The youngest of 8 siblings, Airrel grew up in a lively and large household in Chicago, Illinois. “We lived all over Chicago,” says Airrel, “Rodgers Park, Evanston, Skokie, Westside, Eastside, and South side.” “Both of my parents were ministers so I grew up in a very religious household. I attended Catholic schools all of my life and only had access to Gospel and occasionally Jazz music.”
Once in her 20s, Airrel moved out on her own and put down roots in Los Angeles. Joining the Crescent family over a year ago, she has found a home away from home. “I am the receptionist for the LA office,” says Airrel. “I answer phones, put jobs into our Talent Rover, keep track of numbers for the office, order all of our supplies, etc. Clerical work really but I enjoy greeting guests when they come in. I strive to make it a safe and welcome environment for everyone that comes into the office.”
“My first experience here was being slightly interrogated/interviewed by my future boss, Michael Chiang,” she said. “Mike asked me if I could name a song by Michael Jackson AND name the exact album that it was on. Mind you, MJ is my favorite artist, but I was so nervous that I blanked. I couldn’t do it. We laughed and I started to feel comfortable but I knew two things from that day on. One, Mike is the ultimate MJ fan, and two, I need to be prepared all the time!” she says with a laugh.
“One of my favorite moments in the office was during our 5 o’clock board meeting. Mike asked us all to tell him our favorite artist. We all took turns and when it came to Vichy, he said Taylor Swift. Of course Mike didn’t believe him so he asked him to name 5 songs that she currently had on the radio. To everyone’s surprise Vichy started laying songs out like they were cards! Mike’s face was priceless. Everyone was laughing. That 25 year old man really loves him some Taylor Swift!”
Outside of the office, Airrel is a singer, dancer, and is currently in a play called Harlem’s Night. “I’ll be playing a sultry sassy bartender. Sounds like me already right,” she says with a smile. “I also sing with a band called New Jump Blues. Last year we had the pleasure of singing at the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.” On top of all of this, Airrel creates and produces music with her older brother. “We are ‘WatkinsMusic’ and you can find us on Soundcloud, iTunes, Google, and Amazon.
“My personality is…special. I am still growing into who I am so it’s a work in progress. My sense of humor is versatile – I can be dry, I can be dark, I can be very goofy. I love hanging with my friends and making people laugh. With me, you just get a whole lot of crazy” 