Kristine W

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Kristine W
Kristine W performing at WetBar in Atlanta, GA on November 17, 2007.
Kristine W performing at WetBar in Atlanta, GA on November 17, 2007.
Background information
Birth name Kristine Weitz
Born June 3, 1968 (1968-06-03) (age 40)[1][dubious – discuss]
Origin Flag of the United States Pasco, Washington, United States
Genre(s) Dance-pop, Electronica
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, record producer
Years active 1990–present (singer)
Label(s) RCA, Tommy Boy Records
Associated acts DJs Are Alive
Website Official Website

Kristine W (Kristine Weitz) is an American Dance-pop, House music and Hi-NRG singer/songwriter. She has released four albums, three of them through major labels, plus an early recording she sells to fans through her website. Her three label releases are Land of the Living (1996), Stronger (2000), Fly Again (2003). The early recording she released on her own is called "Perfect Beat".

Contents

[edit] Career

Kristine W was Miss Washington 1981[2] and won a non-finalist talent award at the 1982 Miss America pageant earning her a college scholarship. She was also the preliminary swimsuit winner.

She spent several years performing in Las Vegas lounges before being "discovered." "Kristine and the Sting," her band in the late 80's and into the 90's, performed at the Silver Slipper Casino, at The Mint Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Hilton and Studio 54 at the MGM Grand. She was signed to RCA Records in the U.S. and she began work on an album which would be a collaboration with Rollo Armstrong and Rob D. Her second single, "One More Try", was issued two years later, in 1996 with remixes by Vasquez, Rollo, Sister Bliss, David Morales, and Stonebridge (DJ). This single not only hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, it also crossed over to pop radio, reaching #78 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. On the album, "Land Of The Living"'s release date, Kristine W held a free concert at the Virgin Megastore in New York City.

The second single was the title track from the album, and featured remixes by Vasquez, Rollo, Sister Bliss, Dekkard, Lisa Marie Experience, and Deep Dish. This single also reached #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. In 1997, instead of releasing a third single from the album, Champion issued new remixes of "Feel What You Want" by Vasquez, Dekkard, Maddlads, and Rollo. An additional unreleased remix was produced by Jonathan Peters which was one of the most popular tracks at his Friday night DJ residency. Junior Vasquez was also asked to produce remixes her songs "Don't Wanna Think" and "Sweet Mercy Me", which weren't released commercially but instead distributed to select DJs, making them regional club hits in the New York metro area, particularly at Vasquez' weekly parties.

Her follow up album "Stronger" would not be released until 2000. Despite the fact that four years had passed since her last album, the first single from the album, the title track, reached #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart on the strength of remixes by Johnny Vicious, Junior Vasquez, and Rollo. The single featured an additional remix of her song "Clubland" by Thunderpuss. The second single, "Lovin' You" also reached #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, with remixes by Hex Hector, Junior Vasquez, and Johnny Vicious.

According to the biography posted on her official website, Kristine W spent two years battling Leukemia, before going back into the studio to record her third album. Prior to the album's release, a remix produced by Hani of the song "Letting Go" (the original version of which appeared on the album) was given to select DJs making it another of Kristine W's unreleased remix hits. The album, Fly Again was released in October 2003 by Tommy Boy Records Silver Label, and the lead single, prouduced and remixed by The Scumfrog and featuring mixes by Vasquez and Ralphi Rosario, gave her yet another #1 Hot Dance Music/Club Play hit single. The second single, "Save My Soul" was remixed by a virtual who's-who of popular remixers, including Junior Vasquez, Mike Cruz, Gabriel & Dresden, Orange Factory, and Cypher. It too reached #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, and marked Kristine W's return to radio, reaching #25 on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart.

The third single, "The Wonder Of It All", was remixed by DJ Offer Nissim, DJ Escape, Gomi, Ivan Pavlin, and Mr Mig. The #1 success of "The Wonder Of It All" gave Kristine W the all-time record for the longest string of consecutive #1 Hot Dance Music/Club Play hits in the history of the chart. It reached #21 on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart.

The fourth single, "I'll Be Your Light" interrupted Kristine's streak of consecutive #1's, peaking at only #2 on the Club Play chart. However, it is an achievement as few artists have had all of their singles become Top 20 or better. With Tony Moran being the exception, the single was not remixed by as many big-name remixers as Kristine W's past singles. Still, the song was another radio crossover hit for her, reaching #17 on Billboard's Dance Radio Airplay chart, making it her highest charting single on that chart to date, and her first foray into that chart's Top 20. The CD single was released as an enhanced CD with DJ mixing software to enabling fans to create their own remixes.

[edit] 2004 - Present

The album, "Fly Again" peaked at #12 on the Top Electronic Albums chart, her first album to register on a Billboard albums chart. Few dance-oriented artists see their full length albums make the album charts, so this was a feat to be celebrated.

She toured as part of an ensemble called "DJs Are Alive", a live performance and DJ-mixing ensemble that includes The Scumfrog, DJ Skribble, Static Revenger, and D:Fuse.

Her single "Walk Away", produced by Tony Moran, gained popularity on Rhythmic format radio stations. "Walk Away" charted at #1 on the Club Play chart and at #7 on the Dance Airplay, as of November, giving Kristine her tenth number one dance single.

Kristine announced in October 2007 on her official website that she was in the studio working on two albums for an early 2008 release, her fourth dance album, The Power of Music, and the jazz inspired, Straight Up with a Twist.

On January 1, 2008, Kristine released her first single from her fourth studio album Straight Up with a Twist, a cover of the Diana Ross disco hit "The Boss", to a select group of online distributors. Three mixes, done by Paul Goodyear, Love to Inifinity, and Tracy Young, were released as a special "preview" to the physical single release on February 12, 2008. This song became Kristine's 11th number one hit on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in March of 2008.

[edit] Songwriting

  • CeCe Peniston had a hit with a single co-written by Kristine W, "Lifetime To Love", which reached #2 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
  • Jason Walker recorded a song that was co-written by Kristine W entitled "No More." The song is featured on Jason's debut album "This is My Life" which was released in 2004 on Junior Vasquez's label, JVM Music.
  • Kristine W co-wrote a song on RuPaul's third album Redhot, titled, "Just a Little In and Out."

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles

[edit] References

  1. ^ Birth year, 1968, confirmed by Kristine personally, 2008
  2. ^ misswashington.org, retrieved 10 august 2008

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristine_W"
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