Krewella wants to make it perfectly clear that when they hit the stage, it’s time to party. The trio, composed of sisters Yasmine and Jahan Yousaf, and producer “Rainman” (Kris Trindl), were in Columbus, Ohio on October 31 for a Halloween themed event at the Bluestone, presented by Prime Social Group. The group, along with manager Jake Udell (JQ), all hail from Chicago where they first met in high school. Growing up in Chicago, all three members were influenced by music in their own separate ways. Metal, indie and progressive rock all had huge influences on their sound, which can be seen through their melodic flow and heavy breakdowns. Their smooth transitions and incorporation of different genres made for a set that kept the crowd guessing, but always moving.
Krewella released their first EP in June of 2011 titled “Play Hard” which jumpstarted their recent success and a tour across the United States. The trio has played at some of the largest festivals in the US this year including: Electric Zoo, Global Dance Festival, and Spring Awakening. From the minute we sat down with them, we could tell that this group was just one big family, full of energy and passion towards dance music.
How did you guys become Krewella? How did you guys meet? What was the genesis of your group?
Jahan: Well as you know Yasmine and I are sisters and Kris and I met in high school when I was 16 years old. Honestly, we met through partying. Before this all became an actual career it was just a hobby. I remember Kris was making beats in his apartment and I thought it was really cool so I began writing songs over his beats. As time went on we actually considered turning it into a career; we tried out a few people but Yasmine was in an Indie band at the time so we convinced her to quit her band and join Krewella! From there, we progressively started quitting our jobs and dropping out of school to pursue music full-time. Since we first got started, it has been about 4 or 5 years.
What region or area do you guys come from; rural area, inner city, suburbs?
Kris: We are all from Chicago. We all went to the same high school about 30 minutes north of Chicago. Even our manager Jake Udell went to school with us. Yasmine: Yeah we are like one big, happy family! We all go way back! Kris: Let me tell you, I’ve got some stories about this one (pointing at manager Jake Udell).
Do you think the area you grew up in influenced your sound at all?
Kris: We actually come from the same area as Fall Out Boy started and they were a huge influence to us. Yasmine: Kris was actually really big in the metal scene in Chicago and I know it’s an overlooked thing because people always think “house music” but there was a really cool metal scene and we came up from that. Jahan: Yeah, Chicago really influenced us. You can really see our musical background in the breakdowns of our songs. I mean Chicago is known for house music and we definitely respect house but we are more into harder electronic dance music.
Okay, so if Kris came from the metal scene in Chicago, what about you two? (Jahan & Jasmine)
Jahan: I was always a choir girl, all the way from elementary school until high school! But honestly, all of us listen to so many different genres there is a lot of music that influenced our sound. We are inspired by so many different styles of music.