Krewella

Electronic dance outfit Krewella channels an exuberant approach that pulls from a range of electronic styles such as dubstep, hardstyle, progressive house, and trap. The project began as a three-piece in the closing years of the 2000s and became a duo not long after the arrival of its first full-length effort, Get Wet (2013), before sustaining its high-energy focus through performances, cameos, and further releases including the 2016 EP Ammunition. The year 2020 brought their second official album, Zer0, while The Body Never Lies appeared in 2022.

Sisters Jahan Yousaf and Yasmine Yousaf launched the group in Northbrook, Illinois, a modest suburb north of Chicago. They assembled in 2007, at first including Kris Trindl, yet waited until 2011 to share initial recordings, among them the jagged and upbeat “Life of the Party.” Two self-released EPs arrived in 2012: Play Hard in June, which included the reggae-inflected “Killin It,” and Play Harder in December. Play Hard climbed to number ten on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. Throughout that same year the act became a regular presence on the festival circuit, appearing at New York’s Electric Zoo and Texas’ Meltdown.

In 2013 the trio unveiled its debut album, the explosive Get Wet, which entered the Top Ten of the Billboard 200 and yielded multiple singles and videos such as “Live for the Night,” a chart-topper on the Hot Dance Club Play tally, and the Top 40 pop success “Alive.” Trindl exited the lineup in September 2014, prompting the Yousaf sisters to issue “Say Goodbye” two months later as a direct response to the departure. Amid the year-long legal dispute that followed, the duo kept issuing material, among them the Pegboard Nerds-produced “Somewhere to Run” and a contribution to the all-star “Love Song to the Earth” single.

The Yousafs appeared on the Pegboard Nerds and NGHTMRE collaboration “Superstar” in 2016 while continuing to preview fresh songs in their live sets. That May the Ammunition EP surfaced and opened at number two on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. Early 2017 brought the singles “Team,” “Be There,” and “Love Outta Me,” all of which appeared on the June EP New World, Pt. 1. Although a follow-up installment had been planned and additional tracks continued to surface, the pair ultimately delivered a complete album. Zer0 arrived in early 2020 with guest spots from Nucleya, Arrested Youth, Asim Azhar, and others. After the Zer0 tour was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Krewella staged virtual performances across 2020 and dropped singles alongside Nervo and Yellow Claw. The Body Never Lies, the duo’s third album, reached listeners in 2022 and featured collaborations with BEAUZ and MADGRRL.