WHAT IS the first thing you think of when you hear the name ‘WSTRN’ come to mind? Is it their witty lyrics laced with hard-hitting beats and catchy summer anthems? Or is it their effortlessly cool demeanor and casual ease, which radiates from the R&B collective?

Whatever it is that first comes to mind, from music to swag, flashy videos to undeniable talent, you can’t deny the impact they’ve had since their debut hit single ‘In2’ was released in 2015 and solidified their place as the ones to watch in the UK music scene.

But with a strong desire to give back to the community and always keeping their ears to the ground, WSTRN – comprised of Akelle Charles, Haile and Louis Rei – decided to branch out of their comfort zone, and embark on a masterclass tour to share their knowledge and experience with some of the most talented students in inner-city London institutions.

“I think it’s good to give back and connect with more human beings” Louis enthused. Akelle tells me, “we have regular brainstorming sessions about what we can do to help communities, and just to let people know that we’re still connecting and we aren’t so far gone.”

The masterclass, #aWSTRNsideStory is an inspirational motivation tour created by creative agency GREYWOLF, and hosted by founder Que the Wolf. The tour took the West London group into four colleges – Westminster Kingsway, Barking and Dagenham College, ACM and Leyton Sixth Form College – allowing them to use their stories to empower and motivate young people to keep pushing and pursuing their dreams.

While Louis believes that there is no real way to prepare for a masterclass tour, he finds that the unpredictability of this experience is truly what excites him. “We’ve been faced with various types of students so far, and it’s cool just to do new things and meet people.”

“I just love doing stuff like this and being able to talk to people. I talk too much so this is the perfect platform to just interact and give advice.”

Throughout the masterclass at the newly opened Academy of Contemporary Music in Clapham, it’s clear that boys connect well with the youth of today. From getting the ACM students to participate in the ‘mannequin challenge,’ to discussing the importance of implementing social media into your music career – WSTRN have the attention of young people thanks to their music, and are excited to explore beyond that in the future.

“If music wasn’t my first choice, then I’d definitely love to do films,” says Akelle. Meanwhile, Louis discussed his passion to branch out into film, fashion and to continue doing public talks.

For now however, the future of WSTRN looks bright, with the premiere of their new single ‘Trap Love’ featuring Fekky on GRM Daily, to plans of a UK headlining tour and to head overseas to expand their fan base. “We went top 10 and platinum in Australia, so we want to get there and show some love and appreciation,” says Akelle.

With the fourth and final masterclass concluding at Leyton Sixth Form College, it’s safe to say that #aWSTRNsideStory has been a success. The idea, which was pitched to their music label Atlantic Records by Que the Wolf, went onto become an opportunity to inspire upcoming talent, with the boys playing a key role in sharing their experience in the industry and most importantly, being honest about the hardships surrounding it.

“Getting lazy is probably the hardest thing,” stresses Louis. Akelle continues, saying; ”you can never get too complacent. You have to keep going with patience and persistence.”

As the interview comes to a close, Haile, arguably the most mysterious of the trio, shares his final piece of advice to the ACM students. “Nothing happens before its time so stay focused. You never know in time so keep going and don’t watch what other people are doing.”

Catch WSTRN as supporting acts at Schoolboy Q’s gig on December 14th at the 02 Academy Brixton.