Photo by Mike Ruiz
Audio By Carbonatix
House legend Crystal Waters’ music is required listening in Miami every day — her dance classics “Gypsy Woman” and “100% Pure Love” remain on rotation 30 years after they were released — but especially on Dec. 4. Last year, during Miami Art Week, the date was given the designation Crystal Waters Day in Miami-Dade County.
The beloved singer and songwriter’s connections to the city run deep. “It always felt like home to me, it always felt comfortable, and that’s why I keep coming back,” she says. She recalls joyful, alcohol-fueled nights in Miami in the ‘90s, partying at Prince’s Glam Slam East, queer mainstay Twist, and former gay hotspot Warsaw. She even bought a home in South Florida a few years back.
Waters returns to the Magic City for a house music extravaganza, I Am House Orchestrated Miami, on Wednesday, March 25. She’ll perform with a live orchestra at the James L. Knight Center alongside a stacked line-up of house deities: Robin S., CeCe Peniston, Barbara Tucker, Janice Robinson with Ultra Naté, Thea Austin from Snap, Byron Stingily from Ten City, Duane Harden, and Inaya Day, who doubles as the music director.
She’s traveled with most of these artists for 35 years, leaving a trail of sweaty, euphoric people in their wake. “I love being in this dance music community because there’s no age, no time limit. It’s for the passion for music. Music has changed so much over the years, but everybody I know is still in it because they love it,” Waters shares.
They just wrapped up a sold-out performance in New York City at Sony Hall. “The orchestra uplifts this music to a whole ‘nother level,” she says. “The vibe was so high, so positive. Everybody sang every song from beginning to end. We thought everybody would leave after [the live show], but the DJ played till 1 o’clock. They all stayed. They came in dancing, they sang, and they left dancing!”
Waters’ contributions and commitment to the genre have continued to fuel interest in house music. She’s released singles regularly for the past decade, runs her own music label, and has a SiriusXM Utopia radio show, all under the name I Am House. She’s also working on a new album set to be released this spring.
As a child on summer break, Waters used to tour with her father, jazz musician Junior Waters. Her musical family also includes her uncle, lead saxophonist for studio musician collective MSFB, and her aunt, actress and jazz singer Ethel Waters. She learned how to craft her own compositions by watching her father study and enjoy music, which gave her sound a jazz influence. But the most important thing her father taught her was the business side of the music industry. “They had gotten ripped off so much back then that he wanted to make sure I wasn’t,” she says.
She’s been able to pass that gift on, showing women musicians how to preserve their legacies and finances. In the ‘90s, many Black women house music artists were robbed of their dues and names, and their stories were erased from musical history, including the fact that electronic music hails from Detroit.
Waters is working on an I Am House documentary to remind people of dance music’s foundations. “As long as I’m alive and people know my name, they will know where house music came from,” she assures.
I Am House Orchestrated Miami. With Crystal Waters. 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, at the James L. Knight Centre, 400 SE Second Ave., Miami. iamcrystalwaters.com.
