By Raven Martin You have never met anyone like her. She is the essence of what true strength and determination looks like. Artist Krys Ivory has endured what several people go through in several lifetimes. She knows how true swagger is found. As a child, Krys Ivory found solace and sanctuary in a Baptist church in Los Angeles. She sang in several youth choirs while her mother worked as a volunteer in the church’s homeless ministry, and as her father worked as pastor. Her experiences with the youth choir included performing in talent shows and a brief encounter with Barbara Streisand. Though Krys was talented in other artistic areas at a young age, Barbara Streisand gave 11-year old Krys all the motivation she needed to pursue music as a career. “For a while, when people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I had a million things to tell them. I’d say, ‘I want to be a singer, an actress, a painter – I want to be a STAR!’” However, pushing forward often comes with adversity that pressures your ambitions. School was difficult for Krys because other students would pick on her because they disliked her looks. Her sense of rebellion came at an early age but would remain her means to escape. In high school, things got so heavy that her parents made the decision for her to finish school elsewhere. When she was 21, with several demos on MySpace, Krys was contacted by Rasheed Richmond, a business partner of writer, singer-songwriter, producer Ryan Leslie. “He said, ‘I think you should work with Ryan Leslie. I can’t guarantee it, but he’s going to be at his studio and if you’re available, come though and maybe you guys can cut some records together.”
KRYS IVORY: THE ESSENCE OF SWAGGER
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“I went the next day to the studio and all these girls were there, singers, song writers, all of them trying to cut a deal with Ryan Leslie! I was like ‘Damn!’ I know talent speaks for itself but these chicks were gorgeous. “But Rasheed kind of favored me in a way. He saw something. He saw that I was different. I wasn’t like the rest of those other gorgeous model-looking chicks, but I definitely had the vocals and talent to bring. I had my own identity that he didn’t have to make.” “We cut an entire song and Ryan asked me to sign with Next Selection that night.” After all of her hard work, Krys had finally gotten her big break. But the glee Krys felt after this fortunate night with Ryan Leslie and the recording of her first single, “Next 2 Ya” was cut short. “Swagger comes from hardships. It comes from life experience. You can’t just get swagger over night. You’ve got to earn it.” That following year, Krys was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She endured a year-long battle that would not only change her physically, but mentally. The disease literally brought her to her knees. As with a lot of patients going through chemotherapy, Krys lost all of her hair. However, nothing stopped her from shining. “I used to do commercial modeling back when I had long blonde hair. I looked like a Disney chick and I got booked for jobs left and right. Later, I found that when my hair was short, I didn’t get many jobs. When my hair fell out I had a blonde wig, and I used to go and try to model with a blonde wig and it didn’t really work as well as I thought it would. “I just pushed modeling out of the picture. The only reason I did it was to pay the bills so now modeling is out of the picture.” Don’t think you have to do it all alone. Getting real personal with Krys Ivory. . . Raven: I was shocked that after surviving non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, you used that determination and strength to continue your music career, and you’re only 23. What goes through your mind when you think about everything you’ve been through?
Raven: How is your relationship with music going now? Krys: My relationship with music is going well. My relationship with the industry is an emotional roller coaster. Raven: Would you say that your personal style is a result of the struggles you’ve experienced? Krys: Over the years, who I am and my confidence level has changed so much. I remember not too long ago, four or five years ago, I had self-esteem issues. And it was when I went through the tough times that I held on and I trusted in God that I was able to find out who I truly was. I feel like what doesn’t kill you, definitely makes you stronger, but it also teaches you how to learn about yourself. It’s like life brings you to your knees. When you learn about yourself and you learn how to deal with hard problems, that’s when you are able to take in your own style, your own swagger because you learn how to cope with certain things on a certain level and I think that’s how people gain their swagger. Swagger comes from hardships. It comes from life experience. You can’t just get swagger over night. You’ve got to earn it.” Now at 23, it seems like there is nothing that can keep Krys Ivory from achieving the aspirations she had when she was younger--to be a star. And as you can see, she has the type of swagger that will take her as far as she wants to go. For More on Krys Ivory please visit: www.krysivory.com Photography: Anthony Frausto, styling by Allie Marque & Danni Rouge.
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Raven: Yes. Krys: GOD. I owe him my life because he gave me life. It’s weird because I felt this coming. It was almost like when you drop a rock into a pool and there’s that ripple effect that’s how I felt. I felt like something really big was coming, but I didn’t know what it was and it scared me. So, I told my family and friends and all of my artist friends and the producers I was working with. I said, ‘Something huge is coming. It’s a big blessing but something else is in it, and it’s scaring me. And I don’t know what it is.’ So I went through what I went through, but I got signed with Ryan Leslie and I got all these opportunities and blessings, I felt exactly what was coming. Sometimes you don’t get a warning but I got a warning.
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