Fresh Pic

My name is Crystallea and unless you have heard my music, or recently read about me on the internet then you don’t know who I am despite that I have been a musician my whole life. I was named after country singer Crystal Gayle and actress Jamie Lee Curtis. My last name, Monroe, is reminiscent of the beautiful star and sex symbol I’ve looked up to since I was a child. My story began on Friday the thirteenth in July. People have always said, “Wow, you were born unlucky”, but I beg to differ. After such a tumultuous early life I consider myself lucky to still be here and writing this. I learned how and have been doing hair and makeup for media MY media for many years . I learned how to make anybody CAMERA READY with next to nothing :) ( well and my Paul Mitchell education :)My life is full of secrets from behind the silver screen. I could label drop or name drop and tell the whole truth of my story, but what purpose would that really serve? I’m not sure how many of you would even believe me. From a young age I began to chase my dreams of being a performing musician. As I grew up and into my own body I became more and more seduced by the allure of fortune and fame. Success, however, doesn’t always follow desire. The cameras stopped flashing for me and I soon fell into a rut. This was made much deeper and more painful, first from my mother’s suicide and then from the loss of my eldest daughter. I began praying for an angel to save me and fell into the loving but deadly arms of addiction. I was taught from age three that no matter what the show must go on and drugs became the only way I could make it to the next day still wearing a smile on my face. I hated myself for who I had become; I doubted myself and what I had believed my purpose was. In the music industry if you want to portray the image of being a rockstar then you have to party like a rockstar. It’s all part of the game and success in the business doesn’t depend on how good of a musician you are… it depends much more on how good of an image you have. Unless everyone in the world knows your face and you have money and labels to back your name then you are a ‘nobody’. Expect to be treated as such. One of the most famous slogans I’ve ever heard is, “Hollywood, a place where dreams come true”. It makes it sound as if everyone has a chance. It’s so heartbreaking how many young people chasing their dreams have fallen prey to addiction and lost faith, hope, and then their lives. It has taken me my whole life to realize the gift of my music is not a monetary one; it’s having the ability to create change. Using the right words can inspire someone to believe in themselves. I just want those like me and fellow musicians on a mission who fight to live a dream --who may have become an addict themselves-- to keep trying every day, to keep fighting no matter how far gone they may be. Do not give up and instead, endure. Let your pain be the pen that writes the lyrics that saves someone’s life. Don’t let people hold you down for being honest about yourself. Be proud of yourself for following your heart, and you will stronger than before. If you survive this then maybe the answer to who you are is at the end of this road. Now I am the new mother of a beautiful daughter and the owner of a really cool hydroponics store Indoor Growers in sunny Jacksonville, Florida. I may not be a big deal in the music industry but the mission I live for is. I live my life so I can change the lives of others. I want make miracles happen; I may not know exactly how I’m going to do it, but I do know I want to be a part of a large-scale peace, love, and freedom movement that saves lives by funding the dreams of inspired individuals.