Fully embodying the title of her 15th and latest #1 track on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs chart, Kristine W— an international dance music icon since the late 90s--is finding exciting new ways to share “The Power of Music” with the release of "Straight Up with a Twist", an extraordinarily ambitious, four years in the making project (2-CDs, 30 tracks) that marks her highly anticipated contemporary jazz debut. This album debuted at #22 on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart. So far as charted as high as #3 on this chart.
Kristine’s venture into a new genre expands upon the incredible success she has enjoyed for many years in the dance world and beyond:
“This album was truly a labor of love,” explained Kristine W from her home in Las Vegas. She describes it as a musical journey through a kaleidoscope of musical styles mixing dance, pop, R&B and rock styles together to capture and express the myriad of emotions that people are feeling at this turbulent time in history. “The songs on the album explore universal human emotions like joy, fear, love, strength, life and death. Woven together, they show the emotional power of music and represent the rollercoaster of emotions most people are experiencing today. At a time when people all around the world are feeling more vulnerable than ever, I really wanted to create an album where I could perform songs that capture those universal emotions.”
The ultimate chameleon artist, Kristine has proven she can survive. She’s topped the dance charts thirteen times; nine of which were consecutive, breaking records previously held by Madonna and Janet Jackson. She is a fourth generation entertainer hailing from Pasco, Washington. After winning titles as Miss Tri-Cities, Miss Washington and placing first in the talent competition at the Miss America pageant, Kristine went on to pursue her educational and musical dreams in Las Vegas, where she found success headlining her own show at the Las Vegas Hilton.
Numerous awards followed, including several 'Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year' wins and being officially sanctioned as the entertainer who performed more live shows at the Las Vegas Hilton than any other performer in its history - including Elvis. This award led to June 28th being officially sanctioned Kristine W day in the state of Nevada.
After conquering Las Vegas, Kristine reached the top of the dance charts in 1994 with the now classic anthem "Feel What You Want" landing at 1 on Billboard's Dance Chart and holding at the top five in more than ten countries worldwide. Signing with RCA Records and releasing the 1996 critically acclaimed album, LAND OF THE LIVING, Kristine catapulted to the top of the dance music spotlight with two more singles, the beautifully spun "One More Try", which won Kristine an ASCAP Award for co-writing, and the album's title track "Land Of The Living", in which the artist shares real experiences of survival and overcoming life's obstacles.
Finding herself in the executive producers chair for her second RCA studio album, Kristine W recorded the smash follow-up album STRONGER. Released in 2000, the savvy collection of rhythmic tracks, encompassing dance floor grooves, neo-soul and unadulterated pop, again placed the versatile performer at the top of the Billboard Club Play Charts. The album's title track "Stronger" and the timeless single "Lovin' You" both added to Kristine's vault of number one singles.
Overcoming a two-year battle with leukemia, Kristine W then completed work on her next album FLY AGAIN. While in that process, she recorded and released her sixth chart topping single, "Some Lovin'." The track quickly became a hit both in the US and overseas and was a featured single for the hit SHOWTIME series QUEER AS FOLK. The music video featured Kristine with the cast, including award-winning actress Sharon Gless.
Kristine eventually passed superstars Madonna and Janet Jackson (each with seven 1 dance songs in a row) to rack up eight consecutive chart-toppers. When her 2005 single “Wonder of It All” went all the way, it became her ninth 1, breaking her own record. “Walk Away”, released in late 2007 was her tenth number one. “The Boss”, her eleventh Billboard topper, was a completely handmade project. Her 12th number one occurred in February 2009 – the self-penned song “Never.” And her latest - 13 – “Love is the Look” topped the charts in April 2009. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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