'Gypsy Woman' chats from the loo of a train somewhere in America

In 1991 a song about a homeless woman became a huge hit internationally. With its catchy "la la dee, la la da" refrain, Gypsy Woman catapulted American singer and songwriter Crystal Waters to stardom. Three years later she followed it up with two gold selling albums, Surprise and Storyteller which produced two more top ten hits Relax and 100% Pure Love. Waters' latest single My Time is featured on the upcoming album by remixer extraordinaire Dutch, who has worked with the likes of Kylie Minogue and David Bowie, and is currently at number two on the Australian Dance Charts.

Speaking from the toilet in a train in the US from her mobile phone, Waters tells me the song is about what she's going through at the moment. "The last couple of years I've not been focused on the music so it's about me coming around and being focused and doing what I want to do. I want to give this music thing one more big try - I want to do one more great album."

Most of her songs, in fact, are inspired by either her own experiences or those of people around her. "I like to tell stories," she explains. "Gypsy Woman was written about a person I used to see on the streets and she would sing gospel songs for money. Originally people liked it just because of the 'la dee da da da', but then after a while I think they started to listen to the words and I think both of these together made it a hit."

Gypsy was not the only political song Waters has penned. Daddy Do, which features on the Storyteller album, is about domestic violence and child abuse and caused some tension with her record label. "They didn't like Daddy Do," she laughs. "It's amazing that everyone knows that song but it was never released. I thought that would be my first single but the label refused to release it. If I write something with dance on it, sometimes I'm not taken seriously, then I when I come up with serious lyrics they say 'that'll never work'. But you know, if I'd have listened to them when I wrote Gypsy Woman, I would never have written it."

As a woman in the music industry, Waters has experienced her share of discrimination, but hopes that by sharing her experiences in her music that she'll be a role model for younger female artists. "I've made lots of mistakes and learned a lot, even in my personal life. I've learned I have to do what I love and love what I do and if I can at least put that much across to somebody and not live by dictating to somebody else. Men always still get more than females in publishing deals - they just seem to get a lot more promotion. In the dance world, still the producers try and take control because you're female and just want to pay you $300 and send you home."

Waters started her singing career by writing poetry. At age 14 she was the youngest inductee into the American Poetry Society. Strangely enough, it was a psychic who first suggested that she should be singing her own material. "I never go to psychics and the one time I went with my friends, I lost my voice that very day. The psychic told me, 'there is something that you are not doing with your voice that you really want to'. I went home and thought about that and the next day I started calling around about singing backup for local musicians.'"

As far as musical influences and icons go, Waters says her favourite singer is Ella Fitzgerald. "Because no matter what she was singing she always sounded like she had a smile on her face and that's one thing I try to do when I'm singing. I love Madonna too, I love Chaka Khan and Beyonce - it's just amazing what she's done, her voice is incredible."

Although she's had several hits in Australia, Waters has yet to visit, but insists she is very keen to do so and particularly enjoys playing to gay audiences. "When I first started, the gay community were the first to embrace me. Even now when I put a song out, that's the people who embrace me. I don't know why but I thank them so much and even when I do shows when they say it's a gay club I can't wait to do it - it's so much more fun."

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