A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston

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Whitney Houston is as big a superstar as the music business has ever known. She exploded on the scene in 1985 with her debut album and spent the next two decades dominating the charts and capturing the hearts of fans around the world. One person was there by her side through it all--her best friend, Robyn Crawford. Understandably, in your book you say you found it hurtful the way she responded when she was asked about her sexuality. I've seen interviews where she would respond with things like “Whitney's only gay when she's happy, honey." I’m thankful Robyn was in her life. However, Robyn was ultimately pushed out by the ugliness along with Sylvia. Its a crying shame she wasn’t even able to attend the service.

Music was in every part of the body; she loved it, craved it, and said she was going to be a professional singer. This had been her mantra since she was twelve. She was singular in her focus, outlining all the steps she needed to follow get where she needed to go. By the others, she doesn’t only mean the legions of fans; she means those who profited directly from Houston – the business associates and layers of family who, Crawford contends in the book, bled the singer so dry that she had no option but to keep going on tour, even as her drug abuse left her physically vulnerable. Cocaine had been part of the two women’s lives as teenagers, until Crawford’s mother had found out and yelled at her to quit. It took Crawford a while, but she did. At the time, Houston had vowed to quit, too. With awful poignancy, Houston once told her: “Cocaine can’t go where we’re going.” Houston became mega-famous when she signed with Arista Records: with a string of number one hit records and sold out concert tours world wide-- her relationship with Crawford was constantly scrutinized by the press. Instead of giving interviews, which may have improved her social standing somewhat, Houston made harsh and derogatory statements against homosexuality and defined herself rigidly as a "man's woman". Behind closed doors, Houston often said that she couldn't be herself, as she made plans to go through with her marriage to Brown. Immediately following the wedding the couple became tabloid fodder with their very public fights and drama, and Houston's use of substance escalated.

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A Song for You] is a story of becoming, of starting over and loving again, of healing in immeasurable ways that are both scarring yet beautiful.” Whitney Houston is as big a superstar as the music business has ever known. She exploded on the scene in 1985 with her debut album and spent the next two decades dominating the charts and capturing the hearts of fans around the world. One person was there by her side through it all—her best friend, Robyn Crawford. Did she know how to grieve for Houston? “That was rough. I really felt my insides just fall. And I had a lot of emotions. I was angry, the way it happened. The stuff I was hearing; I had spoken to people who were there on the floor… ”

Whitney Houston is as American as apple pie. She is Americana to me; she's an icon. What was it like having a front row seat to that journey? How did you have the emotional intelligence to share your best friend with the entire world while also being her assistant? Robyn Crawford (born December 17, 1960) is an American author, producer, and former assistant to and creative director for Whitney Houston. [1] [2] Her credits include The Bodyguard (1992), Waiting to Exhale (1995), In Between (1987), and Cinderella (1997). [3] Early life [ edit ] Through it all, what’s clear is that Robyn loved Whitney (and vice versa), and she probably gave up too much of her life for Whitney, and she finally had to let go and find a healthy life of her own. So my role was: "I've got to protect her and let her know what's happening." I would get to the next spot on her itinerary 15 minutes ahead of time to get a vibe for the energy in the room so that when she got there, I could tell her what to expect.Robyn Crawford came across dozens of boxes of memorabilia from her time working with Houston while writing her book A Song For You. Courtesy of Robyn Crawford, Photographed by Allie Holloway I didn’t write about this book immediately after reading it because I honestly didn’t know what I thought about it. After giving it time to sink in, I realize the reason I was so conflicted was because this book is not so much about Whitney Houston, as it is about Robyn Crawford. As I began to process it from that perspective, it all became clear. Surely it was because she was jealous? “I would say Whitney was possessive. The jealousy I’ve witnessed was volatile – that which my mother experienced with my father, and quite frankly, the way I saw Bobby treat Whitney – that’s jealousy. Hers was possessiveness: you’re mine.” With warmth, candor, and an impressive recall of detail, Robyn describes the two meeting as teenagers in the 1980s, and how their lives and friendship evolved as Whitney recorded her first album and Robyn pursued her promising Division I basketball career. Together during countless sold-out world tours, behind the scenes as hit after hit was recorded, through Whitney's marriage and the birth of her daughter, the two navigated often challenging families, great loves, and painful losses, always supporting each other with laughter and friendship. Crawford was born in Newark, New Jersey, but grew up as one of three siblings in East Orange, New Jersey. Crawford's mother left her father due to his abuse. [4] Both her mother, Janet Crawford, and her brother, Marty, were diagnosed with HIV, and both died of AIDS related illness in the ’90s. [5] Relationship with Whitney Houston [ edit ]

Caramanica, Jon (November 7, 2019). "Whitney Houston's Confidante Robyn Crawford Breaks Her Silence". The New York Times.For decades at a time, the media feasted on rumors that you and Whitney were romantically involved. You wrote that this wasn't true at the time of the speculation, but had been true for a brief period in your younger years. After all that, I'm curious how it feels to write about a time when you two were physical and romantic and share it with the world? With warmth, candor, and an impressive recall of detail, Robyn describes the two meeting as teenagers in the 1980s, and how their lives and friendship evolved as Whitney recorded her first album and Robyn pursued her promising Division I basketball career. Together during countless sold-out world tours, behind the scenes as hit after hit was recorded, through Whitney’s marriage and the birth of her daughter, the two navigated often challenging families, great loves, and painful losses, always supporting each other with laughter and friendship. This is Robyn’s story and it’s not a tell all but rather the life of Whitney Houston from her unique perspective. She really didn’t tell us anything that we didn’t already either know or assume and she knew Whitney MUCH LONGER than MOST.