Today we’d like to introduce you to Krystal Gem.
Krystal, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born and raised in the birthplace of America’s music-Jackson, MS. It’s the most honest, transparent, and colorful place on Earth. My hometown very much influences who I am as a person, artist, and storyteller so, my story starts there. Since I was little, I’ve been inclined to perform – be it in a school talent show or in the church children’s choir – I needed a stage.
So, Granny and Mom enrolled me in Power APAC’s performing arts program, voice lessons with Ken Roberts, piano lessons – the whole nine. They were the first to see any seed of talent in me and made it their duty to cultivate it in the best ways they could provide. I owe a lot of my dedication and work ethic to them. After a few summers full of volunteering, local pageants, grassroots organizing, Speech and Debate competitions, and national NAACP ACT-SO competitions, I found myself at Millsaps College studying vocal performance with my most nurturing and challenging instructor – James C. Martin. With his encouragement, I traveled to Florence, IT to study opera in Westminster Choir College’s Florence Voice Seminar.
At some point in my undergraduate studies, I became disenchanted with the world of Classical music despite it being such an integral part of my musical training. I decided I’d be singer-songwriter. I chose my stage name and got to work performing all over my hometown – covers, originals, full band, acoustic sets – you name it, I was doing it. I was fresh out of Mama’s house and wanted to prove to myself I could stand on my own two even if it went against all of my ‘traditional’ i.e., Eurocentric training. It all went much better than I could have ever expected. My Jackson community not only made space for me to thrive and excel as an independent artist, it welcomed me with open arms and provided me with mentors and creatives that fed my appetite to create and perform outside of the institution of academia.
My godbrother, Phillip “Young Venom” Rollins, ensured I had a safe place to explore my creative process, test out new material, and perform. Other performers and engineers like Dolla Black, 5th Child, and Dre Dys surrounded me with loving friendship, support and a place to record my music. My girls Flower, Cea, Jewelz, and Neo never let me cross a state line, attend an open mic, or perform at any venue without their protection, sisterhood, or a “yes ma’am!” being yelled across a fully packed room. What I’m getting at is that ‘my story’ is not just mine nor is it one that I’ve solely authored. It has been written, influenced, and edited by so many fantastic people; a real village. I was giving TEDx talks and performing and writing and feeling like I was becoming more of myself when it finally hit me-“So, what’s next?” Literally, the worst possible question any graduating college senior is ever asked. Albeit a question rooted in genuine curiosity and care, it was one that scared the living sh*t out of me because like many undergraduates, I didn’t have an answer yet.
So there I was a decorated and performatively optimistic young stage performer, composer, vocalist, visual artist, public speaker, youth mentor, choir director, children’s book illustrator – all these titles and experience with no clear direction of how to make these skills come together. I didn’t know “what was next.” So, I asked my self-appointed fairy godpoppa, James C. Martin. He suggested I pursue acting. That made zero sense to me at the time because I’d only ever ‘acted’ in two stage plays – one in high school the other as a college freshman. I had no real experience as an actor and doubted I had what it’d take to be competitive in this new arena. James reminded me that I’d been training to perform since I was a toddler and that everything I’d done up until this point had been done for a greater divine purpose; that all I really had to do was try and maybe crossing over wouldn’t be as impossible as I’d made it in my head. I said ‘okay’ and applied to USC and CalArts’ MFA Acting programs. I received callbacks for both institutions and ultimately chose the creative freedom and intimacy CalArts is known for.
James along with Mama, Granny, Jaime Ward, Jill Conner Browne, Central United Methodist Church, and the Wells Church family helped set up a huge going away concert and with their blessing, I was off to Los Angeles. I was still very insecure in my ability when I got here but quickly found out that I was more than capable of paving my own way here. Since moving and settling into the CalArts community, I’ve not only found my strength and depth as an actor, I’ve found my resilience and adaptability as a person. I’ve grown in ways that the seven years old practicing scales in old sanctuaries couldn’t have dreamed. It’s been very fun and humbling to perform as women just as complex as myself. From Ibsen’s Rita, Shakespeare’s Rosalind and Margaret, Suzan Lori-Parks’ Venus to femme fatales in neon noire student films – it’s all been a fantastical journey of self-discovery and character building that I truly wouldn’t change a single detail of.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve always loved performing. Problem was when I started out, I was a timid little girl who feigned extroversion, clung to her Pooh Bear, and closed her eyes shut at the sight of a crowd. It took me a long time to honestly acknowledge my first nemesis. Its name was stage-fight. Stage-fright is something I believe most performers struggle to overcome, but especially those that have been on stages since childhood. And I had it bad. Stage-fright had such a hold on me that it’s only been within the past 2 or 3 years that I’ve been able to tackle it and take command of it instead of allowing it to scare me into dissociation. My second and most pervasive enemy was erasure. Call it ‘lack of representation’ or ‘inequity;’ whatever you call it, it was and still is something that I and many Black artists have to maneuver through.
I was, and often still am, the only Black person in creative spaces that claim inclusivity and creative cultivation. It’s something that especially didn’t make sense to me growing up in the third Blackest city in the country. Why didn’t I see more of myself in orchestra halls or ‘gifted’ programs or even church? The older I got the more I understood my positionality in all of it and it’s ultimately why I rejected the Classical world I’d been socialized to adore. I didn’t want to continue investing so much of myself, time, or abilities into a community and larger culture that did not make space for, actively involved, or invite the fullness of my identity or community. I often felt tokenized. Thankfully, I was able to find a community that more accurately represented my city and myself.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At present, I’m a graduate-level actor in CalArts’ theatre department. Outside of school, I voice act, make music, and illustrate or do art by commission. I am known for being a live contemporary vocalist but I specialize in classical vocal performance. I’m also known for never solidifying album release dates but luckily that will be changed in February 2021. My ability as a visual artist is what I believe sets me apart. It’s also what I’m most proud of. Just before I moved west, Cooperation Jackson approved me to paint a huge (and very pink) mural in downtown Jackson. It’s the biggest public art piece I’ve created to date and visually represents what I believe the future of my community and people to look like – otherworldly, divine, ancestrally inspired, and hyper-feminine.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me as a person and creator is that Black folks, Black femmes especially, are able to safely express and create whatever the hell they want. Be it high art or a story about nothing, I care that we are granted the opportunity to choose what we create and consume without the pressures of appealing to audiences that may misunderstand our colorful and particular nuance. It matters very much to me that Black kids get to see themselves excel in any environment, in any story, in any role. I want that for me and I want that for us.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krystalgemmuse/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Krys.Mitchie
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/krystalgemmuse
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5YM8dHiqm2lSJG0kZkrGMg
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/krystalgemmusic
Image Credits
Joe Zhang, Asia Allen, Mark Reed, Khari Johnson, Ryan Garry
