KRU are a Malaysian popboy band formed in 1992. The group comprises three Abdul Halim brothers, namely Datuk[1] Norman Abdul Halim, Datuk Yusry Abdul Halim and Edry Abdul Halim'. Apart from revolutionising[peacock prose] the Malaysian music scene with their blend of pop, R&B and hip hop, Dato' Norman Abdul Halim heads a successful business empire, KRU Studios, with Dato' Yusry Abdul Halim specialising in film, media content and live events, whilst Edry Abdul Halim is a successful composer/producer.
On 18 April 2018, the group announced that they would disband after 25 years being together after their last concert, Konsert Gergasi KRU 25, held from 4 to 6 May.[2] In addition to the band, the KRU group of companies include the vocational college KRU Academy, KRU Music, KRU Media, KRU Entertainment, KRU Singapore, Prodigi Lab, Hot Jam Cafe, Showbiz Productions, Kartun Studios, Music Unlimited, and United Studios.[3]
In 2024, the group reformed after 6 years of hiatus and will released a new album, titled Kaset.[4]
Early history
Their interest in musicmaking was sparked when they were very young, when one of their aunts bought Norman a keyboard which also attracted his other brothers. They spent their teenage years in London where they were exposed to various genres of music, in contrast to the Malay music scene at that time which was dominated by classic rock and ballads.
They continued to write original songs and were unaware that one of Norman's college friends sent a demo to EMI. Calvin Wong, International Label Manager and now[when?] vice-president at Warner Music Asia Pacific, was very impressed by the song and called the brothers to audition. KRU was formed on 19 May 1992. KRU (addressed by the initials K.R.U and not "kru") stands for Kumpulan Rap Utama or "Major Rap Group", but it is also the Malay word for "crew", borrowed from English.[5]
Projects
In 1993, KRU started their ReKRUed Rap Tour,[6] followed by the Awas Da' Concert tour two years later. In 1997, they released the album Viva Selangor as a tribute to Selangor F.C. and Everest for Everest project[clarification needed][citation needed] and commenced their KRU Mega Tour, sponsored by Peter Stuyvesant. The following year, their song "Never Let The Spirit Die" was used as the theme song for the 16th Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur;[7] they also collaborated with Sharifah Aini, Zainal Abidin, Amy Search, Ning Baizura, Ella and Sheila Majid to create the soundtrack for Silat Lagenda.[8] In 1999, the song "Fiesta" was made the official theme of the Tour De Langkawi[9] and the group started their Jammin the Nation tour.
^Rozi Razak (13 March 1999). "KRU teruskan konsert". Utusan Online (in Malay). Utusan Melayu (M) Berhad. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
^Rosli Manah (15 August 1998). "Forever As One rasmi lagu tema". Utusan Online (in Malay). Utusan Melayu (M) Berhad. Retrieved 4 July 2016.