Live For The Night
This past weekend TMN had the chance to sit down with Krewella before they took the stage at the 1st Bank Center in Colorado for the Altered States Zeds Dead tour.
TMN: This evening I have the pleasure of sitting down with the incredibly talented and good looking trio who go by the name of Krewella. Guys, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us before you go show Denver what is up.
Krew: Thank you!
TMN: Can I just start by saying congrats on the success of your recently released “GET WET” album? That has been taking over the charts and has captured the hearts of all your fans everywhere. Talk to us about this album a bit, how does it compare to your others?
Yasmine: I think that this one we spent a lot more time thinking about our lyrics. When we made the “Play Hard” EP we had less fans and less people knowing us, so it was less what an impact we were going to make and with this one it was like let’s make the most awesome songs we can possibly make and from that came our album. We really though about every lyric and I think Kris can say the same he thought he dug in and made some of the coolest productions he has ever made. We definitely thought deeper about this album.
Kris: Well, we like to call this album “Play Hard” on steroids kind of, because we took “Play Hard” and we had the idea to do a bunch of different genres and it really helped us because it is good to express yourself through music or lyrics and not being stuck doing the same songs every time because then it gets stale you know? So it is good we set that up then for “Get Wet” they could get better as song-writers and I could get better as a producer and we could get better as creators and this album gave us that opportunity.
TMN: So now, rewind back with me a bit. Let’s say a little amen for Chicago representing, I am also an Illinois girl.
Kris: Whoop!
TMN: Tell us about what life was like when you were little, did you grow up in musical households at all? What kind of music could be found playing in your house growing up?
Jahan: Well I will speak for Jasmine and I since we are sisters, the two of us were raised in a very musically aware household. We weren’t born in a musical family our parents don’t play instruments or sing so we didn’t have that handed to us. But as far as our influences our parents were always playing music in the car and in the house, they played Led Zepplin and the Doors, David Gray and our dad would play Abba and we had this full cupboard of CD’s and tapes. Our mom was more of a rock girl and our dad was more of a pop guy. He’s from Pakistan so he loves American pop music and I think that is what happens when English is your second language, 80’s with catchy lyrics. You focus on catchy hooks which kind of plays into our relationship with him today because we send him demos and he is a basic listener and if he doesn’t like a song in the first 15 seconds he turns it off. And for us as artists we try to capture the attention of the listener within the first 8 bars of the song as far as writing goes. So that was the kind of environment we were raised in.
Kris: My first three albums, when I got a disc man, were Green Day – Nimrod, Sublime – Self Titled and Metallica – Reload.
TMN: You have some hardcore in there.
Kris: Well then I started playing drums and my dad was a guitarist so I decided to start playing that, he rented me a guitar and I have played for thirteen years now. I was huge into metal and then I became obsessed with Timbaland when he did Justin Timerlake’s “Sexy Back” and I wanted to be Timbaland and produce and get vocalists and that’s how I connected with Jahan.
Jahan: Well we met because I went to his metal shows in high school, he was the most looked up to in high school, metal god.
Kris: I was not.
Jahan: (Laughs) No you were, I had guy friends who used to dress like him.
Kris: (Laughs) I remember that.
Jahan: I had guy friends who wore skinny girl pants because Kris looked totally emo back then.
Kris: (Laughs) Oh just throw me under the bus!
Yasmine: Long, black dyed hair.
TMN: You were just way before your time, skinny jeans run rampant on guys today.
Jahan: (Laughs) Exactly you could totally bring back that look today.
Kris: Well Jahan and I were hanging out because we went to metal shows together and we had mutual friends. And once I got into the electronic production because of Timbaland, or Tim-ba-land, however you say that, I wanted to be him, he was my idol and I wanted to produce. I was really into a band called Chromeo and the Fant, and we shared a love for that and I asked Jahan if she would sing on one of my beats and at first she was shy and said no but then eventually she did. So we came up with the name and a few months later we looked for another singer, I don’t know why we just wanted two female vocalists, and Jahan was like I have a little sister who was fourteen at the time. TMN: (To Yasmine) Were they just like hey you want to come sing and you said sure? Yasmine: (Laughs) I was so stoked. Kris: She was our biggest fan when we made horrible songs. Yasmine: You had one song! Kris: We had two! You hadn’t heard the two, it was ‘Zero Gravtiy’. TMN: I was going to ask, do you remember the names of these songs? Yasmine: What was it, ‘You and Me’? TMN: Sounds like a typical name for a first time song. Yasmine: (Laughs) Yeah, and I used to bump it on my Ipod and be like I know them. TMN: You were obviously so cool knowing the band right? Yasmine: (Laughs) Totally.
TMN: Well let’s talk about a certain date, that I do believe you all have tattooed on you right, 6-8-10. Tell us about that magical day when you all decided it was time to put all your heart and soul into your music. So many artists are so scared to take that step, what would you tell them, if you could give them some advice?
Jahan: Don’t be lazy if you are going to quit school. It is easy to get lazy and think you are on a three week summer break and then everyone else goes back to school. At your young age, this isn’t the best advice to give but you don’t need as much sleep as 40-year-old.
TMN: That is so true.
Jahan: For example, when we were writing our album Jasmine would get up at 8am in LA and we would be going from studio to studio and when we finally would get home and eat it would be 3am. So be ready for that life but we are young so we are taking advantage of this time.
Kris: I think one thing we had on that day was that we came to the point we had already been working three years and we had no good songs. Like I wasn’t a good producer and we knew we could do it though, I was really intense on them like not letting them have lives like, we need to do this. But we knew together we had this in us, we weren’t just like fuck it I’m going to be a rockstar. We had three years with school and jobs so it was time.
Jahan: You (points to Kris) you were in a restaurant. Kris: No, no I was in a bar. At 9 am I was at the bar down the street from our apartment. TMN: Because where else would you be at 9 in the morning? Kris: You know drinking a Bloody Mary and flirting with the waitress. Jahan: Did you tell her it was you? You did didn’t you to get the girl? Kris: Well no hang on basketball was on the TV and ‘Killin It’ came on and she had come to me and must have thought I was a musician and she oh I’m a model an aspiring model and then our song came on and I was like, oh, that’s our song. I don’t know if she believed me but two minutes later I left. Jahan: I wouldn’t believe you, you are at a bar at 9am. Kris: Who else would be at a bar at 9am besides artists? Artists and homeless people.
TMN: Now today, you have over 300,000 soundcloud followers and something insane like 700,000 facebook followers, essentially you have a “Krew” family of well beyond 1 million people. 1 million people that is insane! How does it feel to know you have such a devoted fan base? Tell us what some of the things are that you love about your fans?
Yasmine: They have this thing that they slowly and slowly are all trying to meet each other. And it is the coolest thing to know your music brought people together but to know a kid from California is friends with a fan from Chicago and then they meet up at a show it’s just the neatest thing. There’s no hate in our fan group there’s no bashing they all just are there to enjoy the music. And some of them are a lot younger and going through the same shit that we went through at 15 and 16 and to see them say things like, I just had a shitty day but turned on Krewella and now my day has turned around that just means the world to us.
Jahan: To me it is very reminiscent of the punk-rock movement because right now with the pop music you don’t have a community of fans. But in punk-rock people buy t-shirts and posters and things for their room to show they are part of a community. And a lot of those people are people who feel alone even when they are around a bunch of people. The reason I understand it is because the people I was around in junior high and high school did that same thing so I am starting to see that now with our music and it’s just cool to see. There are bands that bring people who don’t feel like the cool kids who are the freaks and the weirdos.
Yasmine: Well it’s the cool kids too, everyone is cool.
Jahan: Right but the cool kids are confident and secure, so it’s the people who feel alone and feel like they can come to the show and find friends.
TMN: Now the new year is quickly approaching, can you tell us some things we can look forward to from you next year?
Kris: We have already started on the bus writing songs, the girls will go into a room and work on lyrics and I am always on my laptop.
Jahan: January and February we are dedicating to our new album, which is weird because we just produced ‘Get Wet’ and we are already talking about a new album.
TMN: It just happens that fast.
Yasmine: It really does which is crazy!
TMN: And you are here in the wonderful state of Colorado, can you tell us something you like about playing in this state (besides the legal weed thing).
Yasmine: Colorado, we played Global Dance Festival almost two years ago and it was one of the first shows we played where we had a huge crowd who stayed the whole time and was chanting our names. It was one of the first times Jahan and I crowd surfed, so I have a vivid memory of this place being beautiful and welcoming and every show since then has been wonderful.
Kris: I feel like Colorado is like a second home, we get so much love from this state and it has been really cool.
TMN: Let’s shift over here to some fun and quick questions, how’s that sound?
Kris: Pepperoni is my favorite pizza if you were wondering.
TMN: Tell me your favorite thing about Chicago.
All: Family and food.
TMN: The sweatiest show you have ever played at? You girls sweat I am so proud.
Jahan: I have a memory of the city we were in. We were in Texas I was breathing like a dog.
Yasmine: Oh my god I was breathing like a dog. It was Houston.
Kris: What about the one in Indiana? At that bar, no the barn!
Yasmine: It was literally over a hundred degrees in there with no air conditioning, it was fucked up (sorry I know I shouldn’t swear).
Kris: Our cameraman had to stop because his lens kept fogging up and my glasses kept fogging up. We played with Showtek.
Yasmine: But those kids stayed! And we kept throwing them water to hydrate and they could hardly rage but they were like (slow motion) “Yes, this is awesome!”
TMN: If the world were to end tomorrow, what would you spend tonight doing?
All: Go see our families.
Jahan: I don’t have pockets I don’t wear jeans. Yasmine: I have $10, a credit card, chap stick. Kris: Nothing, I’m empty.
TMN: Why the heck are you not sponsored by Jameson yet? What is your favorite Jame-O drink?
Jahan & Kris: Jame-O straight up.
Yasmine: Jame-O and gingers are pretty good.
TMN: Music you listen to when you are alone and would never admit openly until now…
Yasmine: It is out in the public world now but I have an obsession with the ‘Best Song Ever’ by One Direction now, it’s like my pump up song.
TMN: And now I actually have two questions from these two crazy Canadian guys who claim they know you (cough Adventure Club). Yazzy, really curious when your clitty clat album is dropping.
Yasmine: Tell the brunette one, not the ginger one.
TMN: Oh that ginger one.
Yasmine: (Laughs) Yes that ginger. But tell that brunette when he comes and sees me we will talk about it.
TMN: They also said you should share the story of the first time you all got drunk together…please don’t leave anything out for our expense ☺
Yasmine & Jahan: No, never…I can’t actually remember a lot.
Kris: Leighton and I invented a drink that day actually.
Yasmine: No that was the second time. They basically busted into Jahan and my apartment with enough alcohol for twenty-five people when there were four of us.
Jahan: I remember having a deep conversation with Christian that night about if Boca burgers were healthy for you or not.
Yasmine: That is the night my relationship with Leighton started, I guess I can say that now since we are official.
TMN: Awwwww, so sweet ☺
TMN: And final TMN question, if your music were an animal, which animal would it be and why?
Jahan: Some sort of feline.
Kris: I would go with a snow leopard.
Yasmine: Or a jaguar, sexy, black, powerful.
TMN: Krew, thanks again for sitting down with us. Kick ass tonight and can’t wait to get all wet with you.
All: Thank you so much!
