We recently had the chance to connect with The Band Kris and have shared our conversation below.
The Band Kris, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Songwriting and producing is where we lose track of time—and where we always seem to find ourselves again. Our first self-produced release, “I Wanna Go Home,” wasn’t planned at all, but it came out of one of the hardest seasons of our lives. We were emotionally isolated, creatively drained, and desperate to reconnect with who we were.
The lyrics poured out of that space of disconnection, with lines like “I’m sitting in my house but I’m feeling alone” and “I can’t remember what it was like when it was better than this.” Producing it, though, was its own battle. We doubted ourselves constantly, nearly scrapped the song more times than we can count, and questioned if we were capable of finishing it. But pushing through that process—the fear, the breakdowns, the second-guessing—ended up being the thing that saved us.
In the end, “I Wanna Go Home” reminded us why we make music in the first place. We lost ourselves in creating it, and that’s exactly how we found ourselves again.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Heyyyoo it’s Jami and Dani, better known as The Band Kris! We are a pop music sister duo usually writing 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 about 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 because we are 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 dramatic & 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 sensitive! In other words, we are overly obsessed with songwriting, which has been consistent throughout our entire career. We were never shy about opening up our songbook and sharing a song on our social media accounts (@thebandkris) the same day we finished writing it. This led to our fans naming us the ‘Queens of Petty’ because our songs became so obviously specific; it was clearly about something that upset us the day before, haha.
And, of course, if you’re a Swiftie, you might recognize us for our ‘Guess the Taylor Swift song’ videos we post over on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube!
One thing that you might not know about us, is that our band isn’t just about the two of us – it’s about our older brother, Kris, too. He was an incredible musician and played all around Los Angeles with his band but passed away just a couple months shy of turning twenty-one. Naming our band after him has allowed us to keep his spirit alive through our music and feel connected to him throughout our journey.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
We learned the most about work ethic from our dad. He always taught us the importance of finishing what you started because it’s about proving to yourself that you can see something through to the end, no matter what obstacles come up. His own career has been a lifelong passion, something he’s pursued since he was a kid working alongside his dad. Watching him still get genuinely excited about the projects he’s working on showed us how important it is to love what you do.
That stuck with us. For us, we’ve known what we wanted to do since we were kids sharing a bedroom—it’s always been music, with no plan B. (We can’t say that our dad was behind the ‘no plan B’ part haha)
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught us something success never could: the pain of silence. For us, not releasing our music has been the deepest form of suffering. Every day that passes without sharing our songs with the world has always felt like a weight we couldn’t shake. That’s when we realized—if we wanted our music out there the way we envisioned it, we had to stop waiting, stop making excuses, and learn to self-produce from our little DIY home studio.
That shift was hard, but it changed everything. The truth is, if we don’t release our music, the world will never hear it. And as songwriters, that thought is unbearable—our songs aren’t meant to just live in a songbook, they’re meant to be heard. That realization, born out of suffering, taught us more about perseverance, accountability, and passion than success ever has.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
We 100% believe our brother Kris is always around us. He didn’t get to live out his music dream, so we named our band after him—and honestly, we feel him everywhere.
We can’t prove it, but the signs are wild. A monarch butterfly runs right into our studio window when we’re arguing, or our music equipment will randomly stop working at a specific time—like his birthday. It’s like he’s saying, “Hey, I’ve got you guys,” or like he is celebrating with us when we hit a huge goal.
It might sound a little extra, but honestly—that’s just how we keep our brother close while chasing the dream he never got to finish.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
If someone tells us what we “should” do, we’re likely to do the exact opposite, haha. Our stubborn “you can’t tell me what to do” mentality kicks in the second anyone tries to say, “be realistic” or “get a real job.” Choosing a career that so many people called unrealistic, especially at such a young age, forced us to trust our own inner knowing about what we were put on this earth to do. Any other opinion just added fuel to our fire. So yes—we are absolutely doing what we were born to do!
Contact Info:
- Twitter: https://x.com/thebandkris
