Kristine W | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Kristine Elizabeth Weitz |
Born | Pasco, Washington, U.S. | June 8, 1962
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer, owner of Fly Again Music |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar, saxophone, piano, drums, bass |
Years active | 1985–present (singer) |
Labels | RCA/BMG, Tommy Boy Entertainment, Fly Again Music |
Website | Official Website |
Kristine Elizabeth Weitz (born June 8, 1962), widely known by her stage name Kristine W, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and entrepreneur. She is most widely known as a dance music artist.[1] Born and raised in Pasco, Washington, she found early success competing in pageants and talent contests, winning Miss Washington 1981 and a Preliminary Swimsuit Award as well as a Non-Finalist Talent award in the Miss America pageant.[2][3] Kristine W is now one of the most popular dance club artists of all time, with 17 #1s to date on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.[4][5] She is currently listed among Billboard's 8 Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists, and she was ranked number three in Billboard's Top Dance Artists of the Decade.[6][7][8] She is especially popular in the gay community and is an outspoken supporter of LGBT rights, frequently performing at pride rallies and charity events for pro-LGBT organizations throughout the U.S.
After competing in Miss America, Kristine W moved to Las Vegas, where she regularly performed at the Las Vegas Hilton and won “Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year” for several years. Kristine W was recognized by the city of Las Vegas for her record-breaking number of shows, which led to June 28 being officially designated as Kristine W Day by the state of Nevada.[9][10] Those performances led to her first record deal and subsequent debut single, “Feel What You Want”, marking the singer's first of 17 #1s on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. Kristine W is also tied for third place with Beyoncé for the most consecutive #1 hits with nine.[11] In addition, her album The Power of Music is one of only three albums in the history of the chart to produce at least seven No. 1s from one album (Katy Perry's Teenage Dream [2010] also had seven, and Rihanna's Anti [2016] had eight).[12]