by Chris Lamb

Some girls get all the luck and singer Krystal Harris probably has the largest lucky streak going in 2001, she’s the opening act on the Backstreet Boys’ world tour.

Krystal’s relationship with the Backstreet Boys began when the Kevin, Howie, Nick, Brian, and A.J. decided they would start their own record company called The Firm. Looking for new talent the BSB’s found Krystal, a talented, struggling singer/songwriter searching for a record deal.

"It all got started through my manager Jonathan Rant," says Krystal. "He’s my best friend and we’re kind of like Sonny and Cher, partners in everything. He’s known the Backstreet Boys since they first started and even wrote three or four songs on their first album. He was on the phone with Kevin telling him about all our experiences with the major labels and Kevin says, ‘look, we’re going to be starting our own label and we would love to have Krystal.’ He’d heard some of my music and had met me once in passing so he wanted to be the one who broke it open for us.”

Now Krystal is playing sold out arenas across North America with the boy band and will be included in an autumn jaunt into Europe. Not bad at all. Krystal, however, realizes her luck and is capable of living up to her unique expectations. Born into a musical family, Krystal has been playing piano since the age of three and first began recording in a music studio at seven. Chatting happily with TeenMusic.com from her hotel room, Krystal maintains that she was born to be a musician and would have achieved success regardless of the eventual path taken.

“(My situation) is really a blessing because I’ve heard that when you’re a new artist you go on tours that aren’t necessarily that great. I’m a hard worker and I was prepared for that…but this tour is so awesome.”

Let’s go back to the beginning. Born in Indiana, Krystal’s youth was unconventional and more than a little bohemian. She never had true roots and spent most of her childhood traveling with her musician parents, moving from town to town, singing and playing in churches and with other music groups. Since she was an only child, Krystal got a lot of encouragement.

“They prepared me from a very young age to do this and still are very supportive and are there when I need them,” says Krystal.

“But Krystal,” says this puzzled interviewer, “you understand that most parents try and keep their kids as far away from the music business as possible, don’t you?”

She laughs, “Yeah, well they wanted me to have a backup plan but they also knew that this is what I was meant to do.”

Being the Backstreet Boys opening act isn’t an easy task. Put yourself in Krystal’s shoes for a moment and consider what it must be like. Thousands of maniacal fans literally passing out in anticipation of seeing their heroes, waving fluorescent glow-sticks and generally creating a scene usually reserved for Beatlemania. Then you have to get up and sing your songs first because you’re the opening act. Now that’s pressure! “Well, so far the fans have been screaming their guts out, which is a good sign I guess,” says Krystal.

The word is that she’s gaining a large fan base; her first single Supergirl has attracted fans to her web site bulletin board as they write in to support her talent. Questions about her debut album Me & My Piano are common and altogether, this opening act is earning her due quickly. In fact, the adoration coupled with this ‘chance of a lifetime tour’ has often made Krystal feel like Supergirl.

“People ask me if I feel like I’m a super girl because of the situation that I’m in and sometimes I do. The reason for that is, gosh, I’m just a regular girl who’s got a shot. Basically I believe that there’s a super girl inside of everybody. So this is an anthem for me and for everybody so they can change the world that they’re in and they can accomplish the dreams that they have.”

A singer, a songwriter, a superhero fan, Krystal says she fits right in with the close-knit friends who double as the BSB’s touring entourage. “They’re like a family,” she says.

And what about the Backstreet Boys themselves?

“They’re really awesome people and not just some guys who sold a ridiculous amount of albums, and that means a lot to me,” she says. “Kevin in particular always encourages me to be myself. They’ve never tried to put me in some kind of box, they’re just there to let Krystal be Krystal.”

Krystal’s debut album Me & My Piano will be released this summer.

Log onto Krystal's official web site for music, video-clips, and news updates at www.krystalthesupergirl.com.