2013 was a whirlwind of a year for the electronic Chicago trio Krewella, and was by far, the biggest year for Jahan, Yasmine and Rain Man for many reasons. I’ll explain why a bit later on in this piece, but first I want to recall my recent experience at a particular Krewella show. I was lucky enough to attend the Atlantic City Life in Color December 28th, and spend one of my last days of 2013 with the Krew. The Atlantic City LIC was a special event to attend, due to the fact that it was in a custom built heated tent that engulfed Atlantic City’s Bader Field. Dyro and TJR were able to get the crowd dancing early on in the night before handing the reigns over to Krewella.
Once Krewella took the stage, the entire energy shifted in the crowd. The Krew no doubt knows how to control the crowd with their music and incredible stage presence. The first track heard as Krewella appeared before the crowd was an excellent choice to get the show started. Their original track “Party Monster” had the entire crowd going hard in the paint. The trio had a set filled with their original tracks, collaborations, and fan favorites to get the crowd moving and to accompany the paint blasts throughout their entire set. The set itself was a DJ set by Krewella, with basically no live vocals from Jahan or Yasmine. Included in the set were Krewella’s old and new tracks, including “Play Hard”, “Enjoy the Ride”, “One Minute”, “Ring of Fire” and so many more. The Krew also mixed in their collabs “Legacy” and “Lights and Thunder”. Although the crowd was mesmerized by the entire set, one track garnered the loudest reception. That track was the Krew’s own “Killin It”. Yasmine sprinted to the front of the stage to hype the crowd while singing a few words to the fan favorite track. To maintain the crowd’s high energy, Krewella dropped “Chain Hang Low” to which the crowd went absolutely mad. Towards the end of Krewella’s set, it was time for Jahan and Yasmine to get wet in the paint. The crowd absolutely loved seeing their favorite Krew get wet with paint blasts. My personal favorite moment was the ending of Krewella’s set. Krewella started out blasting Above & Beyond’s “Sun and Moon” to lead into their biggest track and my personal favorite, “Alive”. Watching every single person around me singing each and every lyric to “Alive” was surreal, and definitely proved, at least to me, that Krewella has unquestionably made an impact in the Electronic Dance Music genre this past year.
When I was thinking about all the reasons why 2013 has been Krewella’s year, I had to stop and make a list because I did not want to miss anything. After I gathered together my list, I myself was in awe at everything Krewella managed to accomplish in one short year. In no particular order, I thought I’d start with Krewella’s well-liked Troll Mixes. In the year 2013, Krewella has released 7 out of 8 of their Troll Mixes for free to music fans. The trio has a connection to their fans that stands out from other DJs and Producers, through their sharing of personal experiences and music. In addition to giving away their Troll Mixes, the Krew released numerous KrewLife episodes to allow their fans an inside glimpse of Krewella’s life on the road. The trio makes it easy for fans to follow along on their journey side by side with them.
2013 encompassed Krewella making the festival rounds all over the world. Most notably was Krewella’s Ultra Music Festival debut, in which the Krew even had their set streamed worldwide for one of the weekends. Not only did the Krew play Ultra, but also EDC, Spring Awakening and Stereosonic to name a few.
In addition to their appearances at festivals, Krewella embarked on their MASSIVE headlining tour, Get Wet Live, to support the release of their debut album, “Get Wet”. “Get Wet” was released on September 24th, and debuted in the top 10 of Billboard 200. The album supporting tour that included sold out shows all over the country included Seven Lions and Candyland on the lineup. This tour was not only special because of the fact that it was a ginormous headlining tour for the Krew, but because Jahan and Yasmine were going to be singing live for a majority of the set.
The Krew’s live shows and festival appearances were a perfect time to drop new material. Collaborations were plentiful for the Krew in 2013. This past year saw the release of the Krew’s collab with Headhunterz, “United Kids of the World”, which became somewhat of an anti-bullying anthem. “Legacy” with Nicky Romero was a massive hit that Nicky and the Krew debuted at Ultra Music Festival in Miami. The third collab that was heard in 2013 was the track “Lights and Thunder” with Gareth Emery.
One of the most notable feats for the Chicago trio was performing “Live for the Night” on Good Morning America on Halloween morning. Why was this so notable you ask? The Krew’s performance of their hit “Live for the Night” was the first major national morning television performance for an electronic group. How awesome is that?
It would be hard to argue that 2013 was not an impressive year for Krewella. The Krew’s fanbase grew leaps and bounds and Krewella accomplished so many remarkable achievements. What was your favorite Krew moment or memory of 2013?
Thanks to Life In Color for the great pictures. If you want to see more pictures from the Atlantic City Life In Color event, head over to their Facebook page!
