She’s very small looking sitting in an oversized plush chair in the suite at the Hyatt in Los Angeles. She’s almost shaking as she’s sitting there watching my every move. She wants to talk about the harsh reality of being connected to the Backstreet Boys, so I let her talk. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the guys,” she says, carefully considering her words, “but sometimes it gets a little...overwhelming, I guess, being in their shadow, on their label and all. I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity they gave me, but to tell you the truth, ‘Backstreet’ is becoming a dirty word in American culture and sometimes I really don’t want to be apart of it. I feel as if it [being associated with the Backstreet Boys] might be holding me back somewhat. Like people are overlooking me because a ‘boyband’ discovered me and signed me to their label. It’s like sometimes I look at people and I can tell they’re thinking, ‘She can’t have any talent. She’s in cahoots with that boy group.’ I guess that’s why I always end up wowing reporters and critics. Because, well, not to sound conceited or anything, but I really can sing.” To prove her point, she starts singing softly. Even though I came into this interview with no doubts of Krystal’s immense talent, even she never ceases to amaze me.

The next topic on the plate is her girlfriend, Becca. An aspiring radio DJ in a small California town. Krystal can’t seem to get away from the subject of the woman she adores. “She’s absolutely wonderful,” she gushes easily. “I mean, I couldn’t ask for a better friend. It is kinda weird dating a fan though. I know it’s so tabu in the [music] business to date fans, but I couldn’t help myself.” She pauses as if she’s considering what to say next. Considering was not what she was doing. Plotting was more like it. “As a fan, she’s wonderful, but as a girlfriend, well, I’m really not sure. She’s very supportive, but I think she’s still having doubts about the relationship. And I can see why. I mean, this is her first homosexual relationship and for it to be so public as it has been has got to be tough. But then again, I think she has been denying herself for a long time. I, however, have been out for a while.” This remark does shock and astound me. If she had been “out” for a long time, why hadn’t the media picked up on it? “Oh, well, you guys [the media] just didn’t ask the right questions,” she replies. “I mean, yeah, I’m always gonna say that I don’t have a boyfriend, because, well, I don’t. And when I’m asked if I’m single, yeah, I’d say yes. No one ever stopped to ask if I had a girlfriend.”

She pauses and readjusts herself on the chair, trying to find a spot that’s comfortable. “See, I’m using Becca to make this whole ‘coming out’ thing a whole lot easier. Sure I may turn a few heads at the MTV VMAs, but people expect the unexpected there. But the Grammys, the AMAs, these are different stories. Yes, she’d go with me to any awards show, assuming she can make it, but what I’m really trying to do is to break boundaries. Go where no artist has gone before.” She giggles at her little remark before continuing. “Anyone who heard my song “My Religion,” which was a ton of people being it was on the Burger King CDs and my own album, knows about my plight. I’ve been battling this for a long time. I finally came to the conclusion that, you know what, my God doesn’t care about whom I love. He made me and He loves me for who I am. My religion isn’t some strange faith, it’s simply loving everyone. Becca picked up on that, and that’s probably why we wound up together.” She bites on a fingernail subconsciously before saying anything more. She’s got to analyze the nail and make sure it’s the right length before she moves on. “I mean, it’s not really that hard being bi and being a musician. Melissa Etheridge is in a relationship; Sir Elton John is in a relationship; k. d. lang is ‘out.’ I mean, what’s the big deal if I am bi? That’s just one more person on the planet who has stood up and said, ‘Hey, I’m not going to lie to myself anymore!’ That’s all it is.”

She gets up out of the chair and walks over to the window. Initially I think the interview is over, but then I realize she’s still talking to me, as if I’m the air around her and she’s just letting everything go out into it. “I’ve never wanted to end my life,” she says coolly. “And I’ve never done drugs, never smoked, never drank. To the average person, I seem like a goody-goody and that I would never survive in the rock ‘n’ roll industry being so full of alcoholics and drugies. But then again, I enjoy sex, like every other person on this planet. That’s probably the only reason why I’m even in a relationship right now: the sex. The love and stuff is all nice, but when you get right down to it, it all comes back to sex. That was something I wasn’t getting in my last relationship. He couldn’t get past the manager-artist thing so I knew we were doomed from the start. But Becca, well, she was different. She let me fondle her almost right away. I knew then that it wouldn’t be long before we were sharing a bed together. Yeah, AJ got on my case about it, but he always does. He seems to be able to read me the best out of the group. He always seems to know if the sex has been good or not, don’t ask me why.”