KID SISTR

By Semira Robinson Junior, Phillips Academy Andover

L to r: Sara Keden (bassist), Sabel (guitarist), and Rebecca Webster (drummer).

Photo by Chris R Photo

The upbeat blare of Kid Sistr playing tribute to their (surprise) younger sisters is enough to raise the heartbeat of most people inclined towards a satisfying mix of alternative rock n roll, pop, and the smooth voices of truly talented singers. We chatted with Becca, Sarah, and Sable who make up the promising band, each one of them skilled and suited to be powerful role models to young people everywhere.

The band is bonded by much more than their older sister status, pointing to a deep level of understanding based in their shared experiences in the music industry they explained to us. In their preteen years Becca and Sarah met in a program called School of Rock, not unlike the famous movie starring Jack Black. As some of the only girl instrumentalists at School of Rock, they made fast friends and the band was finalized years later in college when Sable, their self-declared Chick FilA sauce, attended the same program as Sarah. Their ease with each other is evident, with joking and fond remarks prevalent among the trio, it seems their friendship is a special one.

As women in the music industry, they’ve found community in each other, and their vulnerability in sharing their experiences and identities with the world is meaningful to many fans. Sarah described creating in an all-female environment as getting “to experience the privilege of…walking into a room and they’re just people that are like you…people that understand your experience…[that have a] telepathic level of understanding.” This intimate understanding bleeds into their songs, each one hauntingly relatable to any American Gen-Z teenager. Their messaging is explicitly impactful and beautiful, in that it makes people feel seen.

Their skill in reaching people lies within their lyricism, painting everyday scenes like in “Tourist” when they sing, “Torn up ballet shoes, The smell of velvet, The mezzanine view.” Their lyrics connect with the teenage soul. We can see ourselves in their messaging to us, to all young people regardless of gender as the band stated. They describe coming of age in a plethora of different lights like in what may be this reporter’s favorite “Little Sister Song” when they sing “Piper takes the train to school with a mirror and her Chapstick in hand, She used to be a plain Jane but now she looks like Marilyn.”

Kid Sistr’s recent success has been found on Tik Tok, a video sharing platform that has caught the attention of both young and elderly audiences. Their humor, dynamic fashion sense, and of course musical talent has garnered them a platform of over 189,000 followers. Sarah noted that when it comes to Tik Tok, “there’s like no science to it.” So instead of seeking to crack a mystical marketing code Sarah, Becca, and Sable showcase their personalities on Tik Tok and simply have fun. In browsing their page, the joy they bring each other is evident.

Their favorite videos riff from childhood favorites like “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Twilight.” In videos like these the girls insert themselves into popular scenes from the movies, either in conversation with canonical characters or recreating the infamous vampire baseball scene, while filming was mostly Becca running around “the end of my street with a baseball bat.” Overall, the band’s Instagram, Tik Tok, and even Twitter are a window into their lives where they sandwich music material with fun.

Kid Sistr’s songs are manifestations of love and displays of true understanding through their use of detailed storylines between the words of their songs.

Stay current with Kid Sistr by following their TikTok @kidsistrband and their instagram @kid_sistr.