KRU, Malaysia’s most famous ‘band of brothers’ Norman, Yusry and Edry, will end their 25-year career as a performing band next month. Dennis Chua has the story
FAMOUS brothers in music and showbiz have been few but memorable. The United States has had the Jacksons, Everly Brothers and Van Halen, while the United Kingdom produced the Gibb brothers of the Bee Gees, and the Gallaghers of band Oasis.
Malaysia, too, has had talented brothers — The Alleycats and, notably, the trio of Datuk Norman Abdul Halim, Yusry and Edry, or KRU.
Over the last 25 years, Norman, Yusry and Edry have revolutionised local music with their blend of pop, R&B and hip-hop as well as their determination to modernise entertainment. Their passionate pursuit of self-improvement has seen them develop from singers to entrepreneurs, establishing their own entertainment company, KRU Studios, in Cyberjaya.
They have produced movies such as Cicak-Man, Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, Magika, 29 Februari, Vikingdom and Ribbit. These movies were trailblazers in the local film industry as KRU used state-of-the art CGI effects. In addition, Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, Vikingdom and Ribbit were screened internationally to positive feedback.
Come May 4-6, KRU completes its journey as a pop and hip-hop trio. Norman, Yusry and Edry are set to give fans one last explosive concert, Konsert Gergasi KRU25, at Istana Budaya.
Their 25th anniversary and farewell showdown also marks the launch of their 13th and final album, Gergasi, which contains 30 of their greatest hits.
“Calling it a day as a pop group has been on our mind for a year as we aren’t getting any younger. But we want to give our fans a memorable farewell, and KRU25 is it,” said Norman in a recent interview.
Norman, Yusry and Edry will continue with their business empire, KRU Studios, producing music for various artistes, as well as television programmes and films.
Norman said: “The name KRU will continue as our business entity, and that means we will all go behind-the-scenes to guide new artistes and actors.”
The siblings from Perak will continue to discover new artistes, as they had the boy band Forteen and the award-winning Caliph Buskers.
The brothers have certainly come a long way since the days when they danced and sang their own hip-hop tunes and recorded on their cassette player. “Sometimes, I can’t believe we achieved it so soon,” said Norman, the chief executive officer of KRU Studios. “It’s all down to the fact that we had a dream, and pursued it with passion,” added Yusry.
Below, Norman, Yusry and Edry reminisce on KRU’s beginnings, setbacks, memorable milestones, and future plans.
HOW AND WHEN DID THE BROTHERS DECIDE TO FORM A BOY BAND? DID ANYTHING TRIGGER IT?
Norman: There was no particular event. We loved singing and dancing to hip-hop and pop as teenagers. Later, we became supporters of the Selangor football team and performed hip-hop songs as a group, the Selangor Rappers Unit or SRU.
Yusry: While Norman and Edry supported Selangor, I switched my support to the Kuala Lumpur/Federal Territories football team, so SRU eventually became KRU/SRU.
Edry: Our journey began in 1992 when a friend sent our demo tape to record label EMI’s office in Kuala Lumpur. Within a year, we became recording artistes, naming ourselves KRU, which translates to “crew” in Malay.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST TRIUMPH, AND BIGGEST SETBACK?
Norman: Our greatest achievement is selling more than a million albums and collecting more than 50 awards. We’ve also had major concerts in 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2002. The one in 2002 was held in Dataran Merdeka and had a record turnout of more than 50,000 people.
Yusry: Establishing ourselves as a brand is our biggest achievement. We’ve moved beyond music and become a showbiz empire, producing songs for new singers and films for Malaysia and the world.
Edry: We’ve also had some unfortunate episodes, some states banned us from performing in our early years. Luckily, this came to pass and the government gradually began to appreciate us.
THROUGHOUT THESE 25 YEARS, WHAT HAS BECOME YOUR SWEETEST MEMORY, AND SADDEST MOMENT?
Norman: Every award we have won is a sweet memory, winning Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) 1995 — Best Engineered Album and Best Pop Album for Awas was the sweetest as it was our first album win.
Yusry: Having our movie Magika win top prize at the Malaysian Film Festival 2010, and Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa repeat this feat in 2011.
Edry: The saddest moment was getting condemned by certain quarters for “playing God” when we did our virtual “duet” with Tan Sri P. Ramlee, our own version of Getaran Jiwa in the second half of the 1990s. It was inspired by the virtual duet between the late Natalie Cole and her father, Nat King Cole, Unforgettable.
HOW WOULD EACH OF YOU DESCRIBE THE OTHER AS A WORK PARTNER?
Norman: Yusry has always wanted to make films while Edry has always wanted to compose music. Both of them are frank, strong-willed and passionate about work.
Yusry: Norman loves reading, he’s the brains while Edry is the brawny and sporty one. Whenever we have different opinions, Norman helps us reach a consensus. Edry is our rock expert who goes beyond pop and hip-hop.
Edry: Norman and Yusry are very open-minded, even though I’m the youngest brother, they always give me a chance to have my say in collective decision-making. That’s what makes us a great team.
WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES THUS FAR? HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO OVERCOME THEM?
Norman: Getting accused of being a “corrupting influence” in our early years was painful, and getting banned from performing in certain states was the worst thing that happened to us. Nevertheless, these made us persevere by getting closer to the masses in those states where we could still perform. Gradually, the government took notice of us as a positive force in music, and today we work well with the authorities.
Yusry: We experienced “stormy seas” during the economic downturn in 1997. We had detractors who thought we could not dance. However, this strengthened our resolve to prove them wrong, and we did it.
WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO DIVERSIFY INTO FILMS?
Edry: We’ve always loved movies, especially P. Ramlee and Hollywood productions from George Lucas, Disney and Steven Spielberg. Our own music videos, and watching MTV and Hollywood blockbusters made us think about making films.
WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES IN MUSIC AND IN FILM?
Norman: Our father exposed us to the music of The Beatles, Bee Gees, Elvis Presley and P. Ramlee. Later in the late 1980s, we became attracted to hip-hop artistes such as Hammer, Vanilla Ice and Bobby Brown. As for film, we’re die-hard Disney fans and also enjoy films by Bob Zemeckis, Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg.
WHEN YOUR PARENTS HEARD YOU WERE GOING INTO SHOWBIZ, WHAT WAS THEIR REACTION?
Norman: They’ve always given us full support and always proud of our achievements and hard work. Our father signed our first contract, as Edry was then a minor, while our mother helped us manage our fan club.
Yusry: Our first studio was at home, in a store room beneath the stairs, and our parents got it ready for us as they knew we were into music. We made our first hit song Awas here. They also taught us to weather the storms, and reminded us that “every cloud has a silver lining”.
Edry: They’re always our constructive critics. They’ve also taught us how to point out the flaws of others with tact and diplomacy. Without my parents I wouldn’t have been a “cikgu” in Akademi Fantasia and Mentor.
WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL PLANS NOW THAT KRU IS NO LONGER GOING TO MOVE AS A GROUP?
Norman: I’ll continue to help the industry via the Malaysian Film Producers’ Association. I’m also going to be involved in corporate social responsibility projects, via the KRU Foundation that assists needy performing arts students.
Yusry: I’ll continue to direct and produce TV programmes and films. I’ll also help my wife Lisa Surihani’s acting career from behind the scenes.
Edry: My wife and I will be accompanying our special needs third child Emery to Europe, most likely UK, where he’ll be joining a school for special needs youngsters. I’ll still continue my work as a judge in reality talent shows.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING PROJECTS IN MUSIC, FILM AND TV.
Norman: We plan to come out with a book on our history, which will be a pictorial journey. It will contain many unpublished pictures of us. A semi-autobiographical musical is in the pipeline, too.
Yusry: Our 4-year-old college, KRU Academy, will continue to train students in screenwriting, filmmaking and the performing arts. We’ve also got the KRU Foundation that assists needy performing arts students.