Both celebrating and adding to a legacy that includes her record setting streak of most consecutive #1 hits on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart, Kristine W returns to the floor with a vengeance of groove and flair, giving it—to quote the title hook of her infectious new single--"Everything That I Got" on her latest full length album New And Number Ones.
The explosive 13 track set includes fresh powerhouse arrangements of four of those chart-topping hits ("Land Of The Living," "One More Try," "Feel What You Want" and "Lovin' You") by some of today's most in demand hit producers, in addition to seven original songs, an upbeat spin on Chaka Khan's classic "Through The Fire," and—in tribute to Kristine's idol, the late Donna Summer—a house-ified cover of "Sometimes Like Butterflies," a B-side rarity recorded as a ballad by the disco diva in the early 80s. New and Number Ones is dedicated with love to Summer.
New and Number Ones launches several exciting new musical partnerships for Kristine, most notably with UK producers Lee Dagger and Marc Jacobs, aka the Bimbo Jones team, whose extensive remix discography includes tracks by Lady Gaga, Pink and Katy Perry. Kristine had begun writing songs for a new dance project when she met and discovered an instant kinship with the duo at the Winter Music Conference in Miami. "They have that same kind of goofy, crazy energy like I do, and they're passionate about music," says Kristine. "We had a meeting, both performed at a party at Fire Island and they went home and started working on tracks for us to write to." Kristine's collaborations with Bimbo Jones on New and Number Ones include "Everything That I Got" and "Room At The Top."
Bimbo Jones created one of four distinct remixes that are being released for "Everything That I Got." The others are by two of the album's other producers, Subgroover (from The Netherlands) and Grammy nominated Swedish producer StoneBridge (Taio Cruz, Cher, Britney Spears); and Twisted Dee (Mary J. Blige, Britney Spears) with Majic Joe. Adding a global flair to Kristine's flow on the album are a mixed batch of European producers including Chus and Cebellos (Spain), Soulseekers (UK), Bitrocka (UK), JRMX (UK), DJ Howard D (Netherlands) and Digital Dog (UK). Kristine also worked with Tod Minor from Chicago. New original tracks include "I Get Up," "So Close To Me," "Busted" (about the "high drama" of getting in trouble from putting too much personal info into the social media universe), "Glow On" and "So Close to You."
"The majority of these guys spin live," Kristine says, "and it was cool that we had the opportunity to test some of the songs on dance audiences and enjoy watching the way they caught on. Subgroover really latched on to the phrase 'Glad to Be Alive' in 'Land of the Living.' It really hit me while performing this at different Pride events and AIDS fundraisers just how relevant the song's theme is to that community. It relates to their endurance and the ability to live with HIV and AIDS and survive – a possibility that wasn't there over a decade ago when my music first connected with them.
"I'm also fascinated by the many ways people are connecting with 'Everything That I Got,' which has become something of an anthem for the times we're living in," she adds. "We originally wrote it based on my musical experiences in Vegas and surviving these days as an independent artist in the very challenging music business. It touches people on a lot of different levels. The song really sums up how people are feeling today. It's about persevering, not giving up. The Bimbo Jones guys and I believe that both here and in the UK, we are all working everything that we have to make a dollar in this challenging economy. To be a recording artist today requires that a performer wear multiple hats – manager, marketing exec, band leader, video producer – all without an outside financial support system. These are pretty trying times for performers, but we realize it's like that for everyone these days."
New and Number Ones brings the international icon back to the dance world after an incredibly successful foray into contemporary jazz that fully embodied the title of her 2009 dance album and 15th #1 single "The Power of Music." Finally having a chance to explore one of her greatest musical passions since early childhood, Kristine released the ambitious 2-CD, 30 track contemporary jazz collection Straight Up With A Twist, also on her independent label Fly Again Music, in 2010. Expanding her global fan base exponentially, Kristine hit the Top 15 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart and scored three smooth jazz radio hits, "Feel What You Want" (a sensual re-interpretation of her popular dance classic), "What I Like About You" and "On The Radio," the first jazz recording ever of Summer's classic disco era hit.
The singer's newfound resonance as a jazz artist capped her first 15 years as a dance artist, a span that includes numerous accolades, including 16 #1 dance hits and holding the world's record for Most Consecutive #1 Billboard Club Hits with nine; Madonna and Janet Jackson each had seven in a row. By the late 2000s, Kristine had tied Mariah Carey for third-most chart toppers on the Dance/Club Play Songs chart; only Madonna (with 40) and Janet (19) have scored more at the pole position. In December, 2009, Billboard published both their Year End and Decade End charts announcing Kristine in the third place position on the Decade's Best of 2000s Dance Club Play Artists list, trailing only Madonna and Beyonce.
By the time she broke ground on these achievements as a dance sensation, Kristine—a fourth generation entertainer from Pasco, Washington--was a former Miss Washington who won the swimsuit competition in the Miss America Pageant, as well as the talent competition by singing "Summertime." The longtime Las Vegas resident had also performed more shows at the Las Vegas Hilton than any other performer in its history—including Elvis. An official Kristine W Day was declared in the State of Nevada during this time. Her musical journey began years earlier when her grandmother—a pianist, classical violinist and guitarist—exposed her to singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Carmen McRae. Kristine remembers riding her bike to garage sales all over town, buying classic jazz albums by singers like Mel Torme and putting them in a little basket. Her mother raised a family of five on her own by singing jazz and standards in local juke joints, and by age nine, Kristine was singing and performing with her.
One of the most powerful lyrics Kristine sings in "Everything That I Got" is: "I still got my pride." She says, "The song is my story, just as it belongs to anyone who has ever strived for greatness in any field of work. Just as I bonded with the Bimbo Jones guys because I loved their cool, quiet confidence, I believe strongly in what I'm contributing to the world, and have never wavered in my commitment and dedication I have to music. The powerful production and exciting energy of New and Number Ones perfectly tie in with the name of my label Fly Again Music. Every time I finish an album or end a show, all I think is, 'How soon before I can fly again?'"
Whether she's writing new songs, producing her latest recording or performing live on stage somewhere in the world, Kristine W's fans can count on one thing—she's giving it everything that she's got!
