Krewella

Words by Jasmine Perrier

Photos by Heather Koepp

Styling by Iván Morelos

Makeup by Susie Salazar

Hair by Alyssa Bartley

Location Studio City Courtyard Hotel

American electronic dance music band from Illinois Krewella have been hitting the EDM world since 2007. Lead today by the Yousaf sisters Jahan and Yasmine, Krewella’s girls have never hold anything back to be where they are today. When they took the music industry by storm in with their EP Play Hard, reaching the first place on Billboard’s Dance Radio Airplay chart, fans all over the world started to accumulate like wildfire. More than 10 years after their debuts as a band, Jahan and Yasmine are back stronger than ever to use their sound to spread a message of tolerance and inspire other female artists not to be afraid to raise their voice. ‘‘I’d love the people who listen to our music to hear the message that we’ve put in and walk away more openminded. I’d hope that our music brings them to a more peaceful place,’’ Yasmine comments.

Our current sound represents this merging of two worlds

Born to a mother who was an artist and a dad who was music lover, Jahan and Yasmine grew up in a very creative household. ‘‘We were exposed to music, from classic rock to Bollywood music and new rave,’’ Jahan says. As a consequence, it was no coincidence that both sisters ended up being interested in doing music. ‘‘It has really happened because we fell into it and we loved it. None of our parents didn’t push us into anything. It was something we were passionate about.’’

Looking back on what drove them to join their forces and found their own band, Jahan and Yasmine state that it was above all a passion project. ‘‘It pretty much started as a hobby. We were also in school, we had side jobs at the time and it took us a couple years to decide that we want to pursue music full time,’’ Jahan recalls. ‘‘So we took the risk and dropped-out school, and we quit our jobs to turn it into a full-time opportunity for us,’’ she goes on. ‘‘At one point me, Jahan and our former member Rain Main decided that we had to either try and go all in with it, or not pursuing it at all. So we decided to go 100% with it. That was back in 2010. And from there we kept working every single day, we made our music a full-time job and everything else was on the back burner. Like Jahan said, it fell into what it is today,’’ Yasmine adds.

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In addition to living all those unique moments together, Jahan and Yasmine feel lucky to have been fully supported by their parents from the beginning to pursue a career that could have no guarantee. ‘‘Our parents are very supportive. I think our mother understood from the start because she is herself a selfmade graphic designer, she is self-employed, she is very successful and she dropped-out out of college to pursue her dream of being a graphic designer, illustrator,’’ Jahan tells. ‘‘But she really understood our path even though she was concerned. Because there is no certainty when your career doesn’t seem to be a set plan. And our dad is very supportive. Whenever we have shows on the West Coast, or in Los Angeles, he is always there.’’

Having family involved in anything keeps you grounded

Over the years, Krewella’s style has been influenced by many electronic sub genres and we can’t miss the touch of their ethnic roots that they add to their sound. ‘‘When we first started off, we were dabbling in different things. I feel like that’s what happens when you are trying to figure out your sound, your identity. You are just exploring different sounds,’’ Jahan explains. ‘‘Our current sound represents this merging of two worlds, the Western world and the Eastern world.’’

American with Pakistani and European roots, Jahan and Yasmine got more and more attached to their cultural background as they grew older. ‘‘When we were younger, I don’t think we were as in touch with our cultural roots because there is some stigma involved and also when you’re growing up you’re not really certain of who you are yet,’’ Yasmine states. ‘‘At this point of our lives, we think that it has influenced so much in our lives because it’s such a colorful culture. We love embodying it in our music because it doesn’t really exist in the EDM music space yet, or it has not been necessarily done by someone who is of that culture. It makes us proud to be able to do that.’’

Since their debuts, Krewella not only got successful in studio, but also got a headliner at international festivals like Coachella, Ultra and Tomorrowland. For Jahan and Yasmine, traveling across the world and sharing their music with their devoted audience is a chance to keep open-minded and to grow humanly. ‘‘Besides actually playing the shows which is always incredible, I’d say my favorite part is meeting fans from across the world,’’ Jahan says. ‘‘Because everybody has the world’s music differently, everybody has a different culture. Coming into contact with people who have an unfamiliar experience is always enlightening. We just love the idea that we are expanding and growing our own journey every time we travel to a new place and meet people from a different culture.’’

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Aside from their music, Jahan and Yasmine also use their social platform to advocate for women’s rights and spread their deepest values. ‘‘We need more women in the forefront of music, and I feel like often women get out of their dreams when they don’t see people that look like them,’’ Jahan argues. ‘‘If we see more women popping up, that is going to subconsciously inspire other women to explore a career in music, entertainment, or songwriting, producing, or whatever it is because we need more people like us. We’ve witnessed that.’’

Whereas the EDM industry is a lot represented by male figures, Jahan and Yasmine succeeded in becoming a powerful female electronic band and they are certainly a huge inspiration to all the aspiring female artists who need to have someone they can rely on to encourage them. ‘‘Find a team that is incredibly supportive of you, who believes in your art. And above all, believe that even if you’re not doing your best, you are great now. The more time, energy and passion you’ll put into it, you will get there eventually,’’ Yasmine advises. ‘‘But I think what kept Jahan, me and our former member going on in the beginning is that we kept making music, every day.’’

Fortunately, both sisters can count on each other to face the challenges involved with their complex career. ‘‘Having family involved in anything really keeps you grounded. If Jahan or I would ever do something out of line, or against our moral or ethical code, the other one of us would always be there to check the other person so we are also there to guide each other through what is a very chaotic industry to be in. We make sure we are always trying to make the right decision for each other and ourself,’’ Yasmine details.

‘‘If you lose your mind, I’ll be your anchor,’’ we heard in their track Be There released in 2016. This song sounded like a powerful declaration revealing the close ties of the two sisters. ‘‘It’s like you always have backup, no matter where you are, what you are doing and it’s really comforting. Because I know that a lot of people in the industry are out there alone. They are solo performers, or they have a manager but they are never really surrounded by a team or someone really keeping them grounded. So we are lucky to have that at all times,’’ Jahan admits.

We need more women in the forefront of music

After releasing their EP New World pt.1 in 2017, Krewella came back more recently with their first singles of 2018 Alibi and Runaway. Excited about exploring new sounds and singing about new topics, Jahan and Yasmine have arrived in Krewella’s new era. ‘‘We are still in the process of finding our sound as artists and humans. We are constantly evolving. Human’s journey never stagnates,’’ Jahan says. ‘‘This current sound speaks more to who we are, it speaks more to our authentic selves. If you want to go back 20 years ago, it would all make sense. I think we’ve just scratched the surface of how we can really create something that represents who we are and our roots, something in line with our guiding principle, what we believe in and the way we see the world. We are just tapping into this energy.’’

While they have a few more singles set to come out between Spring and Summer, Krewella will also be back on stage this year as they have an upcoming North American Tour starting in May and many more travels scheduled across the globe. ‘‘We are going to be playing in Asia, we are going to China. We have a bunch of European dates as well. We are playing Lollapalooza in Paris, we are playing a couple of festivals in Germany, we have Austria, Spain... All dates can be found on our website.’’

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