As they wrap a world tour, Krewella’s #KREW love is only growing
From Krewella’s uniquely powerful mixed vocals to their rebellious fashion statements, these sisters bash through gender barriers with every lyric.
They’ve grown a mass following loyally dubbed as the #KREW. Combining influences from rock and middle eastern melodies, there doesn’t seem to be a combination off limits.
From intimate acoustic performances to laser shows that transport you to another realm, you never know what to expect when these two hit the stage. Coming from Chicago, Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf transformed themselves from college students to worldwide known electronic artists.
Waiting backstage for the sisters to wrap up their meet and greets, I found myself surrounded by the core of the #KREW. With a vibe of an ending kegger, I saw hometown friends, family, and the classic bottle of Jame-o perched on a set of speakers. When the sisters finally made their way through the room, they looked like two girls who just finished an intense spin session, an equal mix of exhaustion and satisfaction.
Rocking their classic tomboy cool style of camo cargo pants, crop tops, and skater shoes, we sat down to talk about the wrap of their New World Tour.
Since Galore sat down with you last year, what has been your biggest accomplishment of 2017?
After almost 7 years of touring, we feel that this year has really been about connecting with fans. We’ve gotten the opportunity to hear a lot of stories while road tripping across the US. We’ve heard stories about breakups, fans driving across state lines, and feedback on our new album.
We really wanted to show our fans that we aren’t on a pedestal and that we’re equal to everyone. We have the same emotions as everyone else, and we wanted our fans to know that we understand them at the end of the day. This is also probably the first time that we have actually been fully happy with an album (New World Part 1) from start to finish, with zero regrets.
How does it make you feel when girls tell you that you inspire them?
We really love when girls tell us specific stories about their lives. We had this girl in Toronto tell us something along the lines of, “Krewella shows me that you don’t need a dick to have an impact on stage.” We really want girls to know that we are more similar than they think and we really appreciate their support.
Being one of the only female groups in the club and festival scene, do you think there has been a rise in female presence in this genre?
We definitely noticed that compared to when we first started there’s a lot more diversity in the crowds. We see more women and people of all cultures, not just white males.
Some say EDM is dying, when really it’s just revolving. We’ve connected with a lot more females in the industry and they give us hope that more women can do it too. Seeing females on stage and performing truly inspires us to keep pushing forward, girl power!
New World was released in honor of the day you both quit school and your side jobs to fully focus on Krewella, what advice would you give to women who have a dream they would like to pursue, but are afraid to take the plunge?
A huge thing we battled back in the day was trusting our gut. We always have society telling us how to dress, act, and what to post on social media. What it comes down to is if it doesn’t feel right, you won’t be a genuine artist and get the results you’re hoping for. You will honestly find success in trusting yourself.
A lot of your pieces on tour are vintage and one of a kind, what advice would you give to girls who are looking to update their wardrobes?
Our aunt actually influenced us when it comes to fashion. We try not to buy new clothes unless we absolutely need something. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat yourself, especially if it’s something you can see yourself wearing all the time. Function is a great rule to go by. Yasmine was actually wearing the same pair of Converse every show until they finally tore, now she reluctantly moved on to a pair of Vans. It’s actually extremely liberating when you create your own boundaries. We also believe in recycling clothes for environmental purposes.
You experimented with Middle Eastern influenced melodies recently, what would you like your fans to take away from your Pakistani background in your music?
For us, it’s extremely authentic and we wanted to use our platform in a creative way. We want our music to resonate with our fans organically. We just wanted them to listen to the music as a whole, not specifically thinking they were just listening to Middle Eastern music. We really didn’t want to stay inside the box and hope it exposes people to different sounds in all cultures.
Best Chicago spots to hit when you come home?
There’s so many! Chicago is one of the best when it comes to food. We always try to stop at Piece Pizza, Glazed and Infused, Café Umbria, and Siena Tavern.
What can your fans look forward in 2018?
We have A LOT of new music coming with Part 2 of New World. We have international dates that will be announced soon and posted on Krewella.com.
Dream collabs?
We would love to collaborate with 21 Pilots or this new artist we’ve been obsessively listening to, NF. His album Perception is insane!
