It was a big week for the sister duo from North Dakota.
Kendra and Krista Slaubaugh, who are better known as Tigirlily Gold, were in New York to open for Kelsea Ballerini at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night, a stage they’d only dreamed of playing when they toured the Dakotas, Montana and Minnesota in their teens in the mid-2010s.
“We always used to joke about it in North Dakota, how one day we’d play Madison Square Garden,” Krista Slaubaugh said. “Then we got a call for our management, saying they had exciting news, that we’d been booked to open for Kelsea. We started screaming. It’s a dream show and a dream artist.”
And it gives them the opportunity to expand their reach in one of the biggest media markets in the country. “We have 25 minutes to showcase what we can do,” Kendra Slaubaugh said. “We’re just grateful Kelsea gave us this incredible opportunity.”
The Slaubaughs also hope to one day follow in Ballerini’s footsteps. The artist has broken out from merely a music career by being a face for CoverGirl, Pantene and Colgate and will be a judge on the next season of The Voice.
“That’s really inspiring to us,” said Kendra. “It proves that anything is possible and no door is closed.”
The sisters have been pursuing music full-time since 2013 when Kendra was 16 and Krista was 14. They named themselves Tigirlily Gold after the tiger lily flowers that grew in the garden of their childhood home. Then they embraced platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, sharing their stories and developing a circle of fans.
They moved to Nashville in 2017 and caught the attention of songwriter and producer Shane McAnally who signed them to Monument Records. Their EP, “Blonde,” was released this summer and it includes their first radio single, “Shoot Tequila,” followed by “I Tried a Ring On.” And they won the New Group or Duo of the Year award from the Academy of Country Music Awards.
On the day before their Madison Square Garden appearance, the sisters were taking in the sights of New York City, visiting everything from Times Square — where a pickpocket made off with Kendra’s phone — to Union Square.
Even so, she wasn’t fazed. “I have no phone, so I’m just living in the moment,” she said, adding: “I love the energy of New York. It’s exhilarating.”
They also visited Beacon’s Closet, a vintage store on 13th Street that was chock full of clothing, shoes and accessories of all shapes and sizes. It was here that the sisters showed their distinctly different, yet complementary, styles.
“I could spend an hour in the jewelry section,” Kendra said, holding heart earrings against her face and trying on bedazzled sunglasses. “I feel like a full-on diva on these,” she said of the glasses. “I’m always drawn to the glitter. I love anything with florals or bows.”
She described her style as “sleek, modern and Western” with a propensity to dresses. “Finding a pair of jeans that fits is like finding true love, so dresses are my go-to.”
Her sister, however, does a lot of kicks and backflips on stage so dresses are a no-go for her. Ditto for anything strapless, which could easily lead to a wardrobe malfunction.
“Finding show outfits is hard,” Kendra said. “You want to look your best but be comfortable too.”
“We grew up in North Dakota where it’s cold so you dress for comfort and have a lot of stuff to keep you warm,” Krista said.
Krista is also partial to rings. She said she wears both her mother and grandmother’s class rings and will add a couple more if she finds something she likes.
Kendra wears just her engagement and wedding rings. She married a Nashville photographer named Jared Olson, her middle school sweetheart, in 2019.
In Beacon’s Closet, Krista tried on a military-inspired vest as well as a plaid blazer with gold lapels. But the winner was a brown suede fringed top from Pap Kik Paris that she could layer and wear with jeans and boots. “She looks good in everything which is fun for me because I can dress her like a little Barbie doll,” Kendra said of her sister. “In the studio, Krista is the boss but in the fashion world, I’m the boss.”
“I don’t look good in everything,” Krista countered, saying she has long arms so it’s often hard to find tops with long enough sleeves.
At the vintage shop, Kendra bought the heart earrings and a pair of pink-framed sunglasses. “I’m the more girly one,” she said. Her sister agreed: “If it’s pink and has puffy sleeves, I just can’t do it.”
Backstage at Madison Square Garden.
Jared Olsen
At MSG, Kendra wore a black slipdress from Free People with thigh-high bedazzled boots while Krista opted for a sparkly jumpsuit from Alice & Olivia. “We were trying for color but both wound up wearing black,” Kendra said.
The day before the concert, the sisters were planning to spend a quiet night since they had an early call for their performance on “Good Day New York” Tuesday morning and the MSG show at night.
“Everyone always tells you to get your beauty sleep, but how are you supposed to do that when you’re playing Madison Square Garden?” Kendra asked.
