is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actress and radio host. After releasing her first single, " Eternal Memories" (1999), Crystal Kay gained fame for her third studio album, '' Almost Seventeen'' (2002), which debuted at number 2 on the Japanese

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike i ...

charts. ''Almost Seventeen'' eventually sold over 400,000 copies and was certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pr ...

. Crystal Kay, formerly signed to

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was founded predominantly as a jazz and classical m ...

, a sub-label of

Sony Music Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is oper ...

for 12 years, suddenly transferred to

Delicious Deli Records was a Japanese record label under Universal Music Japan. Founded by corporate executive and member of management committee and managing director of international, Kimitaka Kato, its headquarters are located in Akasaka, Tokyo, Japan. In August ...

, a sub-label of

Universal Music Japan , often referred to as just Universal Music Japan or UMJ, is a Japanese subsidiary of the Universal Music Group founded in 1990. It is the largest subsidiary for a foreign company in the country regarding music distribution. The company is resp ...

in 2011. As of April 2021, she has released thirteen albums. Her seventh studio album, '' All Yours'' (2007) became Crystal Kay's only number-one release in her career when it debuted on top of the Oricon chart in June 2007. Crystal Kay has sold over two million records in Japan as of 2009. Throughout her career, Crystal Kay has collaborated with

M-Flo is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of record producer DJ Taku Takahashi, Verbal and Lisa. Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists ...

and BoA,

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

as well as other well-known recording artists.

Early life and beginnings

Crystal Kay was born and raised in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanag ...

to a Korean-Japanese mother and an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

father. Her father was a

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low b ...

from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

and a sailor in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

stationed in

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city ...

, Japan. Her mother was a 23-year-old professional singer with one album while her father played music as a hobby. As a child, Crystal Kay met artists such as

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups ...

and

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...

through her parents taking her to shows. Crystal Kay previously attended Kinnick High School and

Sophia University Sophia University (Japanese: 上智大学, ''Jōchi Daigaku''; Latin: ''Universitas Sedis Sapientiae'') is a private research university in Japan. Sophia is one of the three ''Sōkeijōchi'' (早慶上智) private universities, a group of the to ...

. She also studied the Korean language in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

, learning how to read and write

hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The l ...

. Although she is of

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

heritage, Crystal does not speak Korean and considers herself to be Japanese. Crystal Kay is fluent in English and Japanese, the latter influencing and making a regular appearance in her songs. She has also studied French. Crystal Kay has cited

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...

and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

as her biggest influences. In Japan she cites the acts of producer

Tetsuya Komuro is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...

as her

J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the ...

influences, particularly

Speed In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quant ...

and

Namie Amuro Namie Amuro ( ; ja, 安室奈美恵, Amuro Namie, label=none; born September 20, 1977) is a Japanese former recording artist, producer, songwriter, dancer, model, actress and entrepreneur who was active between 1992 and 2018. A leading figure of ...

Recording career

1999–2001: debut and subsequent image change

Crystal Kay began singing for TV commercials as child from the age of 4. At the age of twelve, Crystal Kay signed to the label

in Japan when a jingle she recorded for TV CM for Vitamin water garnered attention. One year later the jingle was expanded into her debut single " Eternal Memories", on July 1, 1999. Despite peaking at number 47, "Eternal Memories" has since become Crystal Kay's eighth best-selling single. 1999 saw the release of two more singles, "Teenage Universe (Chewing Gum Baby)" on September 8 and "Komichi no Hana" on November 3, the former peaking at number 47 and the latter at number 80. Crystal Kay's first studio album, '' C.L.L Crystal Lover Light'' was released on March 23, 2000. This album is noted by fans to have a more indie and acoustic feel as opposed to her later albums which mainly come under the genres of

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

and R&B. Crystal Kay was only 14 years old when this album was released. ''C.L.L Crystal Lover Light'' debuted at number 60 on the

charts. A fourth single was released on the same day as ''C.L.L Crystal Lover Light'', "Shadows of Desire". Because of its release date it became Crystal Kay's first single to fail to chart. "Shadows of Desire" was Crystal Kay's first

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

to be sung entirely in English. After a year-long period of inactivity, Crystal Kay returned to the music scene with the single "Lost Child". The single, which was a collaboration with

Shinichi Osawa , also known by his stage name Mondo Grosso, is a Japanese musician, DJ, record producer and composer currently signed onto Avex Trax's Rhythm Zone label. Previously he was signed to Sony Music Japan's FEARLESS RECORDS division and released alb ...

and

Hiroshi Fujiwara (born 1964) is a Japanese musician, producer, and designer. Life Fujiwara was born in Ise, Mie. He moved to Tokyo at eighteen and became a standout in the Harajuku street fashion scene. During a trip to New York City in the early 1980s he was i ...

was released on February 15, 2001 and reached number 55 on its debut week. Despite Crystal Kay only being credited as a featured artist on the song, it was still featured on her next album, ''637: Always and Forever''. Her fifth single "Girl's Night" came three months later on May 9, 2001. The single saw the introduction of urban influences in Crystal Kay's music. Despite this new style, the single peaked at number 100. One of the

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

s, " Make Me Whole" was a cover of the

Amel Larrieux Amel Eliza Larrieux (née Stowell; born March 8, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and keyboardist. Larrieux rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a founding member of the duo Groove Theory along with Bryce Wilson. After leaving the group in 199 ...

song of the same name. Crystal Kay's next single, "Ex-Boyfriend", was released on July 4, 2001. It featured

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

Verbal of

. The single was a success for Crystal Kay, peaking at number 44, and became her best selling single at the time of its release. Crystal Kay released her sophomore effort on August 22, 2001, '' 637: Always and Forever''. The album became Crystal Kay's first album to reach the top twenty of the Oricon chart when it debuted at number 19, and sold 15,640 copies in its first week. Crystal Kay finished off 2001 with her seventh single, "Think of U", released on November 28, 2001. The single was

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

-themed. It debuted and peaked at number 60.

2002–2006: rise in popularity

Nine months after her last single, Crystal Kay released her eighth single, "Hard to Say", on August 7, 2002 and sold over double than her previous best selling single, "Ex-Boyfriend". It became her first top thirty single when it debuted peaked at number 26 on the Oricon chart. The single was followed by the release of Crystal Kay's next single "Girl U Love" and her third studio album '' Almost Seventeen'', on October 23, 2002. ''Almost Seventeen'' became Crystal Kay's breakthrough album, exceeding expectations and debuting at number 2 on the charts behind

Mai Kuraki (born October 28, 1982) is a Japanese pop and R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. After releasing her US debut single " Baby I Like" in 1999, Kuraki signed with Giza Studio and released her Japanese debut single " Love, Day After Tomorro ...

, selling 51,360 in its first week. The album spent a year on the charts, quickly being certified platinum by RIAJ. Three months later Crystal Kay released "Boyfriend (Part II)" on January 22, 2003. It peaked at number 23. Her next single came five months later, and was another collaboration with

. The single, called "I Like It", was released as "Crystal Kay loves m-flo" and was notably the first in a long-running hit series for m-flo. It was also Crystal Kay's first top ten hit. "I Like It" peaked at number 8, becoming Crystal Kay's first top ten hit and eventually sold around 50,000 copies. Another single, "Candy" was released a month before her fourth studio album, '' 4 Real'', on October 22, 2003. "Candy" debuted inside the top thirty of the

charts at number 21, her fourth single in-a-row to do so. '' 4 Real'' was released on November 27, 2003 along with Crystal Kay's thirteenth single, "Can't Be Stopped". ''4 Real'' debuted at number 6 on the charts behind household names in Japan such as

Aiko is a female Japanese given name. is a Japanese surname, also romanized as Aikoh or Aiko. Aiko or Ayko is also a traditional male given name in Scandinavia and especially northern Germany. In Germany it is considered one of the old "ge ...

Do As Infinity Do As Infinity is a Japanese pop and rock band that formed in 1999 with three members: vocalist Tomiko Van, guitarist Ryo Owatari, and guitarist and composer Dai Nagao. The band's name is sometimes abbreviated as DAI, alluding to the fact that ...

and Mika Nakashima and sold 86,310 copies in its first week. Crystal Kay's first English-language album, ''

Crystal Kay is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actress and radio host. After releasing her first single, " Eternal Memories" (1999), Crystal Kay gained fame for her third studio album, '' Almost Seventeen'' (2002), which debuted at number 2 on the Japanese ...

'' (released as ''Natural: World Premiere Album'' in Japan), was released several weeks before ''4 Real'' on November 7, 2003 in Asian territories including

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. The album was her first to be released outside Japan, and compiled English language songs from her previously released albums and singles, such covers of

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys K ...

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

and

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

songs. On May 12, 2004, released her fourteenth single, " Motherland", the first of two that year. "Motherland" was used as the third ending theme for the anime adaption of ''

Fullmetal Alchemist is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. It was serialized in Square Enix's ''shōnen'' manga anthology magazine '' Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' between July 2001 and June 2010; the publisher later collected th ...

''. It was the ending theme from episodes 26 to 41. The single debuted at number 9 on the Oricon chart, her second single to debut in the top ten. Just under two months after "Motherland", Crystal Kay released her first

compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...

, '' CK5'', which was released on June 30, 2004, featuring a selection of tracks from Crystal Kay's four previous studio albums, as well as her latest single, "Motherland". The album celebrates Crystal Kay's fifth anniversary since the release of her debut single "Eternal Memories" in 1999, hence the title. ''CK5'' peaked at number 2 on the weekly chart and charted for 49 weeks, eventually being certified platinum by

RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include p ...

. Another single, "Bye My Darling!" was released on November 17, and peaked at number 40 on the Oricon chart. It was Crystal Kay's final release of 2004. The single "Kiss" started off 2005 for Crystal Kay. It was released on January 26, 2005, and peaked at number 10 on the

chart. The single had longevity at eventually became her second best-selling single. "Kiss" was the CM song for NTT DoCoMo "Music Porter". "Kiss" was written by the same songwriter of the ballad " Yuki no Hana" by Mika Nakashima. Crystal Kay's fifth studio album, ''Crystal Style'' followed two months later on March 2, 2005. The album debuted at number 2 and sold 296,756 copies. The album was the 44th best-selling album of 2005 in Japan. Crystal Kay released her seventeenth single, "Koi ni Ochitara", on May 18, 2005, which was used as the theme song for the drama '' Koi ni Ochitara: Boku no Seikō no Himitsu''. The single is currently the best-selling single of her career, selling 295,456 copies, and Crystal Kay has sai that it changed the focus of her career away from R&B and towards J-Pop. In its first week it sold 73,717 copies, in its second week it dropped to number 4 and sold 51,546 copies, and in the third week it fell one place to number 5, selling a further 38,302 copies. Crystal Kay's next single was a collaboration with the R&B duo

called "Two as One". The single was released on October 5, 2005, and peaked at number 2 on the Oricon charts, much like "Koi ni Ochitara" earlier that year. "Two as One" was released as Crystal Kay × Chemistry. On February 8, 2006, Crystal Kay released "Kirakuni" / "Together", her nineteenth single and the second A-side to be sung entirely in English. This single was recorded in the U.S. with producers Jam & Lewis, who are known for working with the likes of Crystal Kay's idol

and

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the w ...

. Crystal Kay has stated that working with them was the personal highlight of her career and was landed on Crystal Kay as a surprise by her management. The recording took place over a hectic 3 nights in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. The second A-side "Together" was used as the theme song in Japan for the

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second ...

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

. The single debuted at number 27. Two weeks later Crystal Kay released her sixth studio album '' Call Me Miss...'' on February 22, 2006. In its first week, ''Call Me Miss...'' debuted at number 2 on the Oricon chart as well as number 9 on the World Album Chart, selling 116,050 copies that week. It has since been certified platinum by

and was the 50th best selling album of 2006 in Japan.

2007–2008: first number-one and decline in sales

After about a year's break, Crystal Kay released the single "Kitto Eien ni" on January 17, 2007. "Kitto Eien ni" was used as the ending theme of the film '' Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru'', starring

Jun Matsumoto Jun or JUN may refer to: People and anthroponymy * Jun (given name), a common Japanese given name * Jun (singer), a member of South Korean boy band U-KISS * Tomáš Jun, Czech footballer * A spelling of common Korean family name Jeon (Korean surn ...

. The single debuted at number 12 and charted for seven weeks, selling 19,615 copies. Crystal Kay's twenty-first single, "Konna ni Chikaku de...", was released on February 28, 2007. It was used as the ending theme to the anime adaption of the manga ''

Nodame Cantabile is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tomoko Ninomiya. It was serialized in Japan by Kodansha in the ''josei'' manga magazine ''Kiss'' from July 2001 to October 2009 and collected in 23 ''tankōbon'' volumes. A two-v ...

''. The single debuted at number 14 on the Oricon chart and charted for eight weeks, selling 15,158 copies to date. "Konna ni Chikaku de..." was performed live for the special Nodame Orchestra concert at the

Tokyo International Forum The is a multi-purpose exhibition center in Tokyo, Japan. The complex is generally considered to be in the Yūrakuchō business district, being adjacent to Yūrakuchō Station, but it is administratively in the Marunouchi district. Tokyo I ...

on the single's release date. Another single, "Anata no Soba de", was released on May 16, 2007. The single only featured one track and thus was sold at the lower price of ¥525 in Japan. This single was the CM song for Menard Facial Salon. Crystal Kay released her seventh studio album ''All Yours'' a month later on June 20, 2007. The album's theme was love. The track "Lonely Girl" was featured on the Japanese airings of the American dramatic television series ''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography * Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

'' and featured on the soundtrack to the third series in Japan. The second track on ''All Yours'', "Dream World", was used to promote the "Barista's Special" for

Tully's Coffee Tully's Coffee is an American specialty coffee manufacturing brand owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, which acquired the Tully's brand and wholesale business in 2009. At the time of the Keurig wholesale acquisition, the "Tully's" name and retail-store r ...

. The album debuted at number 1, selling 51,211 copies in its first week. ''All Yours'' was Crystal Kay's first number one release. The album has sold 136,841 copies and charted for nine weeks. On November 28, 2007, Crystal Kay released her first EP, ''Shining''. The EP had a Christmas theme and featured the title track "Shining" as well as a second new track "Snowflake" and the previously released tracks "Happy 045 Xmas" and "No More Blue Christmas", originally featured on '' Natural: World Premiere Album''. It debuted at number 21 on the Oricon chart. "Shining" was used as the CM song for "PARCO X'MAS 2007" throughout the Christmas period. Crystal Kay also starred in the commercial, in which she was seen "flying" on a reindeer. On March 3, 2008, it was revealed that Crystal Kay was chosen to sing the theme song to the 2008

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of what each of thos ...

film '' Giratina to Sora no Hanataba: Sheimi''. She also played the voice of "Nurse Joy's Chansey" in the film. The film's producers had apparently been considering the singer since 2001, when she sang "Lost Child" with

and

for the soundtrack of the film ''Satorare''. As expected a single was released. However, it was not the recently announced Pokémon theme song, but a different single entitled " Namida no Saki ni". "Namida no Saki ni" was released on June 11, 2008. It was Crystal Kay's first single in over a year, since the release of the single "Anata no Soba de" on May 16, 2007. "Namida no Saki" was used as the CM song for

commercials throughout June 2008. This song exhibited a new,

pop-rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...

sound for the singer. The single debuted at number 29 on the Oricon daily chart and eventually debuted at number 42 on the weekly chart. To date, the single has sold 3,587 copies. One month later on July 16, 2008, the

single, "

One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

", was finally released. "One" debuted at number 25 on the daily chart and debuted at number 32 on the weekly chart, selling 2,237 copies. To date, "One" has sold 6,522 copies. Crystal Kay graduated in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

from

in 2008, allowing her to concentrate on her career full-time. For her eighth studio album ''

Color Change! ''Color Change!'' is Crystal Kay's eighth studio album and was released on August 6, 2008. The album peaked at #6 on the Oricon daily chart and at #8 on the weekly chart. The album includes songs produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis ("Itoshiihito" ...

'' Crystal Kay had songs produced by

Bloodshy & Avant Bloodshy & Avant are a Swedish songwriting and production duo consisting of Christian "Bloodshy" Karlsson and Pontus "Avant" Winnberg. They have worked with many prominent artists, including Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Ms. Dynamite, Madonna, ...

and Jam & Lewis. Crystal Kay had previously worked with Jam & Lewis in 2006. The album was released on August 6, 2008. The title ''Color Change!'' reflected from Crystal Kay's graduation from

that year. ''Color Change!'' peaked at number 6 on the

daily chart and number 8 on the weekly chart, selling 15,519 copies in its first week. The album sold 33,290 copies after seven weeks on the charts. ''Color Change!'' was eventually certified gold by

. ''Color Change!'' was the 289th best selling album of 2008 in Japan.

2009–2010: ten years in the industry

On February 18, 2009, Crystal Kay was a featured artist with Verbal of

on the song "Universe" with South Korean singer BoA from her single Eien/Universe/Believe in Love. The single peaked at number 8 and has sold 21,789 copies. On May 15, 2009, it was announced that Crystal Kay and

Jin Akanishi is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter and actor. He has been active since 1998 as one of the two lead vocalists of the J-pop boy-band KAT-TUN before starting a solo career in 2009. Akanishi has also acted in several films and dramas. Biog ...

, from the boyband

KAT-TUN is a Japanese boy band formed under Johnny & Associates (Johnny's) in 2001. The group's name was originally an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name: Kazuya Kamenashi, Jin Akanishi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, ...

, had written a duet called "Wonder". The song was first performed by Akanishi on the KAT-TUN's concert tour in 2009. This was the second time that Crystal Kay sang with him, the first being during her second appearance on KAT-TUN's variety show, '' Cartoon KAT-TUN''. On August 12, 2009, Crystal Kay released her twenty-fourth single, " After Love (First Boyfriend)" / " Girlfriend". The single was announced on Crystal Kay's official website on July 1, 2009, which marks the tenth anniversary since the release of Crystal Kay's debut single in 1999. "After Love (First Boyfriend)" features

Kaname Kaname is a Japanese unisex name, and may refer to the following people: People ;with the given name Kaname * Kaname Harada (1916–2016), Japanese flying ace * Kaname Yokoo (born 1972), a Japanese professional golfer *, Japanese actor *, Japanes ...

from the

duo

. "After Love (First Boyfriend)" is a follow up to Crystal Kay's 2003 single "Boyfriend (Part II)" and used as the CM song for

commercials throughout July 2009. "After Love" was written by Craig McConnell and Canadian artist Shobha, with Japanese lyrics by Crystal Kay. "Girlfriend", featuring the Korean artist BoA with whom Crystal Kay is reportedly close friends, was used as the image song for the Japanese dubbed release of the feature film ''

He's Just Not That Into You ''He's Just Not That Into You'' is a self-improvement book written by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo that was published in 2004 and later adapted into a film by the same name in 2009. It was a New York Times bestseller and was featured on ''Th ...

'' starring

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...

and

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS education ...

. The single's b-side, "Deaeta Kiseki", was released digitally in December 2008 and was also used as the CM song for Tully's Coffee that month. "After Love (First Boyfriend)" / "Girlfriend" was Crystal Kay's second double A-side single, and her first since "Kirakuni" / "Together" in 2006. The single landed on the

Daily Chart at peak position number 21 and on the

Weekly Chart at number 31. On September 2, 2009, Crystal Kay released her second compilation album, entitled '' Best of Crystal Kay''. The collection featured over thirty tracks from her

discography Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry ...

. ''Best of Crystal Kay'' was also released with a "limited edition" disc containing four new songs, including "Step by Step", produced by

Yasutaka Nakata is a Japanese DJ and music producer. He formed the band Capsule in 1997 with vocalist Toshiko Koshijima and himself as composer and record producer when both were 17. The band debuted in 2001 with the song "Sakura". He is known for being the ...

of Capsule. It was used as the theme song for " Janguru Taitei" which aired from September 5, 2009. Another new song, entitled "Over and Over" will also be in the CD. It is currently used in a commercial for NTT's "Live On FLET'S". Crystal Kay did not star in this advert. "Over and Over" was produced by Taku Takahashi of

. The fourth track "Helpless Night" is a collaboration between Crystal Kay and

and is performed almost entirely in English. The collection debuted at number 2 on the

Daily Chart, and sold almost 30,000 copies that day alone, and ultimately dropped to number 3 on the Weekly Chart, behind Superfly's '' Box Emotions'' and the second week sales of

Arashi is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 199 ...

's '' All the Best! 1999–2009''. It sold 87,669 copies that week. This is Crystal Kay's best peak position on the Oricon Chart since '' All Yours'' in 2007, as well as her best first week sales since '' Call Me Miss...'' in 2006. Crystal Kay finished off the year by releasing her first remix album '' The Best Remixes of CK'' on December 16, 2006. In 2010, Crystal Kay starred in her first role in a drama series. She played the character of Kokusho Akira, a genius hacker who has carried out many crimes all over the world in the

Nippon Television JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed ...

drama ''Hidarime Tantei Eye'', which stars Hey! Say! JUMP member Ryosuke Yamada. The drama began airing on January 23, 2010. On February 24, Crystal Kay released a brand new song, "Flash" on Recochoku Chaku-Uta. "Flash" was featured in the commercial for

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

IXY Digital cameras, which began airing on February 19. Crystal Kay also released a new song called "Victoria". It was being used as the commercial song for

. Both of these new songs were featured in Crystal Kay's second mini album '' Flash'', which was released on June 16. The mini album also included a tribute to

, and a song written by herself. She also released ''Crystal Kay Live In NHK Hall: 10th Anniversary Tour CK10'' on the same day. It will be her first concert DVD. On June 22, it was announced that Crystal Kay would sing both the opening and ending theme songs, "Time of Love" and "Cannonball" respectively, to the

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

drama ''Jūnen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite'', starring Aya Ueto. The drama began airing on August 31. Crystal Kay released her next single " Journey (Kimi to Futari de)" on November 24, followed by her ninth studio album on December 8.

2011–present: transfer to Universal

Crystal Kay's ''Spin the Music'' tour was planned to have nine shows across Japan starting February 5 and ending March 29. Her tour was cancelled after she went to the hospital complaining of sickness and was diagnosed with Acute Nephritis. Crystal Kay was advised not to go on with the tour in order to rest and recover from her illness. Her record label offered refunds through the tour's website. Crystal Kay later performed at the August 2011 MTV Zushi Fes music festival. On April 29, 2011, Crystal Kay held a Q&A on her blog and answered her fans' questions, with one question regarding a possible Korean debut. Considering her mother is of

ancestry, she has stated: "I can speak just a teeny bit of

(lol). My reading and writing are perfect, but learning vocabulary is sooo hard! It's no good that I don't do listening or speaking. I'll think about a Korean debut! I'd like to be able to sing in Korean." On October 5, 2011,

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

subsidiary label

posted an announcement that after twelve years Crystal Kay had left

and signed to them. In 2012, Crystal Kay recorded a cover of " Eyes on Me" for the "''FINAL FANTASY Orchestra Album''", becoming the latest in a series of notable artists to cover the song, including

Angela Aki known professionally as , is a pop singer, songwriter and pianist. Biography Early life Aki was born in the small town of Itano in Tokushima Prefecture, in the mostly rural island of Shikoku. Her mother is Italian American and her father is ...

MayBee Kim Eun-ji (; born 10 September 1979), better known as MayBee (), is a South Korean singer, lyricist, actress and radio presenter. She hosted KBS Cool FM's ''Pump Up the Volume'' radio show from 2006 to 2010. Personal life MayBee married actor ...

and Kanon. On February 14, 2014, she officially released her US debut music video via MTV Iggy, "Busy Doing Nothing". In 2019, she starred as "Leading Player" in the Japanese version of the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical '' Pippin'', for which she was awarded by the 27th Yomiyuri Theater Awards as best actress. In spring 2020, she will play the role of "Motormouth Maybelle" in the Japanese version of the musical ''Hairspray''. On March 17, it was announced that Crystal Kay would release her first

cover album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

in fall 2020. "March 9", a beloved graduation song in Japan, was pre-released on March 18 as the first track of the album. On April 24, the musical ''Hairspray'' was cancelled due to

COVID-19 pandemic in Japan Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

Influence

Crystal Kay is considered a pioneer for interracial acts in Japan. She debuted in 1999 when R&B began to take off in Japan thanks to local acts

MISIA Misaki Itō, commonly known as and stylized as MISIA, is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Born in Nagasaki, Misia moved to Fukuoka at the age of 14 to pursue a recording career. There, she continued her secondary education and briefly attended ...

Double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

and

Hikaru Utada , who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. By 2010, Utada had become one of the most influential, and best-selling, musical artists in Japan. Born in the United States to Japanese parent ...

. Her success paved the way for the mainstream success of many mixed-race artists in the mid-2000s (decade) such as Thelma Aoyama and African-American/Japanese

enka is a Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern ''enka'', however, is a relatively recent musical form, which adopts a more traditional musical style in its vocalism than '' ryūkōka'' music, ...

singer Jero.

Personal life

In 2009, Crystal Kay said, "There is still some racial thing going on, utpeople are getting used to it. You can see a lot more mixed people on TV, and even (among) models in magazines." At a summer festival that year, the half-Japanese half-Papua New Guinean singer Emi Maria left Crystal Kay a demo and a note saying, "You're my idol, I'm sad I couldn't meet you in person." Nevertheless, Crystal Kay has said, "I consider myself a Japanese artist because I was born and raised here, but nationality-wise I look, and am, foreign." Crystal Kay holds American citizenship.

Discography

* '' C.L.L Crystal Lover Light'' (2000) * '' 637: Always and Forever'' (2001) * '' Almost Seventeen'' (2002) * '' 4 Real (2003) * '' Crystal Style'' (2005) * '' Call Me Miss...'' (2006) * '' All Yours'' (2007) * ''

'' (2008) * '' Spin the Music'' (2010) * ''

Vivid Vivid may refer to: Music * Vivid (band), a Japanese rock band * "Vivid" (song), by Electronic, 1999 *"ViViD", a 2016 song by Loona from '' HeeJin'' Albums * ''Vivid'' (Vivian Green album), 2015 * ''Vivid'' (Crystal Kay album), 2012 * ''Vivi ...

'' (2012) * '' Shine'' (2015) * '' For You'' (2018) * '' I Sing'' (2021)