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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tElectronic music powerhouse Crystal Waters is performing her legendary songs along with fellow house legends Robin S, CeCe Peniston, and others with a live orchestra at I Am House.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tElectronic music powerhouse Crystal Waters is performing her legendary songs along with fellow house legends Robin S, CeCe Peniston, and others with a live orchestra at I Am House.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Photo by Mike Ruiz<\/p>\n
House legend Crystal Waters\u2019 music is required listening in Miami every day \u2014 her dance classics \u201cGypsy Woman\u201d and \u201c100% Pure Love\u201d remain on rotation 30 years after they were released \u2014 but especially on Dec. 4. Last year, during Miami Art Week<\/a>, the date was given the designation Crystal Waters Day in Miami-Dade County.\u00a0<\/p>\n The beloved singer and songwriter\u2019s connections to the city run deep. \u201cIt always felt like home to me, it always felt comfortable, and that\u2019s why I keep coming back,\u201d she says. She recalls joyful, alcohol-fueled nights in Miami in the \u201890s, partying at Prince\u2019s Glam Slam East, queer mainstay Twist, and former gay hotspot Warsaw. She even bought a home in South Florida a few years back.\u00a0<\/p>\n Waters returns to the Magic City for a house music extravaganza, I Am House Orchestrated Miami, on Wednesday, March 25. She\u2019ll perform with a live orchestra at the James L. Knight Center <\/a>alongside a stacked line-up of house deities: Robin S., CeCe Peniston, Barbara Tucker, Janice Robinson with Ultra Nat\u00e9, Thea Austin from Snap, Byron Stingily from Ten City, Duane Harden, and Inaya Day, who doubles as the music director.\u00a0<\/p>\n She\u2019s traveled with most of these artists for 35 years, leaving a trail of sweaty, euphoric people in their wake. \u201cI love being in this dance music community because there\u2019s no age, no time limit. It\u2019s 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,\u201d Waters shares.\u00a0<\/p>\n They just wrapped up a sold-out performance in New York City at Sony Hall. \u201cThe orchestra uplifts this music to a whole \u2018nother level,\u201d she says. \u201cThe 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\u2019clock. They all stayed. They came in dancing, they sang, and they left dancing!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Waters\u2019 contributions and commitment to the genre have continued to fuel interest in house music. She\u2019s released singles regularly for the past decade, runs her own music label, and has a SiriusXM<\/a> Utopia radio show, all under the name I Am House. She\u2019s also working on a new album set to be released this spring.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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. \u201cThey had gotten ripped off so much back then that he wanted to make sure I wasn\u2019t,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n She\u2019s been able to pass that gift on, showing women musicians how to preserve their legacies and finances. In the \u201890s, 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Waters is working on an I Am House documentary to remind people of dance music\u2019s foundations. \u201cAs long as I\u2019m alive and people know my name, they will know where house music came from,\u201d she assures.\u00a0<\/p>\n