Crystal Kay and yoonmirae Are Trailblazers in Asia. Now They’re Collaborating.

The two artists, who are mixed Black-Koreans, have teamed up for a new single, “Only One”. The single is a declaration of Kay’s multicultural heritage and the boundaries she broke to become a star in Japan.

Crystal Kay’s new single “Only One” is a historic comeback.

Not only does it reunite her with T.Kura, a producer who created some of her best music in the early-2000s, for the first time in nearly two decades, but it also marks one of the first musical collaborations between two mixed Black-Korean artists.

Crystal Kay is a trailblazer for in inclusivity in J-pop, but her story centers on the unexpected journey she took to become a beloved star in Japan.  

It was, after all, the Japanese recording industry that made her into a star at thirteen years old when she debuted in 1999 with “Everlasting Memories”. But Kay, who has spent the majority of her life performing and working, never had much time to reflect on her identity as the daughter of a Black American man and a Korean woman. (Her mother is also a singer who performed under the name Sincere.) It wasn’t until this past year, as she promoted her 25th anniversary in the industry, that she began to talk in great detail about how her heritage might have shaped her.  

​Kay reflected on this shift during an interview for a profile I wrote about her last year. “I don’t think I was considering my impact or my position as a mixed culture singer. Those kinds of things came after,” she told me, before stopping herself. “Actually, I think I’m able to look at it from a distance now.”

Kay has spent the past year celebrating her 25th anniversary. In the spring, she released a greatest hits compilation, and in August, she embarked on her first North American tour, where she learned, also for the first time, just how much she means to fans who have followed her since her debut in 1999. For Black J-pop fans, Crystal is seen as a trailblazer as one of the industry’s first biracial stars. Her work, particularly with producers T.Kura and MICHICO on albums like Almost Seventeen and 4 Real, remains revolutionary in Japanese R&B.

Kay has hinted for months that new music was coming, and this weekend she released “Only One” with rapper yoonmirae. This collaboration highlights Kay’s heritage: yoonmirae, like Kay, is biracial, with a Black father and Korean mother. Both women are, in many ways, outsiders: yoonmirae was born in Texas and moved to Korea as a child, while Kay has just started promoting in Korea.

“We've known each other for over 20 years, which makes it such an honor to finally collaborate,” Kay told me when asked about collaborating with yoonmirae. “We share a similar background, and she is an absolute legend in Korea. We've created such a fun, catchy song together.”

The track is also a musical return to form for Kay, reuniting her with producer T.Kura. The single marks the first time the two have worked together in nearly two decades. But what I love most about the music is its strikingly upbeat, modern sound, fusing R&B with EDM.

Yet it is the partnership of Kay and yoonmirae that makes this such a powerful single. There are so few singers who represent the multicultural backgrounds of these two legends, and it is heartening to see Kay, particularly, embracing her identity and taking full ownership of her artistry on this track. The music industry may have been slow to hail her as a trailblazer who was often ahead of her time. But you can hear the proof in any of her collaborations with T.Kura and MICHCIO, like “What Time Is It?” or “Girl U Love”. Yet here, on “Only One”, she sounds fully aware of her potential as an artist beginning a second act. Now, at 40, Kay is more confident and self-assured than ever.

Kay is proud and “incredibly happy” that she was able to film the music video in Korea, “a place deeply connected to my own roots.”

But the most important part, she added, is the story behind the song: “I'd be even happier if people could really feel the multicultural movement behind this project. I can't wait for everyone to hear our song - and tell me, who is your Only One?”