Crystal Dawn

“I love the old jazz souls of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and recently some of the artists taking a more modern twist on it like Laufey. They tell stories when they sing, and the music they created is firmly based around a strong vocalist and the emotion in which they are trying to convey.”

Up n’ Comin’ NI are thrilled to present this week’s artist, 24-year-old, Crystal. “For my music I go under Crystal Dawn. Fun fact: Dawn is actually my middle name, so it fits well.” Crystal lives in Belfast and graduated from her nursing degree two years before going into full time music.

Crystal grew up singing in a musical family and church, describing it as “lots of harmonies and fun.” In her young teens, Crystal focused on jazz. This was introduced to her by her grandparents, “some very special memories were created in their noisy kitchen.” In school, Crystal loved music and was further encouraged by her teachers to take opportunities in the small jazz scene of Belfast. “This influenced a lot of my original work and brought me into Ulster Youth Jazz Orchestra, Bert’s jazz Bar and also singing Jazz in 2019 for our now King Charles.”

“The main advice I try to stick to is just being myself. Find the words, melodies, and style that you yourself are passionate about. No two people are the same, so if you just stick to being you, you can’t fail.”

“I think I was born a little song writer. It’s always been very fun and came naturally to me. A melody comes first along with chords on the piano and then lyrics follow.”

Crystal has a specific way of singing and leaning into jazz. However, her writing style has only started to become more apparent this year as she started melding her passion for jazz/soul with gospel lyrics. “I currently have two songs released on Spotify. Both very different styles and really practice runs to teach me the process of writing, recording, mastering and releasing your own music.”

Crystal uses her own life experiences to inspire her music. For example, ‘Beautiful, wonderful’ was written on Valentine’s Day during “a very sweet time of my life.” Her recently written but unpublished song draws inspiration from her biggest passion, God. The lyrics, however, are fed into a very modern style.

Crystal described her experience writing and performing with multiple Belfast based musicians. “They have brought me to challenging my voice, performing many different styles and genres. My original music recently has taken a lean towards combing gospel with jazz/ neo soul and I am grateful for any artists who have collaborated with me along the way.” 

In fact, Crystal says, “I can’t work alone. To create good music, so many skills are required, and I think it’s important to humble yourself and realise other people are just better at some things than you. But it’s necessary to work with people who can get behind your music, understand and feel the direction you want to take things. I have found this slightly harder. Vocalising what you want to other people can be difficult but it’s something I’m learning more and more.”

“I am thankful to have so many connections in the Belfast music scene. It’s a beautiful collective of so many kind, encouraging and talented individuals, so I play with many of them.”

For the last two years Crystal has been gigging full time in Belfast and elsewhere in NI. “I try to stop myself at five gigs a week because I have a slightly softer voice. It does not do well when pushed too hard.”

“I would say my favourite gig so far was just a few months ago when I got to perform some of my unreleased originals to a crowd at the Oh Yeah Centre. For me it was a real tester to see how people would take to my new style of writing. I was pleasantly surprised.”

What makes Crystal different from other in the industry is her lyrics. Lyrics are written about a different type of love and that’s the love between an individual and God, rather than just between two humans. “This kind of content is currently quite rare in Belfast at the minute. It’s a bit scary to pursue but people have been enjoying it so far.”

Crystal’s biggest achievement to date is releasing her own music and having it played on the radio. “The process was not enjoyable for me and it’s a vulnerable season to be in when releasing but it’s a start and hopefully many more songs will follow.”

So, what’s next for Crystal Dawn? 

“I am just about to take a few months doing less gigs actually as I start a full time nursing job. I will continue writing and I have a few songs ready to be released but I am okay with taking this process a little bit slower than usual as I focus on some other things.”

Make sure you follow her and keep up to date with all her songs, events and gigs: 

Spotify: Crystal Dawn

YouTube: Crystal Dawn

Instagram: Crystaldawnmusic