Kristine W's highly anticipated debut studio jazz album, "Straight Up With A Twist," is available now at all major digital outlets and retail stores worldwide.

In the 30-track, double-CD set, the dance music icon transforms several of her No. 1 club hits into smooth jazz ballads. Reworked hits include, "Wonder Of It All," "Save My Soul," and "Stronger."

The album’s second single release, “What I Like About You,” hit No. 1 on iTunes Jazz singles chart, beating out singles by Nora Jones and Louis Armstrong.

San Diego Gay & Lesbian News recently got the chance to chat with Kristine about this new album and her upcoming gig at Anthology.

“That was so freaky, I was just ‘wow’ because it was awesome,” Kristine said about beating out jazz stars like Jones and Armstrong. “There were no promotions for the song at all, but people are loving it. The song will be released to radio soon, likely be in its first week of airtime by the time I arrive in San Diego.”

Kristine explained that jazz was a huge part of her childhood, and a jazz album was something she had been thinking about since her first dance hits were topping the charts. In the end, she produced "Straight Up With A Twist" herself, because she could not get the industry’s support for her ideas.

“It was exhausting,” Kristine recalled. “Quite a few producers would say, ‘oh you can’t do that’ or ‘you don’t really want to do that’ and they wouldn’t allow me to bring anything new into it. I didn’t want to do something that has been done already. I wanted to do something sexier, more fun, and cool.”

“I didn’t have the energy to listen to people tell me why it couldn’t happen,” she added. “And the record labels didn’t get it either. So I knew if I was going to flip my No. 1 dance records, I would have to do it on my own.”

Kristine credits the gay community for being able to finance the album.

“I owe the gay community a lot. I would not have had my own dreams without their support. I took the funds I earned from all my Pride shows, and got the best musicians that I could afford, so my fans basically financed the album," she said.

"Straight Up With A Twist" took four years to complete mostly due to the high cost of producing a double-CD album and scheduling studio time with all the different busy artists.

David Paich from the '70s rock band Toto is featured on the single, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." Other contributing talent includes Myron Dove, Ricky Z , Ed Roth, Eric Tewalt, Jason Hahn, Dave Hart and Lance Lee.

“These are musicians that have toured with Carlos Santana, Marc Anthony, Paulino Rubio, Diana Ross, Jeffery Osbourne and Paul McCartney,” Kristine explained. “It was an honor to work with such a high caliber of music professionals.

“I called it 'Straight Up With A Twist' because the vibe makes you feel like you should have a glass of champagne or a martini glass in your hand while listening to it. My friends and fans played a part in the inspiration. The live sessions are ‘straight up’ and the remake of my [dance hits] is the ‘twist’,” she said.

“This was my first foray in recording a jazz album,” Kristine continued. “I figured if I was going to do it, I was going to do it right. The end result is proof positive the wait was well worth it.”

Having what it takes

Though "Straight Up With A Twist" is Kristine’s first professional jazz album, jazz has long been in her blood.

Kristine’s mother raised a family of five on her own by singing jazz and standards in Washington state’s local juke joints. One of Kristine’s fondest memories is of singing alongside her mother.

“I was probably 8 years old, my sister was 12. My mom did our hair and makeup, because we were singing the background,” Kristine recalled. “The [gig] was this really fun, a Hawaiian luau party in the park and we drove in on a massive flat bed. It was really cool, I’ll never forget looking out into the crowd … things just took off from there.”

By the time she entered junior high, she was a budding jazz musician, competing in and winning jazz contests throughout the Northwest. House and dance music’s popularity spilled over from Canada into the northern region, sparking her interest in that genre during these traveling experiences.

“I loved the energy of it,” she said. “I played different instruments and thought it could be fun and exciting.”

She created a show that proved to be so successful, she soon found herself on her way to Las Vegas, headlining her own show at the Las Vegas Hilton.

She laughed recalling her mother not being thrilled with her pursuing a musical career or heading to Vegas.

“She would tell me that music was business, and that I really didn’t want to go there, ‘it’s hard’ and when I told her I was going to Vegas, she was like ‘oh, they’re going to find you in a garbage can,’ but I was just like OK, nice vote of confidence,” Kristine said.

Vegas, however, proved to be the start of a very successful career. Kristine performed more live shows than any other performer in the hotel’s history — including Elvis. June 28, 1998 was officially sanctioned Kristine W Day in the state of Nevada.

In 1996, Kristine launched her dance music career with her first Billboard No. 1, “Feel What You Want.” Fourteen years later, “The Power Of Music” became Kristine W’s 15th No. 1 hit.

Kristine W now ties Mariah Carey for third-most toppers on Billboard's Dance/Club Play Songs chart. Only Madonna (with 40) and Janet Jackson (with 19) have yielded more No. 1 hits.

She also holds the world’s record for Most Consecutive No. 1 Billboard Club Hits. Madonna and Janet Jackson have had seven No. 1 songs in a row; Kristine has scored nine. Despite her success, her mother yearned to see her return to her jazz roots.

“My mother would say things to me like, ‘You’re an Ella Fitzgerald inside that body,’ or there is ‘an old jazzer’ in you,” Kristine said. “It makes her cry now, she’s so excited about it. When I was a kid all her musician friends would tell her I was a natural and it didn’t come natural to my mom.

“I was just born with it. I picked up the saxophone at 9 and I just had it, but she had to work hard, so ['Straight Up With A Twist'] makes her cry.”

Kristine dedicated the album to her mother and her high school music teacher, both of whom she says were equally inspirational.

“The song on the album that has the most meaning to me is ‘Dream On’,” Kristine said. “It’s a song I wrote in college and never finished until this project. It’s funny to think of the girl I was then, writing the song, dreaming about her career, never imagining the fabulous road she would be traveling. It has been an incredible dream realized, sharing dance music with the world.”

Kristine W coming to San Diego

Creating "Straight Up With A Twist" was by no means an easy feat.

“It’s not for the faint of heart – we spent a lot of time at the piano,” Kristine says. “Dance is about 120 beats per minute and jazz is like half. They’re both vastly different, so you just want to have to do it bad enough to take the time to do it right.

“It cracks me up how different radio is for both genres. It’s all so polar opposite that it’s strange to be dabbling in both,” she continued. “I was scared in the end that people wouldn’t really like it, and I invested a lot of money and time, but if it doesn’t scare the shit out of you it’s not worth doing.”

Given the success already associated with the album, Kristine says she is definitely feeling better. “The week before the release, I had a weird time freaking myself out,” she said. “But I would do it again. I have the template now and I think I can make it faster. Plus it is making my dance music even better.”

Kristine’s fans will be in for a real treat when she performs in at Anthology on Saturday, Feb. 5. She plans to perform the entire album from beginning to end, omitting only a few of the musical arrangements.

“This really the first official show,” Kristine said. “The band at Anthology will be the band that recorded with me. My singers are also coming in, because we really want to go all out. Additionally, DJ Taj is going to spin before and after, and I absolutely love him.”

Kristine has very fond memories of San Diego performances, in particular a Christmas jazz show sponsored by SD PIX at Lips. She was on the fence at the time about making "Straight Up With A Twist," but the fans’ reception that night helped her decide to go for it.

“I’ve made a lot of friends and a lot of special people [in San Diego],” Kristine said. “I’m going to be giving out lots of hugs and kisses.”

Tickets are relatively inexpensive, for what is sure to be a spectacular, one-of-a-kind performance. In addition to mingling with the audience after the show, Kristine is also asking her fans to e-mail her any special requests or inform her of any special occasion.

If that were not enough, there is also a chance you might find yourself in her next music video.

“We are going to shoot the video for 'What I Like About You,' so be sure to look your best and your cutest,” Kristine said.

For additional information about Kristine’s performance, view SDGLN’s Events Calendar. To purchase tickets, visit the Anthology's website.