Crystal Kay is interviewed by Rolling Stone India and talks her shit. As she should.

Crystal Kay being interviewed via video by Rolling Stone India. Waving to the camera—wearing an orange shirt and a baseball cap from The North Face.

Crystal Kay did an interview with Rolling Stone India.

Why Rolling Stone India? I guess they were [turns and looks into the camera] busy doing nothing. But to be completely honest, I need to pipe down. Because Rolling Stone India’s interview with Kay was one of the best English interviews she’s given. And I doubt had she had done this interview with Rolling Stone America or Japan or even Billboard, that we would have gotten anything close to this. Even though Kay’s comments on being Black in Japan are things which should be on the websites of American and Japanese music publications.

Only recently did Rolling Stone India upload a video featuring parts of the interview. But the interview itself was published back in June.

📰 Crystal Kay: ‘There Is No Reason I Have to Emphasize How American or Black I Am’ @ Rolling Stone India

Debashree Dutta did a great job at framing familiar types of questions Kay usually gets asked, which resulted in different types of answers from the same ol’ same ol’ that Kay has given over and over again. And Dutta’s question funnel Kay to a place where she got to talk her shit a little bit—as she should. Because what has become clear at this point, is that folk in the Japanese music industry at large are not going to do it for her nor acknowledge the doors that she’s opened since the release of “Eternal Memories”.

I always bang on about how erasure in Japanese pop culture happens all of the time, because of attitudes towards digital preservation. But it also happens because of how music acts are pretty much discarded, disregarded and not given platforms once they stop charting how they used to. Of course this behaviour is not exclusive to Japan. But it feels like it happens faster and differently in Japan. Partly because men in music will always pull focus and get pushed far later in their careers than you will ever see for women. Women have to maintain commercial success on a whole other level to men to get just a fraction of their platform. Exile literally be taking up space on them shows. And the other part of it is that many of these ‘older’ artists aren’t as active on their social media platforms to still garner attention which attracts the media and publications—something that women people try to put out to pasture in American pop rely on massively.

Just look at Ayumi Hamasaki. One of the biggest stars in J-pop who is a part of its history, and she’s just become a footnote now. And then there is Namie Amuro. Music wiped from streaming platforms. Her legacy being maintained online purely by fans. The entertainment industry doesn’t go out of its way to make audiences remember them and their legacies.

The Japanese music industry has gotta get better at retaining legacies and giving music acts their flowers. But until then, everybody is gonna have to just shower themselves with flowers. So I’m glad to see Kay did just that.

Crystal Kay being interviewed via video by Rolling Stone India. Pointing to the camera—wearing an orange shirt and a baseball cap from The North Face.

Crystal Kay | Rolling Stone India

Now, I may be biased, given that I am a big fan of Kay and have been for years now. But I do wholeheartedly believe that Kay is a pioneer and a trailblazer, and that she does not get the recognition she deserves for her contributions to not just Japanese R&B, but J-pop. Kay downplayed her impact, because a bitch is humble. She really stuck on the point about opening doors for other Black, darker skinned Japanese girls—which I think is an important point to make. But the part that stuck for me was Kay mentioning that she was one of the first to sing in an J-pop songs in an R&B type of way. And the authenticity to which Kay did this was a HUGE part of what made her music stand out. And despite her music not being great right now, her voice and the way she sings is still the best thing about it—which is why it sucks that her team aren’t partnering her with better producers and writers who can throw Kay’s sound back to its hey day.

It’s a shame that the video from this interview didn’t feature Kay talking about BoA or Namie Amuro, which I think would have helped it get clipped and circulated on Twitter and TikTok. And it’s also a shame that Kay didn’t plug her YouTube channel, her stint in Rent or her 25th anniversary gig in December. But we know her PR team ain’t shit and did not have them flash cards ready.

Girl. Fire the whole management and marketing team.

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Crystal Kay is interviewed by Rolling Stone India and talks her shit. As she should.

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