Celebrating 25 Years: An Exclusive Interview with Crystal Kay
Meet Crystal Kay, the undisputed queen of J-Pop and a musical pioneer who has inspired a generation. Born to an African-American father and a Korean-Japanese mother, Crystal Kay has had a career spanning 25 years, releasing multiple hits and collaborating with the best in the industry. Recently, she celebrated her 25th anniversary as an artist with the song ‘That Girl!’ Today, we’ll delve into her career, her new music, and much more!
Photo credit: Yulia Shur
Congratulations on reaching such an impressive milestone in your career! How does it feel to celebrate your 25th anniversary as an artist, and what does this milestone mean to you personally?
Thank you very much! I feel so blessed to be able to celebrate 25 years in the industry and still be able to perform on stage for you all. It feels surreal because it’s a quarter century! I’m grateful that I get to reflect on so many amazing moments, music and people that have shaped me into the person and artist that I am today.This milestone gives me confirmation that I was born to do this and that there is even more space to explore as an artist. As the world is becoming more connected, I also want to bridge even more of that gap between the USA, Japan, and Korea, as a person with these three cultures in me.
Your new single “That Girl” has just been released. Can you share with us the inspiration behind the song and what listeners can expect from it?
I wanted “That Girl” to be an anthem of inspiration and declaration to be more honest with yourself. We are so caught up in this cycle of pretending to be okay, or aversion of ourselves in which we are clearly not. In this age of social media, we are constantly comparing our lives with others and constantly get lost in the sauce. People pleasing is also a big element of not being true to yourself, so I put in that phrase in the bridge, “no matter who I’m with or what I’m doing, I wanna be that person that’s comfortable with saying ‘no’ because it’s not the end of the world”. If we can embrace our truest selves, we are all, in fact, “that” person!
What has kept you motivated as an artist over the last 25 years?
What has kept me motivated the most is my dream of performing all over the world. I’ve had this dream of being a global singer since I was a baby, thanks to Michael and Janet. Watching their impact and power of bringing the people together from all over the world was so inspiring and felt superpower-like. But aside from that, my next biggest motivator is when I get to see my fans or people enjoying my music or performances. Seeing people happy or and bringing them joy really makes my heart jump. I think I’ve always enjoyed entertaining others and making people laugh since I was a kid, and it gives me the same amount of joy when I’m on stage.
Throughout your career, you’ve released numerous albums. Could you share which album you feel best represents your artistic evolution and why?
This is a tough one, but the one that best represents my artistic evolution would be “Almost Seventeen”. I feel like this album was when I really started to enjoy partaking in the writing and production process. I was blessed to have such amazing producers to push the envelope and I was really getting in the zone throughout the production of that album.
Photo credit: Yulia Shur
What do you hope people will think about your music as you continue your career?
I just hope that my music will bring excitement and joy to anyone who listens to it across the world.
And lastly what do you want to say to your fans?
From the bottom of my heart, I want to give my fans a huge thank you! Thank you for listening and loving my music for 25 years. I get inspired and charged by your support every day. I will continue to give back and spread love through my music until the end.
We want to extend a big thanks to Baijnauth PR for this opportunity, and of course, to Crystal Kay for interviewing with us!
Crystal Kay「That Girl」Out Now!
Download / Streaming :
https://crystalkay.lnk.to/thatgirlID
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