Ahead of her debut album release, the musician and Gucci Gang alumnus talked us through the inspiration for the project, using movement as a form of expression and her favourite artists
Back in 2016, a group of four girls in Paris began documenting their lives and street style as teenagers in the fashion capital. Known as ‘Gucci Gang’, the collective quickly gained a following, going on to be featured in the 2017 Dazed 100 and the pages of Vogue and L'Officiel. Among them was the then 13-year-old Crystal Murray. “I was super young, maybe too young?” she explains, reflecting back on that time. “We kind of let the thing go by itself. Everything came very naturally to us and I felt blessed but also kind of trapped I guess.”
Born to an African-American father and Canarian mother from the small island La Palma, Murray grew up in the 20th arrondissement of Paris – known as a diverse hub to mainly Chinese, Algerian and Malian communities. “Living among people from various backgrounds opens you up to have a mind that is awake and to acknowledge that the world is so much bigger than just one place,” she explains. “But as soon as I left my neighbourhood and went to school, I had this feeling of being so alone and felt like being diverse wasn’t a power anymore. The system kind of dictates that you should be like everyone else – which was white with parents who had a nine-to-five job and fit the mould that they had built for us.”
Two years after first gaining an audience with her peers, at 15, she began writing on her first EP, I Was Wrong. With just five songs, the project allowed her to reintroduce herself to her audience as the musician she always wanted to be known for. In 2022, it was subsequently followed by Twisted Bases, a ten-track alternative EP navigating messy dynamics and navigating the curiosity of youth.
Now based in London, the 22-year-old singer is releasing her debut album, SAD LOVERS & GIANTS. With 11 tracks, the project is an exploration of self-discovery and sitting in contradictory emotions. Ranging from grungy, genre-defying sounds inspired by the likes of Massive Attack and Teezo Touchdown on songs like “SLAG” to more electronic and dance beats on “Air” and “STARMANIAK”, the album’s air of confidence establishes Murray as much more than a teenager with good style.
Below she spoke to us about her debut album, feeling through emotions and the Cocteau Twins.
What are your earliest memories of music?
Crystal Murray: My dad is a jazz saxophonist and my mom tours with a lot of artists from all over the world. Music is more than just a passion, it’s our heartbeat. Our dinner table was filled with Spanish rhythms mingled with African-American jazz.
One song that has always resonated with me is ‘Gypsy Woman’ by Joe Bataan. It’s a fusion of Spanish music and African-American culture that perfectly embodies the essence of my family’s diverse background. It feels like an anthem for our blend of cultures.
When did you first become aware of the power of good music?
Crystal Murray: In Cuba, I had travelled there with my mom and her Cuban friends. They brought us to a place which was playing Rumba, a sacred Afro-Cuban music. I was maybe six, and I felt a profound connection to the music and the culture surrounding me. It was as if the rhythm coursed through my veins, awakening my senses and primal energy within me. As I danced, I looked around and saw others joining in, swept up by the same infectious spirit of the music. That’s when I understood the power that music had on us, it had the power to join everyone as one.
Which artists did you listen to when you were younger?
Crystal Murray: I’ve always had a love for pop and R&B as a child. I was a big fan of Destiny’s Child, Rihanna, and Kelis but I always had my ears open to what my parents showed me. As I was amazed by the ‘divas’ I started digging into the original ones such as Tina Turner, Betty Davis, Macy Gray, and Minnie Ripperton. They all possessed a magnetic energy and authenticity that resonated with me.
I remember going to one of Macy Gray’s shows, the way she commanded the stage with her voice and unapologetic presence was so mesmerising. I was captivated by the raw emotion and truthfulness she poured into her performance, holding herself with a [sense of] strength and vulnerability that spoke to me. Their influence continues to shape my musical journey, reminding me of the power of music and to speak my truth.
Movement is a big part of your style and work, did you grow up dancing? When did that first become an important role in your life?
Crystal Murray: Yeah. I danced way more when I was little, it was my way to express myself. I had a big stutter as a child, learning French and English at home at the same time didn’t really work for me, so for a long time communicating with words was hard for me. I was in a musical in my mind and would just sing and dance.I see how dance shaped my identity and helped me navigate through the challenges of communication. I really see it when I’m on stage, movement comes so naturally and helps me break the barrier and helps me connect with the crowd.
What is the inspiration behind your new album?
Crystal Murray: I followed a journey of self-discovery, pouring my heart and stories into every song. Each word echoes personal moments I lived, a precise painting – a journey that passes through various emotional stages and all the contradictory feelings that follow. The end of a first love, the beginning of womanhood, along with the realisation of my voice and its potential to resonate with others. I’ve learned that it’s ok to feel sad, manic, enraged, or obsessed; these emotions are all part of the human experience. I started really enjoying the subject of duality, emotions that do not fit together. I’ve always been drawn to things that do not quite fit together, constantly challenging conventions in my visuals and choices.
With this album, I’m not trying to conform to any specific mould or genre, I’m just trying to tell my truth. This last year, I’ve discovered another tunnel of music that I didn’t know like Massive Attack, Cocteau Twins and Jeff Buckley. They really spoke to me musically with the shoegaze, guitars and lyrics. I feel like musically there’s this fusion of R&B, pop but also rock, and wider energy that I did not really have before.
What do you hope people take away from the album?
Crystal Murray: When it’s out in the world it’s out of my control. I know what I felt when I wrote it and I hope people will connect with it. I’m trying to not be put in a box, by showing my complete hybridity, with all the sonority I want and the emotions that followed. I hope people can understand that.
It’s a piece of my growth that I’m unveiling to the world. I like this idea of growing in the eye of the public, allowing people to witness my musical journey. The vulnerability that I’ve put in this album is one that I hadn’t had before, it marks the first time I've truly found my voice. Like I mentioned a feeling that I could only get on stage. This album represents a complete journey, yet it's only the beginning. It’s like I unlocked a power now, unlocking a deeper level of expression.
What’s your love language?
Crystal Murray: If I’m comfortable enough to be annoying it means I’m probably in love.
Let your predictive text finish this sentence: I am a musician because I love___ but people don’t know that I am actually___.
Crystal Murray: I am a musician because I love the centre but people don’t know that I am actually looking at it all this time lol.
If you could only listen to one musician for the rest of your life who would it be?
Crystal Murray: I’m not going to lie I think the Cocteau Twins. They just have this sound that will never really annoy me. Or Massive Attack.
What’s your weirdest internet obsession?
Crystal Murray: I really just watch food videos on the internet lol. Either that or just digging into Mubi’s weirdest movie that makes me feel uncomfortable.
What would the line-up be in your nightmare blunt rotation?
Crystal Murray: Hopefully I’m never put In that position lol.
What are your hopes for the future?
Crystal Murray: FREE ALL THE OPPRESSED PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. Be Better and kinder to one another. I want my future kids to believe in humanity.
SAD LOVERS & GIANTS is out tomorrow May 31.