Crystal Aikin
Encyclopedia
Crystal Aikin is an American
gospel
singer-songwriter
from Tacoma
, Washington, and the winner of the first season
of Sunday Best
. Her eponymous debut album
was released on January 13, 2009, through Verity Records
.
, Washington. Since her childhood, she attended Altheimer Memorial Church of God In Christ, where she sang in a children's group called Sunshine Band. As she grew up, she continued to sing as part of the praise group in church, and had become a known local singer in the Tacoma-Seattle area. During this time, Aikin also obtained a Bachelor's degree
in Biology
and Psychology
.
While a teenager, Aikin was part of a local group called Heaven Sent Us. In the late 90s, Aikin joined a local singing group called Soul. This group gave her more exposure outside of the Tacoma area, even performing at the Gospel Music Workshop of America
.
After leaving Soul, Aikin continued singing in the Tacoma area. In 2005, she enrolled at Pacific University
and obtained a nursing
degree. Aikin's mother, a registered nurse also, is a Professor of Nursing at the university. After that, she started working as an emergency room nurse.
contest, Sunday Best
, where Christian
singers compete for a record contract in the Christian music industry
. After being chosen to participate, Aikin went to Los Angeles
. After several weeks of competition, she finished in first place, winning a recording contract with Zomba Gospel Music (now Verity Gospel Music Group
). She also won a 2008 Toyota Camry
.
on March 17, 2009. The album featured producer contributions from PAJAM
, Dre & Vidal
, Gerald Haddon, Derek Clark, and Asaph Ward
, among others.
In 2010, she was nominated for a GMA Dove Award for New Artist of the Year at the 41st GMA Dove Awards
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
from Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
, Washington, and the winner of the first season
Sunday Best (Season 1)
Sunday Best is a reality television series on Black Entertainment Television.The first season was filmed in Los Angeles, California and the winner was Crystal Aikin.-The Competition:...
of Sunday Best
Sunday Best (show)
Sunday Best is a reality television Gospel singing competition series which airs on BET.Each season the show and its judges set out to find the best undiscovered gospel talent in America. Finalist compete each week until a winner is crowned...
. Her eponymous debut album
Crystal Aikin (album)
-Chart performance:The album peaked at #127 on Billboard 200 and #3 on Billboard's Gospel Albums. It spent 55 weeks on the latter....
was released on January 13, 2009, through Verity Records
Verity Records
Verity Records is an American gospel music-focused record label founded in 1994. The label is a now major component and namesake of Verity Gospel Music Group , the Gospel group operated by Jive Label Group, which in turn is owned by Sony Music Entertainment.-Artists :* 21:03* Crystal Aikin*...
.
Early life and career
Aikin grew up in TacomaTacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
, Washington. Since her childhood, she attended Altheimer Memorial Church of God In Christ, where she sang in a children's group called Sunshine Band. As she grew up, she continued to sing as part of the praise group in church, and had become a known local singer in the Tacoma-Seattle area. During this time, Aikin also obtained a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
.
While a teenager, Aikin was part of a local group called Heaven Sent Us. In the late 90s, Aikin joined a local singing group called Soul. This group gave her more exposure outside of the Tacoma area, even performing at the Gospel Music Workshop of America
Gospel Music Workshop of America
Gospel Music Workshop of America is an international music convention founded by Rev. James Cleveland along with Albertina Walker in 1967.-GMWA membership:...
.
After leaving Soul, Aikin continued singing in the Tacoma area. In 2005, she enrolled at Pacific University
Pacific University
Pacific University is a private university located in Oregon, United States. The first campus began more than 160 years ago and is located about 38 km west of Portland in Forest Grove...
and obtained a nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
degree. Aikin's mother, a registered nurse also, is a Professor of Nursing at the university. After that, she started working as an emergency room nurse.
Sunday Best
In 2007, Aikin auditioned for the reality televisionReality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
contest, Sunday Best
Sunday Best (show)
Sunday Best is a reality television Gospel singing competition series which airs on BET.Each season the show and its judges set out to find the best undiscovered gospel talent in America. Finalist compete each week until a winner is crowned...
, where Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
singers compete for a record contract in the Christian music industry
Christian music industry
The Christian music industry is a small part of the larger music industry, that focuses on traditional Gospel music, Southern Gospel music, Contemporary Christian music, and alternative Christian music. It is sometimes called the gospel music industry, although this designation is not a limitation...
. After being chosen to participate, Aikin went to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. After several weeks of competition, she finished in first place, winning a recording contract with Zomba Gospel Music (now Verity Gospel Music Group
Verity Gospel Music Group
Verity Gospel Music Group is a gospel music group operating under Sony Music Entertainment.-Inception:In late 2002, BMG completed the purchase of the Zomba Group for US$2.74 billion and as a part of that deal, acquired the gospel label Verity Records...
). She also won a 2008 Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
.
Performances/results
| Week # | Song choice | Original artist | Order # | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | "Alabaster Box" | CeCe Winans CeCe Winans Priscilla "CeCe" Marie Winans Love is an American Gospel singer, who has won numerous Grammy and Stellar Awards.-Early life:CeCe Winans was born in Detroit, Michigan, to David and Delores Winans, on October 8, 1964... |
N/A | Advanced |
| 4 | "Running Back to You" | Commissioned Commissioned (gospel group) Commissioned is an American Gospel group. The group recorded twelve albums over a period of seventeen years.-Group composition:Originally from Detroit, Michigan, the six original members were Fred Hammond, Mitchell Jones, Keith Staten, Karl Reid, Michael Brooks, and Michael Williams formed a... |
N/A | Advanced |
| 5 | "What's Going On" | ??? | N/A | Advanced |
| 6 | ??? | N/A | Advanced | |
| 7 | ??? | N/A | Advanced | |
| 8 | ??? | N/A | Advanced | |
| 9 | Winner |
Post Sunday Best career
After signing with Verity, Aikin released her eponymous debut albumCrystal Aikin (album)
-Chart performance:The album peaked at #127 on Billboard 200 and #3 on Billboard's Gospel Albums. It spent 55 weeks on the latter....
on March 17, 2009. The album featured producer contributions from PAJAM
PAJAM
PAJAM is an American songwriting and production team, made up of Paul Allen, J Moss and Walter Kearney, all of Detroit, Michigan. The team works with gospel, soul and R&B artists....
, Dre & Vidal
Dre & Vidal
Dre & Vidal is a Multi-Grammy Award Winning songwriting and production duo consisting of Andre Harris and Vidal Davis, who are best known as the main producers for Jill Scott and Glenn Lewis...
, Gerald Haddon, Derek Clark, and Asaph Ward
Asaph Ward
-Background:Ward came to the forefront of the gospel music industry as producer of the groundbreaking 1998 album Everlasting Life for gospel jazz singer Kim Burrell. Since then, Ward has also produced the self-titled debut of Dorinda Clark Cole, as well as the recent 2004 release from Twinkie...
, among others.
In 2010, she was nominated for a GMA Dove Award for New Artist of the Year at the 41st GMA Dove Awards
41st GMA Dove Awards
The 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 21, 2010 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2009. The show was held at the The Opry Entertainment Complex in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Bart Millard....
.
Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales threshold) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | Gospel | |||||
| 2009 | Crystal Aikin Crystal Aikin (album) -Chart performance:The album peaked at #127 on Billboard 200 and #3 on Billboard's Gospel Albums. It spent 55 weeks on the latter....
|
127 | 3 | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||
Awards and nominations
| Year | Presenter | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | GMA Dove Awards 41st GMA Dove Awards The 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 21, 2010 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2009. The show was held at the The Opry Entertainment Complex in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Bart Millard.... |
New Artist of the Year |