RCA Records recording artist Kristine W made her star-stunning debut with the global dance floor anthem "Feel What You Want" which reach the highly coveted No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot Dance/Club Play chart. In the time since, Kristine has repeated the process with singles like "One More Try" and "Land of the Living." On her debut album, 1996's "Land of the Living," Kristine W proved that she was a dance-pop artist on a mission.
Kristine W possesses a voice that is powerful, soulful, emotional, and some might say, effortless. Nowhere is it more apparent than on her new RCA album, aptly titled "Stronger," which is a savvy collection of rhythmic tracks, encompassing dance floor grooves, neo-soul, and unadulterated pop. Recorded from '97 - '00 in Frankfurt, Stockholm, Toronto, Los Angeles, and New York, "Stronger" finds Kristine W continuing her skills as a dazzling songwriter, one whose keen observations on life and love are universal. In addition to co-writing ten of the songs on "Stronger," Kristine co-executive produced the entire CD.
"The songs on the album are about love, enjoying life, and not taking anything for granted," notes Kristine W "Over the years, I've learned that you have to fight for everything in life—to be in love, to make the music you want to make, to keep relationships strong. I've also learned that things aren't always as they appear. I guess you could say that "Stronger" is my journey through life. It's the story of my fight through the years."
A fourth generation entertainer, Kristine W has certainly come a long way since her childhood days in the farming community of Pasco, Washington. Defiantly going against the region's big-city infatuation with all things rock and country, Kristine W fondly recalls her musical youth. "I would call information in New York City, requesting phone numbers for Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, and my main idol Donna Summer," she laughs. "I really wanted to talk to one of them to find out how to become famous as a singer. At the time, I couldn't understand why their phone numbers where unlisted."
Unable to get Diana Ross on the line, Kristine W did the next best thing: she bonded with the other musical misfits that dotted Pasco's multi-hued ethnic landscape. Together, Kristine W and her friends embraced disco, soul, and jazz. "Chaka Khan, Ella Fitzgerald, and of course, Donna Summer, we listened to it all."
"While attending college (she received a Bachelor degree in TV production), Kristine W honed her skills as a singer on the stage of the various hotels that lined the neon-speckled streets of Las Vegas strip. "I've played 'em all," she says, smiling. "These places offered me a stage, a spotlight to shine in. This is where I was discovered. Like rock artists who tour and tour for years, perfecting their craft, the stages of Las Vegas offered me the same thing. Working the stages of Las Vegas taught me one very important lesson: the courage and strength to persevere."
That said, its not surprising that Kristine W decided to title her new album "Stronger." "I have my fight back," she says smiling, without missing a beat. "I now completely realize what it means to be strong, to pay my dues, to hang in there. It's my turn, I'm ready to get out there and show that I've got what it takes." Stronger, indeed!
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