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. 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. Kristine W is now one of the most popular dance club artists of all time, with 17 No. 1s to date on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. She is currently listed among Billboards 8 Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists, and she was ranked number three in Billboards Top Dance Artists of the Decade. 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. Those performances led to her first record deal and subsequent debut single, “Feel What You Want”, marking the singer's first of 17 No. 1s on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. Kristine W is also tied for third place with Beyoncé for the most consecutive No. 1 hits with nine. 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).
Early life
Kristine W was born in Pasco, Washington, where she and her three siblings were raised by her mother, a jazz singer and guitarist who went by the name Donna Lee. Kristine W expressed an interest in music at a very young age. Her grandmother was a classically trained violinist and pianist who taught Kristine how to play the piano. At age 9, Kristine also began playing the saxophone, and it was from her mother that Kristine developed an interest in jazz. Growing up, Kristine would regularly perform in church and for seniors at a local retirement home, which she has stated helped her to overcome her stage fright.
From an early age, it was clear Kristine had an aptitude for performing. Throughout middle and high school, Kristine frequently competed in talent shows, and she won numerous awards in the Northwest after competing in jazz choir ensembles as an improvisational soloist. At age 16, she won a state talent show singing the Donna Summer song, “Last Dance”.
Released in 1994, her debut single quickly became a hit, receiving worldwide acclaim and becoming her first No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in the U.S. "Feel What You Want" was also a massive success in the UK, reaching No. 1 on the UK singles chart. Kristine wrote the lyrics for the song in response to the passing of her stepfather, stating in an interview, “He was my mentor, really, and one of my heroes. And he died of an aneurysm really suddenly. So, that was really feeling his loss. That song just made me think about everything from religion to pollution to the planet. I wove a lot of things that I was feeling into that song.” Following the release of the single and subsequent interviews, many interviewers "butchered" Kristine Weitz' last name; it was therefore suggested by the president of the label she was signed to that she should instead go by Kristine W.
"Feel What You Want" became popular in the LGBTQ community. In an interview with Songfacts, Kristine W said, “That became their mantra. ‘Feel what you want it to be, what you want it to feel’ became this massive gay anthem, and I didn't even know that it was. So, that was a surprise. And it was really a cool surprise, because I got this fan base that was amazingly fun and supportive.” In later years, the song "Feel What You Want" was included in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories on the Rise FM station.
Kristine's sophomore album, Stronger, was released in 2000 and received commercial and critical acclaim; both of the album's official singles – including the title track – reached No. 1 on Billboard Dance Club Songs, and “Lovin’ You” was featured in an episode of the Showtime television series Queer As Folk. Stylistically, Kristine W expanded on the dance and house music influences prevalent on her first album, this time incorporating more adult contemporary, R&B, and pop influences. About the album's lyrical themes, Kristine has said, “Stronger came about when my grandmother was ailing and when I had my first baby... watching life come into the world and watching life go out was traumatic at the time; I had to be strong for my baby and for my grandmother.”!!
2001–2005: Diagnosis of leukemia and Fly Again
Following the release of Stronger, Kristine W began exhibiting unusual physical symptoms, for which she sought medical advice. No medical abnormalities were detected at the time. However, during a performance in Japan, Kristine experienced persistent bleeding, to the point where friends urged her to again see a doctor, who ordered a blood test. The results came back on Mother's Day of 2001, revealing that the mother of two then-toddlers had Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
Kristine had a stem cell transplant on September 11, 2001. Regarding the 9/11 terror attacks, Kristine recalls witnessing the second plane hitting the World Trade Center on television from her hospital bed, which she described as “very devastating”.
2007–2009: Fly Again Music and The Power of Music
In 2007, Kristine W was featured on a song by artist Tony Moran titled "Walk Away," which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard Dance Club Songs. A remix album for the track, titled Walk Away – Remixed & Remastered was released in 2010.
That same year, Kristine released "Never", a single from her then-upcoming album, featuring a variety of remixes.
Following "The Boss" and "Never", Kristine W released The Power of Music in 2009. The album produced six No. 1s on Billboard Dance Club Songs, one of three albums in history to do so. The others were Beyoncé’s I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008), also achieving six, and Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream (2010) at seven. Also released in 2009 was Kristine W’s Love Is The Look, to support the single of the same name, accompanied by a host of remixes. Notably, Ralphi Rosario produced a remix that was sponsored by K-Y; the track was titled "Love Is The Look (Ralphi Rosario K-Y INTRIGUE Mix)".
2010–2013: Straight Up with a Twist – New and Number Ones
Kristine W’s next album Straight Up with a Twist (released in 2010) was a significant stylistic departure from her previous releases. A two-part album, CD 1 featured covers of her own previous works, redone in a smooth jazz style with all acoustic instrumentation. CD 2 featured electro lounge versions of the tracks. As such, they featured electronic instrumentation, but at much slower BPMs than is commonly heard in dance music. Although the jazz endeavor was far-removed from the four-on-the-floor songs Kristine W is known for, it received critical and commercial acclaim, peaking at number 22 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. The album itself gained popularity both in and outside of the club scene, reaching number 19 on Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums and number 14 on Billboard Heatseekers, while the tracks "So Close to Me" and "Everything That I Got" (Bimbo Jones Peak Hour Club Mix) peaked at numbers 2 and 4 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, respectively. Also released that year was Kristine's remix album So Close to Me: New & Now, which included works by Junior Vasquez and female disc jockey, DJ Ting.
2014–present: Love Come Home – Stars, upcoming album
In 2014, Kristine W released a three-part album, Love Come Home. Part 1 featured all new mixes of her 1995 single, "Love Come Home". Parts 2 and 3 featured additional remixes, and Part 2 also included new remixes of "Everything That I Got". The three-part release was a club hit, with "Love Come Home" and "Everything That I Got" both reaching No. 4 on Billboard Dance Club Songs, with the former also charting on Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs at No. 26.
The following year, Kristine W's dance-pop single "Stars" was released, peaking at No. 1 on Billboard dance and becoming the artist's 17th No. 1 to date. Mixes by four different artists accompanied the single's release, including the Vegas Strong Candlelight Mix, in which all percussion was notably excluded. Toward the end of 2017, a remix album for Stars was released, titled Stars: A Galaxy of Remixes, featuring additional works by Freejak, alongside other producers.
Recently, Kristine W said in a Facebook comment that a new album is actively in development, stating, “[…] we’re nearing the end game.” Her album Episode One: Love and Lies was released in February 2020.
Relationship with the LGBT community
Kristine W's large support has come from the LGBT community since she released her first single, “Feel What You Want”. She is a supporter of the gay community and advocate of LGBT rights – she regularly performs at pride rallies and for pro-LGBT charity organizations across the nation, including those dedicated to fighting AIDS and other HIV-related illnesses.
She is longtime friends with famed drag performer and musician RuPaul, and co-wrote the song "Just a Little In and Out" on his 2004 album Red Hot. Kristine W has performed numerous times at RuPaul's annual DragCon, and in 2024 appeared as a guest judge on season 9 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.
Kristine W reflected: "My relationship with the gay community has been a huge blessing. God knew I needed an army of soldiers to get my message of love, hope, faith and tolerance out to the world and He bound us together."
Kristine W said she first realized she had such a big gay following during a 1994 New York performance for NYC DJ Junior Vasquez at Sound Factory. “I remember going into the club and nobody knew who I was. I think they were all expecting a black girl. I just walked right past the whole crowd. There were a couple of thousand men and no AC. Everyone was just dripping wet. I loved it! I was like, ‘This is great! Look at all these hot guys. This is like a freaking garden, a bouquet of loveliness. It’s a banquet, and where do I start?’ I turned to one of the guys with me and said, ‘These guys are so hot it’s ridiculous.’ And he said, ‘Don’t get too excited. This is a gay party.’ So that was my first experience and I was like, ‘This is hot.’ I loved it."
The gay community has also served as a place of solace from the sexism she's faced throughout her career. Kristine stated in a radio interview, “[The gay community] gave me a place I can focus on my music and not have to worry about all the other weird stuff going on.” Recently, she has performed at Chicago's Human First Gala, an annual fundraising event celebrating organizations and businesses who have contributed to the local LGBT community. Kristine W also has a series of upcoming performances in celebration of Pride Month and Pride Summer, including at the 2019 Queens Pride Parade and Festival in New York, and the OC Pride Festival in California.
Other accolades
While Kristine W was regularly performing at the Hilton in Las Vegas, her friend, actress Julie Michaels (best known for her role opposite of Patrick Swayze in Road House), played Kristine's music on set during the making of that movie. This led to Kristine W's "Do You Really Want Me" to be included in the movie's soundtrack.
Kristine W's 1994 debut single "Feel What You Want" was later featured in the soundtrack of the video game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. In addition, several of her songs have appeared on the soundtrack of the TV series Queer as Folk, including "Some Lovin'" and "Lovin' You".
Awards and nominations
International Dance Music Awards
|-
| rowspan=2|2004
| "Some Lovin'" (with Murk)
| Best House/Garage Dance Track
|
|-
| rowspan=4|Herself
| rowspan=4|Best Dance Artist (Solo)
|
|-
| 2005
|
|-
| 2006
|
|-
| 2007
|
Discography
Albums
- Perfect Beat (1994), Plain Rap Records
- Land of the Living (1996), RCA
- Stronger (2000), RCA
- Fly Again (2003), Tommy Boy
- The Power of Music (2009), Fly Again Music
- Straight Up with a Twist (2010), Fly Again Music
- New & Number Ones (Club Mixes Part 1–2) (2012), Fly Again Music
- Episode One: Love and Lies (2020), Fly Again Music
- Dance With Me (2026), Fly Again Music
Singles
As lead artist
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Title
! colspan="4"| Peak positions
! rowspan="2"| Album
|-
! style="width:35px;"| NLD<br />
! style="width:35px;"| US
! style="width:35px;"| US Dance<br>
! style="width:35px;"| UK<br>
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|1985
|align="left"|"Head Games"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| rowspan="3" | Non-album singles
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|1989
|align="left"|"All I Need Is Your Love"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|1991
|align="left"|"Show and Tell" <small>(as Kristine and the Sting)</small>
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|1994
|align="left"|"Feel What You Want"
|5
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|33
| rowspan="3" | Land of the Living
|-
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|1996
|align="left"|"One More Try"
|16
| style="text-align:center;"|78
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|41
|-
|align="left"|"Land of the Living"
|44
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|57
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2000
|align="left"|"Stronger"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| rowspan="2" | Stronger
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2001
|align="left"|"Lovin' You"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2003
|align="left"|"Some Lovin'"<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Murk vs. Kristine W)</span>
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| Murk
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2003
|align="left"|"Fly Again"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| rowspan="4" | Fly Again
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2004
|align="left"|"Save My Soul"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2005
|align="left"|"The Wonder of It All (Remixes)"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2006
|align="left"|"I'll Be Your Light"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|2008
|align="left"|"The Boss"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| rowspan="6" | The Power of Music
|-
|align="left"|"Never"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"|2009
|align="left"|"Love Is the Look"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
|align="left"|"Be Alright"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
|align="left"|"The Power of Music"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2011
|align="left"|"Fade"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2012
|align="left"|"Everything That I Got"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| rowspan="3"| New & Number Ones
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2013
|align="left"|"So Close to Me"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2014
|align="left"|"Love Come Home" (2014)
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2016
|align="left"|"Out There"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|Out There
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2017
|align="left"|"Stars"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|Stars
|-
| rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;" |2020
|align="left"|"Just A Lie"
|—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| style="text-align:center;"|11
| style="text-align:center;"|—
| rowspan="5" |Episode One: Love and Lies
|-
| align="left" |"Barracuda"
|—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
|-
| align="left" |"Wind In The Trees"
|—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
|-
| align="left" |"Can't Take No More"
|—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
|-
| style="text-align: center;" |2021
| align="left" |"No One"
|—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
|-
| style="text-align: center;" |2022
| align="left" |"Can't Look Back"
|—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| rowspan="3" |Non-album singles
|-
| style="text-align: center;" |2023
| align="left" |"By My Side"
|—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
|-
| style="text-align: center;" |2024
| align="left" |"Smooth Operator"
|—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
|-
| style="text-align: center;" |2025
| align="left" |"Love Personified"
|—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| rowspan="2" |Dance With Me
|-
| style="text-align: center;" |2026
| align="left" |"Next To You"
|—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
| style="text-align: center;" |—
|}
As featured artist
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; font-size: small;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| <big>Year</big>
! rowspan="2"| <big>Title</big>
! colspan="2"| <big>Peak positions</big>
! rowspan="2"| <big>Album</big>
|-
! style="width:35px;"| <big>US Dance<br><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Our Tribe featuring Frankë Pharaoh and Kristine W)</span></big>
| style="text-align:center;"|<big>—</big>
| style="text-align:center;"|<big>33</big>
| <big>Non-album single</big>
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|<big>2007</big>
|align="left"|<big>"Walk Away"<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Tony Moran featuring Kristine W)</span></big>
| style="text-align:center;"|<big>1</big>
| style="text-align:center;"|<big>—</big>
| <big>The Event / The Power of Music</big>
|-
|}
Other singles
- "Don't Wanna Think" (1995), Champion Records
- "O Holy Night" (2001), Tommy Boy
- "Hey, Mr. Christmas" (2008), Fly Again Music
- "What I Like About You" (2011), Fly Again Music
- "Christmas Bells" (2011), Fly Again Music
- "On the Radio" (2011), Fly Again Music
- "Mary Did You Know" (2011), Fly Again Music
- "Every Day's a Holiday" (2011), Fly Again Music
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Productions
!Notes
|-
|1986
|Permainan Yang Nakal
|Angela
|rowspan="2"|Soraya Intercine Films
|rowspan="2"|Indonesian films
|-
|1987
|Akibat Terlalu Bebas
|Kristin
|}
See also
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart
- Timeline of Billboard number-one dance songs