Crystal Waters is a multi-platinum dance music icon, best known for her hit song \u201cGypsy Woman,\u201d widely considered one of the biggest classic house tracks ever.<\/p>\n
Now, Waters is bringing her show,\u00a0I Am House: Orchestrated, to the James L. Knight Center in Miami.<\/p>\n
She\u2019ll be joined by fellow house legends like Robin S., Cece Peniston, Ultra Nat\u00e9, Inaya Day and Thea Austin, performing their biggest hits alongside a full orchestra.<\/p>\n
The idea for this concert series came up after an interview where she was asked how she felt she fit into house \u2014 accompanied by the assertion that the genre started in Europe.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aMy head kinda spun around, and I was like, ‘Oh, no,’\u201d she said. \u201cSo part of my mission now is to make sure people, as long as they know my name, know where house music came from. \u200aIt came from the Black, brown and queer communities, and it came from here in America, Chicago, New York, Baltimore, DC. Jersey.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first show was held in New York last November. Waters said the line wrapped around the block, and guests stayed and danced for hours after the event ended. She believes there is an older crowd in America that wants the house music they heard in the 90s, but not necessarily the clubs they used to frequent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s an uplifting experience,\u201d she said. \u201cIt’s something to hear those live instruments with this uptempo music, and a lot of house music already has strings in it, so it’s really something that you have to come and just enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Waters is one of many Black women whose voices pushed house into the mainstream. Her iconic chorus of “la da dee, la dee da” has hypnotized dancefloors all around the world since 1991 and is still heavily sampled in other songs today.<\/p>\n
But she thinks that women simultaneously do and don\u2019t get enough credit for their contributions to dance music.<\/p>\n
Part of her push as an ambassador for house music includes helping women market themselves and recognize the importance of putting their name on records where they should be.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aThere’s a lot of female DJs [but] do you see them headlining? It’s very hard to break that glass ceiling,\u201d she said. “There are a lot of songwriters and singers on some of these new songs, and all you see is the DJ name \u2026 they’re not giving credit for being even the vocalist sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Waters credits the queer community as not only being the first group to take her and her music in 35 years ago, but they also taught her how to command her stage presence.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aI learned about performing just watching the drag queens \u2026 and these are still the best crowds,\u201d she said. \u201cI used to do the prides back in the day in New York because nobody else would do them.”<\/p>\n
Alongside these performances, Waters has her own music on the horizon. She plans to finish her latest album this spring. It\u2019ll most likely be her final album, but she\u2019ll keep creating new singles in the future.<\/p>\n
She wants to bring\u00a0I Am House: Orchestrated\u00a0to more cities in the U.S. and in Canada to make sure as many of her fans can enjoy the celebration.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aI want them to know that this is about them, this is their music, they’re a part of this creation,\u201d she said. \u201cThey made these songs hits \u2026 It wouldn’t have been a hit without them, so this is really for them to enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n
IF YOU GO<\/p>\n
What:\u00a0I Am House Orchestrated<\/p>\n
When:\u00a0Wednesday, March 25<\/p>\n
Where:\u00a0James L. Knight Center<\/p>\n
Ticket Information:\u00a0Here<\/a><\/p>\n