The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

From Spartans to superstars

Krewella2
Krewella performs at its “Get Wet” tour in November 16, 2013 in Chicago, Ill. The group reached No. 1 in the electronic genre for its first album “Get Wet” and No. 8 in the Billboard top charts.
Photo by Katherine Au.

Being booed by double digit-sized crowds and washing their hair with laundry detergent, alumni Yasmine Yousaf (‘10), Jahan Yousaf (‘07) and Kris Trindl had no idea that Krewella was on the verge of a breakthrough.

The group went from playing music in front of 14 people in an abandoned bar near the United Center to being the headliners at stadiums and large venues on a North American tour. Krewella’s first album, titled “Get Wet,” debuted on Sept. 24 at No. 8 in the Billboard top charts and No. 1 in the electronic genre.

According to manager Jake Udell, Krewella was $24 in debt when he was hired in November 2011. Even Udell thought the trio’s performances were “awful,” but he never stopped believing in their talent.

Jahan Yousaf met Trindl in high school through mutual friends. After a few months of collaborating on music, they began searching for a third member. Jahan Yousaf said it took months of turning down aspiring band members before she had an idea. Jahan Yousaf said her sister Yasmine Yousaf, who was in an indie band, was “dying” to join the group. She invited Yasmine Yousaf, who was 15 at the time, to sing on a track with Jahan Yousaf and Trindl, who were 18 and 20 years old, respectively.

Though much has changed since Krewella’s formation, the name has stuck since the group formed.

“I totally thought of it with my instincts and the name just popped in my head and I never second guessed it,” said Jahan Yousaf. “I treat songwriting the same way, the lyrics, or phrase, or song title or melody coming to my head. The first idea you have, I sometimes just stick with that because that’s truly coming from your heart.”

Remembering their high school days, the sisters said they felt they did not quite fit in with the rest of the students.

“I have to say, honestly, in high school I didn’t know who I was,” said Yasmine Yousaf. “I had no idea where I was going. I didn’t really have a lot of friends. I wasn’t really in clubs. I was…in my own world and stuck inside my head. I was in art classes. …That really helped me express myself.”

Jahan Yousaf said she feels embarrassed for herself when she was in high school since she felt so lost in terms of knowing who she was. She described herself as having a very confused, yet creative mind.

In high school, Yasmine Yousaf oftentimes could not handle the pressure of talking in front of a few dozen people.

newyasmine
Above is Yasmine’s response in the 2010 Senior Issue of “Torch” to “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”
Photo Sarah Cruz.

“I was really bad at public speaking,” said Yasmine Yousaf. “I remember any classroom presentation where I had to speak in front of the class, I would clam up and almost be crying. I really couldn’t handle myself in high school like that in front of crowds or even in front of my class.”

Yasmine Yousaf graduated from Glenbrook North while Krewella was still in its “incubation” stage, meaning the band was still trying to figure out its style and how it wanted to represent itself. On June 8, 2010, just a few days after Yasmine Yousaf’s graduation ceremony, the group made a collective decision to dedicate their lives to Krewella. All three members have the date tattooed on their necks as a reminder of their passion and commitment to the band. Jahan Yousaf and Trindl both left college to pursue music, so Yasmine Yousaf decided to skip college, as well.

“I saw no other way of pursuing our dream if I was in school and Jahan and [Trindl] were making music,” said Yasmine Yousaf. “I couldn’t give it my all, so we all decided to give up everything.”

According to Udell, Krewella received interest from music personality Simon Cowell and producer Kara Dioguardi within 24 hours of releasing the single “Killin’ It” in 2012. The group signed with Columbia Records, which represents over 90 artists, including One Direction, Beyoncé and John Mayer.

Yasmine Yousaf said that she, Jahan Yousaf and Trindl were the only people who thought sticking with Krewella full time was a smart move.

“I even had teachers at GBN who were trying to convince me that it was a bad idea and I wanted to tell them, you know, ‘I’m following my dreams, it’s not a bad idea,’” Yasmine Yousaf said.

The Krew feels as if they have not made it, even after being named electronic dance music’s “next big stars” by USA Today and having just under one million likes on their official Facebook page. In under a year, they have nearly 20 million views on their music video for “Alive.”

“Even at the biggest shows where everyone is singing along to our songs and we’re taking pictures with all of these fans after shows and people are buying our albums, it never will feel like we’ve reached the top,” said Yasmine Yousaf. “You should always feel like you’re striving for more.”

Last year, the group played in Orlando, Fla. at the Electric Daisy Carnival. On Nov. 9, Krewella played

at the same show as one of the headliners along with Kaskade, also known as alumnus Ryan Raddon (‘89).

Despite fame, Jahan Yousaf and Udell both called Krewella an “underdog” in the electronic music industry.

“Everyone always asks us ‘things must be so different now,’ but they’re really not,” said Jahan Yousaf. “Like we’re still just three kids making music and just having the time of our liveAccording to Yasmine Yousaf, moving from Northbrook to Los Angeles was the biggest change since Krewella gained popularity. Yasmine Yousaf noted that GBN focuses a lot on a life path marked with a lot of schooling, including college.

“GBN probably didn’t prepare me for this life at all,” said Yasmine Yousaf. “…When I told everyone I wasn’t going to college, it was kind of like almost a taboo. …At the time, I really kind of just felt really left out from all of my friends that were applying to college and living a completely different life, and I was like taking this really big risk that I might end up wasting my time with.”

Udell sees Krewella “shaping the [music] game in an iconic, natural way.”

“I want to see them break into the next stratosphere for their careers,” said Udell. “They’re going to be an iconic dance music group the way that Black Eyed Peas, No Doubt or Linkin Park were to their respective genres, and I won’t stop until we get there.”

Although Udell said something “massive” is planned for 2014, he would not give any details as he jokingly said he feared “being sued.”

Krewella has begun the early stages of their next album and has set tour dates for 2015, according to Udell. They also plan on playing on “FOX” during the New Year’s Eve national broadcast.

Jahan Yousaf said the most gratifying part of being a part of Krewella is learning that her group’s music has helped others deal with adversity in their lives.

“I remember this one fan after a show told me that she had gone through cancer twice and that when our album came out she was just finishing up her chemotherapy and it helped her hang on,” said Jahan Yousaf. “And…knowing that our music can do that is insane. I can’t believe I am a part of something as big as that.”