“I never stopped being an artist because singing was always the first thing and then the writing came,” Crystal Nicole explains of her transition from behind the scenes to the spotlight. “The crazy thing is writing helped me sing better and the singing helped me write better. They’re like my right and left hand.”
Born and bred in Atlanta, Crystal Nicole can’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t singing. The youngest of three kids, Crystal Nicole says there was always music in her Decatur home. She credits her father for encouraging the whole family to harmonize in the car on trips to the grocery store and her mother for introducing her to Stevie Wonder, an artist whose songwriting skills she studied to hone her own. As a youngster, Crystal Nicole claims her older sister was the family star – but she earned the full support of her loved ones when it became clear, even in childhood, that she was determined to pursue her passion.
“When I was in school, I couldn’t stay focused because I was so focused on being an artist,” Crystal Nicole recalls. “I would have my math book out and my copy of “All You Need To Know About The Music Business” underneath and I would be trying to study both at the same time. I got in trouble a couple of times!”
That tireless focus helped Crystal Nicole during her struggle to gain a foothold in the music industry – a difficult journey that was finally rewarded when Crystal Nicole was introduced to Jermaine Dupri, who finally signed her to a publishing deal through So So Def/EMI in 2007. Over the last four years, singing took somewhat of a backseat to songwriting, but Crystal Nicole says she never lost sight of her vision.
“I was always going to be an artist,” she says. “I just didn’t plan for it to happen right now. I have to give God credit for that because I had nothing to do with where I am right now.”
In truth Crystal Nicole did have a little something to do with her fate as an artist, which was decided last fall after she walked into a meeting with Blackground’s Barry Hankerson about an artist she was working with, only to discover he was more interested in working with her.
“[Barry] was nice enough to take a meeting with us that day and before we got ready to leave out [he] asked could I sing,” Crystal Nicole remembers. “So I’m like yeah, you know, I do a little. And Barry said there’s just something about you, you’re the star… Nobody had ever looked at me and saw something without knowing that I could sing. It was completely out of the blue for me and the next day I came back and showcased for him.”
Crystal Nicole signed with Blackground/Interscope in October 2010 and is currently poised to send her first single to radio this June.
Fittingly titled “Pinch Me,” the song, which was written by Crystal Nicole and produced by Jermaine Dupri and Bryan Michael Cox, relates the unsettling feeling of the too-perfect start of most relationships.
“It’s just about being in the beginning stages of a relationship when things seem to be going really good, but there’s that feeling of ‘When is the ball going to drop? ‘” Crystal Nicole describes. “As a woman, as a man, whoever you are , it’s always like I’d rather you just wake me up from this dream love if you’re not going to be with me forever. If this isn’t what it appears to be just wake me up now and save me the trouble.”
“For that song we were in the studio and there was no conversation, Jermaine was working on the track with B. Cox and I heard like ten seconds of the music they were working on and it was like a light went off and I was gone,” Crystal Nicole remembers. “I probably wrote the whole song in like thirty minutes… Jermaine said it was one of the fastest sessions that he’d been part of and it was so magical. I remember singing it to him and it was still all over the place, but as soon as I hit the ‘pinch me now/ wake me up,” he was like, ‘That’s it… that’s a smash.’
For Crystal Nicole , who is happily married, the track, like many of the hits she’s penned for others, doesn’t have much to do with her own life, but she credits her songwriting ability to her gift for being able to identify and narrate other people’s experiences.
“I’ve noticed over the years that I’ve been able to explain other people’s feelings,” Crystal Nicole says. “I’m kind of like a narrator, whatever the emotion is I can take that and put it into a song and make that translate throughout in all ages of people and kinds of people. It’s an amazing gift and I’m still discovering it as I go.”
She might not be able to explain where her lyrics come from, but Crystal Nicole has a clear picture for her career as an artist that fits perfectly in line with what she’s been doing all along.
“Whether it’s heartache or falling in love, I see me being the spokesperson for the world through music and just touching people,” Crystal Nicole says. “That’s my vision for me as an artist. It’s not about me trying to roll up in a better car or me trying to sign some autographs, it’s about me trying to touch the world through this gift that I was given. “
Sundown
Crystal Nicole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And my hands and feet suddenly go cold
And this pain alone wont let my hair go
And I'm paralyzed down to my toes
Just know that
Long as my heart beats
My love wont ever sleep
I don't need no alarm
I'm mightyer than a king
Stronger than Hercules
And all because you decide to put your trust in me
L'll Never abandon you, leave you empty handed or stranded
Boy I stand by you because this is exactly how God planed it
'Aint got to understand it
But boy I recommend that
You just accept that my every breath is yours
Cause
For you I'll lay my life down
Love you from sun up to sun down
Down, down, down
To my last round
Till much as makes no more sound
For you I'll lay my life down
Love you from sun up to sun down
Down, down, down
To my last round
Till much as makes no more sound
If the world decided to crumble
And I was buried deep underneath these streets
I could never gain my way through the debris
As long as I know you'll be waiting for me
Oh oh oh ohhh
Boy ama will be ok
Just say you stay with me
I'll be loving more and more each in every day
No matter what people say
They got no authority
This is about you and me
Anything else is irrelavant
Don't like that
They could fall back
Back to the will
Let's be clear
I'm about you
You about me
I 'aint got no room for the inbetween
They got to understand it
But boy I recommend that
You just accept that my every breath is yours
Cause
For you I'll lay my life down
Love you from sun up to sun down
Down, down, down
To my last round
Till much as makes no more sound
For you I'll lay my life down
Love you from sun up to sun down
Down, down, down
To my last round
Till much as makes no more sound
Just say the word
And I'll be running rain or snow
Connected to you i start to move i see a glow
And I never know another
Like I know you
Boy you make a better me
And I just I wanna thank you
Oh oh oh ohhh
For you I'll lay my life down
Love you from sun up to sun down
Down, down, down
To my last round
Till much as makes no more sound
For you I'll lay my life down
Love you from sun up to sun down
Down, down, down
To my last round
Till much as makes no more sound
If the sun don't shine on me this morning
And my hands and feet suddenly go cold
And this pain alone wont let my hair go
And I'm paralyzed down to my toes
In Crystal Nicole's song Sundown, the lyrics convey a deep and unwavering love for someone that is unchanging despite circumstances. The first verse depicts a scenario where the singer may be in physical pain or distress, but despite that, her love for the person will never falter as long as her heart beats. She compares her love to being stronger than a king or Hercules and all because this person decided to put their trust in her. She promises to never abandon or leave them empty-handed and that she stands by them because it is how God planned it. The chorus reinforces her dedication to laying her life down for this person and loving them from sunrise to sunset until her last breath.
The second verse describes a hypothetical situation where the world may be falling apart and the singer may be buried deep underneath debris. However, as long as she knows the person will be waiting for her, she will be okay. She states that no matter what anyone else says, their opinions are irrelevant, and her love for this person is what matters the most. The bridge emphasizes her devotion to the person, stating that she would run to them in a heartbeat in any kind of weather.
Overall, the lyrics of Sundown convey a passionate, unwavering love for another person that transcends any and all circumstances. It is a testament to the power of commitment and loyalty in a romantic relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
If the sun don't shine on me this morning
If everything seems to go wrong in the morning
And my hands and feet suddenly go cold
And I lose my feeling of warmth and security
And this pain alone wont let my hair go
And the pain I feel is so intense it grips my soul
And I'm paralyzed down to my toes
And I feel powerless, helpless and numb
Just know that
Just know that despite all these troubles:
Long as my heart beats
As while my heart is still beating,
My love wont ever sleep
My love for you will never rest
I don't need no alarm
I don't need an alarm to wake up and realize
Long as you're loving me
That as long as you keep loving me,
I'm mightyer than a king
My power and strength will surpass that of kings
Stronger than Hercules
I will be stronger than the mythological figure
And all because you decide to put your trust in me
And that's all because you deemed me worthy of your trust
L'll Never abandon you, leave you empty handed or stranded
I will always be there for you, no matter what happens
Boy I stand by you because this is exactly how God planned it
I am here for you because I believe it is destiny
'Aint got to understand it
We don't have to understand why, but
But boy I recommend that
But I do recommend that we ascertain:
You just accept that my every breath is yours
You should accept that I am wholeheartedly dedicated to you
For you I'll lay my life down
I will sacrifice everything for your love
Love you from sun up to sun down
I love you all hours of the day
Down, down, down
All the way
To my last round
Until I have no strength left
Till much as makes no more sound
Until there is nothing left to be said or done
If the world decided to crumble
Even if chaos ensues around me
And I was buried deep underneath these streets
And I was surrounded by debris and darkness
I could never gain my way through the debris
I could never find a way through the destruction
As long as I know you'll be waiting for me
As long as I know you're here waiting for me
Boy ama will be ok
Baby, I'll be okay
Just say you stay with me
Just promise to stay with me
I'll be loving more and more each in every day
I will love you more deeply each day that passes
No matter what people say
Regardless of what others may think or say about us
They got no authority
They don't have any say in our relationship
This is about you and me
This is solely about our love for each other
Anything else is irrelavant
Anything else is not important
Don't like that
If they don't like it,
They could fall back
They should back off
Back to the will
And go back to making their own choices
Let's be clear
Let's be honest and clear
I'm about you
I prioritize you above anything else
You about me
You feel the same way about me
I 'aint got no room for the inbetween
I have no space for anything else
Just say the word
Just say the words
And I'll be running rain or snow
And I will come running, no matter the weather or distance
Connected to you i start to move i see a glow
Because I'm connected to you, I feel a sense of purpose and direction
And I never know another
And I have never felt this way before with anyone else
Like I know you
Like I know you now
Boy you make a better me
You make me a better version of myself
And I just I wanna thank you
And I just want to thank you
Writer(s): JEFFREY L. OSBORNE, CRYSTAL NICOLE JOHNSON, JAKE RILEY, HARMONY DAVID SAMUELS
Contributed by Mackenzie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Krystle Ayana
on Imagine
love this song