Introduction
Kristine Weitz (born June 8, 1962) known by the stage name of Kristine W, is an American Dance & Electronica singer-songwriter. She has released seven albums. In 2004, The Advocate stated that she had helped shape the nightlife of the past decade. Her first 8 singles all reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play charts which set a new record. As of 2009, 14 of 15 singles had reached the top of the Billboard dance charts. In December 2016, Billboard magazine ranked her as the 8th most successful dance artist of all-time.
Biography
Early life
Weitz was born and raised in Pasco, Washington. Her mother was a performer, while her father was a farmer. Weitz won the Miss Washington 1980 title and won swimsuit and talent in the Miss America Pageant. She then moved to Las Vegas and enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, graduated with a BA in Communications–TV Production, she minored in music and marketing in 1986.
While living in Las Vegas, she headlined a revue. During a revue that featured Weitz with a number of drag queens, she was spotted by an A & R agent. In 1994, he flew her to London for a recording session that resulted in the single "Feel What You Want".
Land of the Living and Stronger
After the release of her first single, which became very popular in overseas dance clubs, there was a bidding war by the major labels to sign Weitz. Weitz wrote and produced her albums Land of the Living (1996) and Stronger (2000). The Advocate called Land of the Living "impressive" and stated that she has an "intensity" that plays like she is a "woman imitating a man impersonating a woman" while Spin called it "one of the most artful song-oriented dance albums in years." In its review of Stronger Out said that her second album lacked the "personality" of Land of the Living (which it cited as one of the top 10 dance albums of the decade) and was "burdened with house beats."
Later career
After releasing a number of hit dance songs in the 1990s, Weitz was diagnosed with leukemia in 2001. After her last treatment for the disease, the doctor would not clear her to fly, so she drove cross country to perform in the 2004 New York City Gay Pride events. In 2003 she released the albun Fly Again on Tommy Boy Records. In 2017, the iconic artist who your faves could literally never will perform at the world's largest gay festival in Chicago, IL.
Discography
Albums
- Perfect Beat (1994, Plain Rap Records)
- Land of the Living (1996, RCA Records)
- Stronger (2000, RCA Records)
- Fly Again (2003, Tommy Boy Entertainment)
- Hey, Mr. Christmas (2008 Fly Again Music)
- The Power of Music (2009 Fly Again Music)
- Straight Up with a Twist (2010 Fly Again Music)
- New & Number Ones (2012 Fly Again Music)
- New & Number Ones Club Mixes Part One (2013 Fly Again Music)
- New & Number Ones Club Mixes Part Two (2013 Fly Again Music)
Singles
As lead artist
| Year | Title | Peak positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Dance |
UK |
|||
| 1994 | "Feel What You Want" | — | 1 | 33 | Land of the Living |
| 1996 | "One More Try" | 78 | 1 | 41 | |
| "Land of the Living" | — | 1 | 56 | ||
| 2000 | "Stronger" | — | 1 | — | Stronger |
| 2001 | "Lovin' You" | — | 1 | — | |
| 2003 | "Fly Again" | — | 1 | — | Fly Again |
| 2004 | "Save My Soul" | — | 1 | — | |
| 2005 | "The Wonder of It All" | — | 1 | — | |
| 2006 | "I'll Be Your Light" | — | 2 | — | |
| 2008 | "The Boss" | — | 1 | — | The Power of Music |
| "Never" | — | 1 | — | ||
| 2009 | "Love Is the Look" | — | 1 | — | |
| "Be Alright" | — | 1 | — | ||
| "The Power of Music" | — | 1 | — | ||
| 2011 | "Fade" | — | 1 | — | |
| 2012 | "Everything That I Got" | — | 4 | — | New & Number Ones |
| 2013 | "So Close to Me" | — | 2 | — | |
| 2014 | "Love Come Home (2014 Remake)" | — | 4 | — | |
| 2016 | "Out There" | — | 3 | — | TBA |
As featured artist
| Year | Title | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance |
UK |
|||
| 1994 | "Love Come Home" (1994 Version) (Our Tribe featuring Frankië Pharaoh and Kristine W) |
— | 33 | Non-album single |
| 2003 | "Some Lovin'" (Murk vs. Kristine W) |
1 | — | Murk |
| 2007 | "Walk Away" (Tony Moran featuring Kristine W) |
1 | — | The Event / The Power of Music |