Born in Lawrenceburg, IN and living in rural Sunman, IN, Crystal grew up listening to Cat Stevens, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, Bob Willis, Neil Young, Janis Joplin, John Mellencamp, Tom Petty and many other great musical artists. From the age of three, Crystal sang songs she wrote, initially she memorized the songs she sang but after her mother died from cancer in 1989, in Lexington, KY, Crystal found her self parentless and longing for musical
Born in Lawrenceburg, IN and living in rural Sunman, IN, Crystal grew up listening to Cat Stevens, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, Bob Willis, Neil Young, Janis Joplin, John Mellencamp, Tom Petty and many other great musical artists. From the age of three, Crystal sang songs she wrote, initially she memorized the songs she sang but after her mother died from cancer in 1989, in Lexington, KY, Crystal found her self parentless and longing for musical guidance; her mother had been so actively a participant.
The lyrics she had begun to write were about the hardships growing up, experiences she had as a child and her view on others experiences as she was quite in tuned to the emotions people projected even when they weren’t. This abundance of emotion came out in her voice, the soulfulness and sadness of being unwanted and unloved.
Crystal spent years as a teenager homeless and became heavily involved in various organizations supporting teens and new beginnings. She paired up with cousin and former punk artist, Tom Kappas and together they formed TomKat and LaLa in August 2010. They released a 3 song demo with Keep It Simple, Whoops, and Listen Up, which lead to gigs in Cincinnati, OH at the Historic Southgate House, Jefferson Hall and Awakenings Wine Bar. Together they played songs Crystal had written 6-10 years earlier, most of the songs were about her childhood and social issues, although some were about lost love. They disbanded and so she embarked on a solo career with the intent to provide music with meaning to anyone craving a spark inside their soul.