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Crystal Murray (born 2002) is a French
R&B singer-songwriter.[1]
Early life
Murray was born in
Paris to an African-American
jazz musician who played
saxophone and a Franco-Spanish mother who ran a
world music production company. She cites African-American music as her main influence, growing up listening to
Macy Gray,
John Coltrane,
Marvin Gaye,
Minnie Ripperton and
Beyoncé. She frequented jazz clubs and often accompanied her father on tours.[2][3][4]
In 2016, she founded the Gucci Gang, a group of female influencers associated with the fashion and arts scene. The group used their platform to create a "safe place" for survivors of sexual harassment.[5][6][7][8][9]
Career
In 2018 she released "After Ten" (produced by PH Trigano). Her debut
EPI Was Wrong was released in 2020 and cemented her rising-star status.[10]
In 2020, she released "Princess" and "August Knows". The tracks are featured on the soundtrack of
Cedric Klapisch's 2018 film Deux moi. Klapisch later directed the video clip for "August Knows".[11][12]
In June 2021, she performed
neo-soul track "Boss" on the German music performance platform
COLORS.[13]
On 11 February 2022, Murray released a new EP titled Twisted Bases.[14]
Influences and style
Murray cites African-American musicians such as Macy Gray, Betty Davis, and Kelis as her three biggest influences, as well as artists like Björk, Tame Impala, and Flavien Berger. She was also heavily influenced by her musician parents growing up. Her music is a mixture of soul, jazz, house music and R&B.[15]