Cry$tyle is a grammy nominated songwriter who has penned hits from top stars such as Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Monica and many others. She is super talented, motivated, and ready to share her story with WEEN while gearing up for her solo debut album due in 2011.

C: Well I started out as a singer. I’m definitely a singer first. I was in different singing groups in middle school and high school. Right around the time that the last group broke up, I decided to start writing some records. I really had no idea I could do it. I just kind of started out one day, picked up a pen and a piece of paper and tried to write a song. It wasn’t really good, but I stayed on it. Then probably like a year later, I started working with producers and going into the studio as a songwriter. So it was definitely out of the blue for me and here I am.

C: I was first motivated by my passion for music. I grew up in a singing family. My mother sang, my father sang, and my sister sang so I just had this natural passion for music. And then I think a part of it was when everytime one of the members of the group would drop out and say, “We’re never going to make it” or “you’ve gotta wake up,” that was the kind of stuff that just motivated me more. It was just something about that doubt that made me feel like it’s gotta be possible or just right around the corner because everybody’s telling me to turn the other way. So that really kept me going.

C: I have a lot of different musical inspirations, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men. I have different phases. Destiny’s Child was definitely an inspiration to me because I was in a singing group. Then you have En Vogue and Xscape. I listened to all kinds of music, but a lot of different people at different times. I think everybody that was passionate about music really inspired me because I could just connect with them on that level. I was a huge Dru Hill fan. I was a fan of everybody.

C: Early on I wasn’t very much involved at all. I was kind of like a kid, feeling like I just wanted to sing and I just want to blow up. Then once I started songwriting, I just wanted to be in the studio and write. Then as things really started happening for me and the success grew, I started to realize that this is a business and there’s more to it than my passion for music. I think I finally connected with the idea that this is also a job and actually a career that I needed to take more seriously on the business side of things. I realized that if I don’t do it, nobody else is going to do it. I had to have a reality check. I don’t have any stories about things happening to me on the business end that were really bad, but I just started to look around and notice that I was growing up and I had to become a woman.

C: Wow. It’s very unreal. Everytime somebody says it, it’s like you’re telling me about somebody else who’s worked with them. It’s weird because when I stop to think about all of the things that have happened, it’s almost unbelievable that it was me versus it being somebody else. I could hear it better if it was the next girl. It’s really crazy because I still work as if I’m just now getting on my grind and haven’t changed since before I was able to work with those great artists. I’m still in the mindset of, “Ok, I’ve gotta get on. I’ve gotta make it.” It’s crazy sometimes when people read down the list of things that I’ve been involved in and it’s hard to believe that I’m actually here. So it’s amazing.

C: Well it goes a lot of different ways. Sometimes I’m in the studio with the artists, creating with them. You’ve got people like Beyonce and Mariah, who are very hands on in the creative process. So when I’m in the studio with them, we’re shooting ideas back and forth. Then you have some artists who are doing a lot different things and can’t be in the studio at that time, so I’ll write a song with them in mind. Or I’ll just be at home, write something, send it off to my manager, and somehow, somebody will hear it. Still, it’s surprising for me sometimes because normally, I’m not writing for anyone in particular. So it’s always a pleasant surprise to hear who wants it.

C: I think it’s very important because a lot of times, women get put into a box and it’s only certain things we’re good for or certain things that we should be doing. It’s a very male-driven industry so it’s always refreshing to have a really respectable woman doing her thing behind the scenes versus some women who are in it for the night life and partying aspect of it and not being focused. It’s refreshing to find a focused woman because you can get caught up in the hype of it so easily. I always try to encourage women who are trying to do this to be focused. When I go to the studio, I work. I laugh and joke, but at the end of the day, I get my job done and I go home as opposed to getting caught up in the glitz and glamour of it. So it’s nice to have a focused woman doing anything in any job.

C: Well it definitely takes talent first. Then aside from that, you have to have the drive and determination to know that this is what you’re trying to do. You have to know where you’re going so that you’re prepared for all of the cracks and obstacles that are going to come during your process of getting there. You have to have the focused mind and humility. As women, sometimes, you can’t tell us anything and we know it all, but you have to be able to learn from people, even the one’s you’d never think you could learn anything from. You have to be able to adapt, soak things up like a sponge and be appreciative. I’ve definitely learned that over a short period of time. You have to be able to see the glass as half-full.

C: Thank you! Well one was Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World),” which was nominated for best dance record. The other one, I contributed to Monica’s album, Still Standing, which was nominated for Best R&B Album. I wrote “Love All Over Me” so I’m excited about that.

C: Well I was nominated before when Beyonce won for, I Am Sasha Fierce. I contributed to that. But this one, with it being the singles that I actually wrote on these two projects, it’s a little bit different. I don’t think it’s hit me yet. Everybody keeps asking me how I feel about it, but I don’t really think I’ve made the connection from being a little girl, watching the Grammys and always wanting to be there, and then now, being who I am knowing that I’ve actually written the songs that are getting the recognition. If I could just take a second to stop working, I think I’ll get it. (laughs)

C: Hmm, what can you expect from Cri$tyle, the artist? Well you can definitely expect my absolute best, expect one hundred percent me. When I come out with my project, for anyone who doesn’t know who I am, what’s on that album is going to be one hundred percent me. It’s not going to be anything that’s just entertainment-driven. Everything that I’m writing and singing for my album is something that’s inside of me, something that I really feel. If you like it, then you like me, and that’s great. If you don’t, that’s cool, too, but at least, you’ll know who I am. No surprises.

C: Well it’s more like second nature because I never actually stopped singing and I’ve been performing at any and every event that I could get a mic and perform. It’s not like I’m turning anything back on. It is different because now I have two hats. I have the songwriter hat and the artist hat so I’m interested in seeing how I’m going to balance both of them. I’m just excited more than anything. It’s really no pressure because you don’t know what to expect. Nobody knows what I’m going to do, musically. At the end of the day, I’m just a little girl who loves to sing and I just happened to have learned how to write. On this album, I’m just going to have a great time and do great music because I feel like I owe it to everyone who’s influenced me. I’m going to step up to the plate and do my best.

C: Definitely sometime next year. 2011 is the year.

C: I have so many dreams. I want to get into screenplay writing. I want to write movies. It would be nice to act in some, but I’ll have to see if I’m good at it. If I’m not good at it, I’m not going to press it. I won’t take any jobs from great actresses just because I want to do it. But I want to do so many different things like build homeless shelters, help people, and I just add to the list every day.

C: Well I grew up in a household where my father used to abuse my mother. I can’t say it happened to me personally, but because I grew up in that environment, I’ve seen how it can tear families apart. So I’ve always wanted to do something where I could be a voice for those who are going through that. When I found out about the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, I just really wanted to be a part of that and help people, especially since I’m from Georgia. I want it to be national thing so that I can help people and just be a voice for the victims. www.Gcadv.org

C: It’s hard because I have a lot of them, but the most memorable would have to be when I had the pleasure of meeting Babyface earlier this year. As a songwriter, that was an incredible experience, but also as an artist. When I met him, he sat down and talked about how he felt about my talent, my voice, and my writing and how it touched him. That’s something that will never fade from my mind. I’ve had a lot of great moments, but that was something that was enormous for me. I will