Singer, songwriter, and performer Crystal Murray — one of the most innovative voices in the European alternative scene — takes an important step in her career with the release of the remix of “PAYBACK.” The track comes to life anew with the participation of rapper TRIZ, known for “Baile do Bruxo,” and production by Victor WAO, responsible for hits like “Não Era Amor” (Giulia Be) and “Derrubar o Prédio” (Luan Santana). With baile funk beats, the song reinvents itself as a manifesto of resistance and freedom, marking Crystal’s first collaboration with Brazilian artists.
You’ve always blended music, fashion, and visual arts in your work, creating a unique universe full of identity. What motivated you to take this step and open yourself up to a new culture, like the Brazilian one, by remixing “PAYBACK”?
I’ve always loved mixing music with fashion and visuals, it’s how I build my world and show who I am. Each project is a way to go deeper into that world. With this remix of PAYBACK, I wanted to push things further and open the door to a new culture.
Brazilian music, especially baile funk, has this raw, loud, powerful energy that really speaks to me. It’s emotional and rebellious, just like PAYBACK. I didn’t want to just copy a sound I wanted to connect with the spirit behind it.
Exploring another culture through sound felt natural to me. It’s about sharing energy. That’s what makes music exciting how it can grow, travel, and transform while still staying true to its message.
“PAYBACK” is about breaking boundaries and reclaiming control. When you decided to bring Brazilian funk into the track, did you feel like the music had finally found its true form? How was it for you, artistically, to bring these different worlds together?
Yes, bringing Brazilian funk into PAYBACK felt like unlocking something that was already there. The message of the song is about breaking free, taking back power, and not asking for permission. Baile funk has that same spirit it’s wild, loud, and unapologetic. When I heard it with PAYBACK, it just clicked. It was like the song found a new way to speak.
Artistically, it was exciting. I love mixing worlds that aren’t supposed to go together and making them feel natural.
You mentioned that you’ve always had a lot of affection for Brazilian culture, especially the music, the parties, and the energy that comes from there. How did you transform that feeling into something tangible when collaborating with TRIZ and Victor WAO?“
I come from gospel, that’s where my roots are. It taught me to sing with feeling, with truth. The voice comes out raw, straight from the soul. That kind of emotion is something I carry with me in everything I do, no matter the style.
What surprised me is how deeply that connects with Brazilian culture. There’s a similar intensity there, especially in the music. Whether it’s funk, samba, or baile, the emotion is right there, loud, honest, full of life. Just like gospel, it’s music that doesn’t hold back.
Throughout your career, you’ve explored genres like trip-hop, alternative rap, and soul. Now, with Brazilian funk pulsing through the “PAYBACK” remix, how do you think this sound helped you expand the power and urgency that the track already had?
It’s not just something you hear, it’s something you feel. That rhythm added power to the track, like it pushed the message even louder, even faster. It gave PAYBACK a pulse that made the urgency impossible to ignore.
In the release, you mention that funk is urgent and makes you feel with your whole body. How has your relationship with your own music changed after diving into this visceral and powerful beat?
It’s really something of its own. I don’t see this remix as a shift, but more like a moment that felt right for this exact song. PAYBACK needed that energy: something raw, physical, urgent. The funk beat didn’t change my path, it just added a new layer to it.
My musical journey has always been about discovery and connection. I follow what moves me, and I get inspired by everything around me sounds, people, places, feelings. Every song becomes its own world, and this one just naturally found its way into a Brazilian universe.
I’m not trying to stick to one style. I’m building something bigger than that something full of meetings, emotions, and moments that surprise me.
This is your first collaboration with Brazilian artists, and you highlighted that it happened very naturally, without much calculation. How do you balance intuition and planned artistic construction in your creative process?
I t’s like dancing you follow the feeling, but you also know your steps. That balance is where the magic happens for me. When a song surprises me and makes sense in my universe, that’s when I know I’m on the right path.
You talked about the strong female presence and artistic resilience that emerged in this collaboration. As a woman and an artist, what was it like for you to bring this feminine strength to the “PAYBACK” remix?
As a woman and an artist, I know how much pressure there is to soften, to explain, to shrink. This remix was the opposite. It let me be loud, direct, and full of feeling. There’s something so freeing in that like saying: we’re here, and we’re not asking permission.
That kind of feminine energy isn’t just about strength it’s about resilience, creativity, and emotion. It’s a force that builds, that burns, that transforms. And in PAYBACK, I think you can really feel it.
You’ve said that the world needs to see what’s happening in the Brazilian scene. Which elements or artists caught your attention and made you want to explore Brazilian music even further?
Its sexy – its raw obviously u wanna see more.
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