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Chrystal (musician)

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Chrystal
Birth nameChrystal Jade Ruby Opal Orchard
BornLate 1980s
OriginBolton, Greater Manchester
OccupationMusician

Chrystal Jade Ruby Opal Orchard (born late 1980s), known professionally as Chrystal, is a musician from Farnworth in Greater Manchester. Her 2017 single "Waves" attracted attention from BBC Radio 1Xtra and The Sunday Times and garnered comparison to Lily Allen and Katy B. She then released the tracks "New Shoes", "2 Real", and "Vibe". Additionally, her song "The Days" charted at No. 39 on the UK singles chart in 2024.

Life and career

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Chrystal Jade Ruby Opal Orchard[a] is from Farnworth in Greater Manchester and was born in the late 1980s.[1] Growing up, she was an ardent fan of R&B, hip hop, UK garage, and the Vengaboys.[3] She suffered from major depression and suicidal thoughts when she was fifteen[4] and had a daughter in her late teens.[1] She initially studied law at the University of Bolton, but dropped out and transferred to Manchester Creative And Media Academy, at which she read music and music production.[3] She began uploading Bolton-based videos, which brought her to the attention of the independent label 37 Records, who signed her.[1]

In 2017, she released "Waves",[1] a track inspired by the donk she was exposed to whilst clubbing as a teenager.[5] She was originally going to release the track the year before but its release was delayed after 37 signed her.[1] The track was BBC Radio 1Xtra declared the track its Weekend Anthem, while Beats 1 declared it its World Record[1] and The Sunday Times listed it as one of its "hottest tracks".[6] Matthew Whitehouse of i-D described the track as "a bold and funny debut about not giving a fuck" that "bounds out the blocks with stacks of attitude and contains the best opening line we've heard all year ("I'm from B-O-L-T-O-N, I write a million lines and go through bare biro pens")".[3]

Orchard then released "New Shoes" in November 2017, a track about her life experiences produced by 169,[7] followed by "2 Real" in February 2018, a track mastered by Mandy Parnell.[8] The latter track was accompanied by a video co-produced by Harry Lindley of SB.TV,[4] which featured her sister and cousin and was variously filmed in her house, Bridgewater Mill, the arches near Bolton Town Hall, and Moses Gate Country Park.[9] That November, she released "Vibe", which featured a verse from Virginia-based rapper Rozwell Fitzroy.[10] In 2024, her single "The Days" charted at No. 39 on the UK singles chart;[11] the track had been part of an album called Unarchived 2015.[12]

Artistry

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Many of her tracks including "Waves",[3] "2 Real",[13] and "Vibe" were produced by John Calvert.[10] Aaron Powell of The Line of Best Fit described "Waves" as having "nods to early Lily Allen and Katy B",[14] while Whitehouse opined that her music contained "bouncy shades" of Blackout Crew and wrote that she was "garnering comparisons to Lily Allen, Katy B and Ray BLK", artists who he described as "document[ing] their worlds with varying shades of inbuilt London bullshit detectors".[3] Reviewing "2 Real", Anna Cafolla of The Quietus wrote that Chrystal sung with a "distinctly Northern, very cool delivery" and that the track was in "the vein of attitude-packed pop like contemporaries Mabel and Ray BLK and assertive sunny R&B by way of TLC".[15]

Notes

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  1. ^
    • For her surname, see [1].
    • For the rest of her name, see [2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Young mum who quit law for music has debut single played on BBC Radio". The Bolton News. 2017-09-14. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  2. ^ "Orchard Chrystal Jade Ruby Opal". ASCAP. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e "girl from the north country: singer/producer chrystal is putting her northern donk on pop". Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  4. ^ a b "make chrystal the soundtrack to your stride of pride home". Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  5. ^ "i-D's music class of 2018: chrystal". Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  6. ^ "On record: Pop, rock and jazz". www.thetimes.com. 2017-08-19. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  7. ^ "Chrystal joins Dave collaborator 169 on new track "New Shoes"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  8. ^ "Bolton newcomer Chrystal enchants on chromed-out pop number "2 Real"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  9. ^ Week·, GIITTV Team·Tracks Of The (2018-02-23). "Tracks Of The Week #15 - God Is In The TV". Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  10. ^ a b Murray, Robin (2018-11-07). "Chrystal Shares Superb New Track 'Vibe'". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  11. ^ "Gracie Abrams holds strong for second week at Number 1 with That's So True". Official Charts. 2024-11-15. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  12. ^ Unarchived 2015, 2015-01-01, retrieved 2024-11-13
  13. ^ Murray, Robin (2018-02-07). "Chrystal Shares Powerful New Single '2 Real'". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  14. ^ "Chrystal is all northern charm and authentic attitude on "Waves"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  15. ^ Quietus, The (2018-02-28). "It Ain't That Deep Either Way: Your February Pop Roundup". The Quietus. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
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