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ a b "Official Charts > Crystal Waters". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ a b c "dutchcharts.nl > Crystal Waters in Dutch Charts" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ a b c "hitparade.ch > Crystal Waters in der Schweizer Hitparade" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ Paoletta, Michael (2004-05-01) "Where Have All the Divas Gone?" Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.) Retrieved 2011-03-16.
- ^ "Billboard > Artists / Crystal Waters > Chart History > Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ a b Australian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
- Top 50 peaks: "australian-charts.com > Crystal Waters in Australian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- Top 100 peaks to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- "Ghetto Day": "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 30 Oct 1994". imgur.com. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ a b "austriancharts.at > Crystal Waters in der Österreichischen Hitparade" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Crystal Waters – Surprise (album)". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ "Billboard > Artists / Crystal Waters > Chart History > Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ "lescharts.com > Crystal Waters dans les Charts Français" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ German singles chart peaks:
- "Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee La Da Da)": "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Crystal Waters – Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee La Da Da) (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- "100% Pure Love": "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- "Destination Calabria": "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Alex Gaudino feat. Crystal Waters – Destination Calabria (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know > Search results for Crystal Waters (from irishcharts.ie)". imgur.com. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ "charts.org.nz > Crystal Waters in New Zealand Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 388. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for Crystal Waters (from bpi.co.uk)". imgur.com. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1994". Australian Record Industry Association Ltd. Archived from the original on 2015-10-25. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ "Official Charts > David Morales & Bad Yard Club". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ "Hot Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. November 14, 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ^ "Charts: Dance/Electronic". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
- ^ [1]
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1964 births
- Living people
- African-American singers
- American dance musicians
- American female singer-songwriters
- American singer-songwriters
- American house musicians
- American pop singers
- Mercury Records artists
- American contemporary R&B singers
- American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters
- Musicians from Philadelphia
- Singers from Pennsylvania
- Songwriters from Pennsylvania
- Women in electronic music
- 21st-century women singers