Chrystal Artistfacts

Born in the late 1980s (exact date unknown)
Her full name is Chrystal Jade Ruby Opal Orchard. She is a singer, songwriter and producer from Bolton in Greater Manchester.
Her musical influences growing up ranged widely: R&B and hip-hop sat alongside UK garage and bright Eurodance acts like Vengaboys, while producers such as Timbaland and artists like Missy Elliott and Aaliyah helped shape her rhythmic instincts.
Chrystal enrolled to study law at the University of Bolton but soon realized contracts and case law were less appealing than synthesizers and drum machines. She dropped out and switched to music production at Manchester Creative and Media Academy, completing a production course that launched her recording career.
Her debut single, "Waves," was inspired by the donk music scene she grew up around in Bolton. Donk is a Bolton-originated sub-genre of bouncy techno that became a cultural shorthand for the town. "Waves" was named a Weekend Anthem on BBC Radio 1Xtra and landed on The London Sunday Times list of hottest new tracks.
Chrystal's commercial breakthrough came with "The Days," though it took a long route to success. She wrote the song in 2015 while signed to the London indie label 37 Records, but the track was shelved and never officially released at the time. After leaving the label in 2019, Chrystal stepped away from performing and worked as a recording engineer while trying to figure out her next musical direction.

Eventually, she uploaded a batch of archived material - about 40 unreleased tracks - to streaming platforms. To her surprise, the songs began to find an audience.

"When I released this music, in my mind I'd retired as an artist and my new goal was to be a songwriter," she told Official Charts. "So then for my old music to take off, to now hearing my voice being played all over the world, it's just incredible."
That online discovery has led to several collaborations. One example is her track "My Loving" with Sonny Fodera. The Australian house DJ heard one of her songs online and contacted her directly, leading to the remote collaboration.
She scored her first UK #1 in the summer of 2025 when she featured on the deep house track "Dior" by the Detroit DJ and producer Marc Kinchen, better known as MK. It spent two weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

Pinball WizardThe Who

Pete Townshend wrote The Who's "Pinball Wizard" to coax a good review for the Tommy album out of a rock critic who loved pinball. It worked.

We Built This CityStarship

Elton John's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin wrote the original lyrics for Starship's "We Built This City." It was the first Hot 100 Top 10 hit Taupin wrote without John.

Bitter Sweet SymphonyThe Verve

"Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve samples an obscure orchestral arrangement of the 1965 Rolling Stones song "The Last Time." The Verve had to sign away most of the royalties before they could release the song.

We Are Never Ever Getting Back TogetherTaylor Swift

"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift earned an entry in the 2014 edition of the Guinness Book of Records for the fastest-selling digital single. It reached the #1 spot on iTunes just 50 minutes after its release.

A Little Less ConversationElvis Presley

Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation" was just a minor hit when it was released in 1968, but a 2002 remix made the song a global smash, taking it to #1 in a number of countries, including Australia and the UK.