Poparazzi

AND SO it was that Bostonian rock band Boys Like Girlscame to Singapore yet again and performed for 4,000 or so kids (and in many cases, their accompanying parents) at the newly minted Compass Ballroom at the Hard Rock Hotel at Resorts World at Sentosa Island.

Martin loves Singapore and Singapore loves him back

Lead singer Martin Johnson said they were “really excited” to perform there. “We saw it being built the last time we were here and we were like, ‘Wow, it’s gonna be so cool’. And now that we’re back, it’s so cool that it’s all built up and ready to go. It’s such an honour to be the first band to play there,” he told our BLG go-to girl Katrina at a press conference earlier in the day at the Mandarin Oriental.

Not only were the band excited, you could feel the excitement in the large ballroom. Fans started chanting for the band, egged on when free BLG goodies were handed out by Power 98 radio DJs Jensen and er, that other bloke whose name eludes me for the moment.

The screams crescendoed when the band clambered onstage and kicked off with a snatch from the Black Eyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling, before launching into their hit from their second album, Love Drunk, entitled er, Love Drunk.

From then on, it was a pedal-to-the-metal performance as the guys trotted out their hits and then some, slowing down and giving us a breather only during Two Is Better Than One (that duet with Taylor Swift, who unfortunately wasn’t there), as BLG were bathed in a shimmering starlight backdrop.

“She’s awesome,” said Martin of Taylor. “We’ve been really good friends with Taylor for two years now. She wrote about us in the Wall Street Journal back in the States and said that we were one of her favourite bands and Hero/Heroine was one of her favourite songs. So we contacted her … We just became really good friends. We wrote some songs together, John played some drums on her record Fearless.”

John’s played for Taylor Swift!

As for the song, Martin said, “When it came time to do this record, it was amazing to have her around. I called her and up and asked her to do it and she said ‘yes’, and we were blessed. She’s a sweetheart in person, she’s a really nice girl and everyone in the band got to know her well. She’s really, really cool.”

And then it was back to the business of rockin’ out, which they did for over an hour. Not bad considering they were a little tired and had to rush because their flight got delayed coming into Singapore.

Bryan on the bass

Still, the BLG members said they wanted to do their best for the fans. “When we were here before we were blown away … we had no idea what to expect from the fans we had,” said Bryan Donahue. “Now, the second time around, it’s really cool to see kids come back. A couple of people met us at the airport and we’re really excited to play the show. Just, all the love and support that we get from everyone here. It was great!”

Agreed Martin: ”We love it here. Last time we got to stay for like four or five days, it was amazing. Today, we’re unfortunately in and out, just today. I’m kinda bummed about it, really wanted to see the beautiful city again. But it’s cool, the shopping’s great, there’re malls everywhere, which is awesome. We like it here, we wish we could stay for longer!”

Paul DiGiovanni: guitar hero

The band also said they’re taking most of this year to hit the road, so new music might take a while. But fans can still follow them on their Twitter page, although Martin said that he might not Tweet if he weren’t famous.

Still, he said it’s not just for publicity. ”I really care about our fans a lot. I don’t care if it sells a record, it’s just an aid to contact our fans and tell the fans what’s going on,” he said.  ”I don’t think it’s a waste of time, I think it’s a cool social service. I hear a lot of people saying Twitter sucks, that it’s stupid, but I don’t know, I think it’s cool for some people.”

Would you rather BLG Tweet about a gig or actually perform?

But, he added, don’t misuse it. “A lot of people are like, ‘Oh, I’m at MacDonald’s’, ‘oh, I’m doing this’, ‘oh, I’m doing that’, and it’s like, you know, call your friends and go hang out!

“I don’t know … I feel really indebted to the Internet, because it was really where Boys Like Girls came from,” he added. “We got a record deal off the Internet. Fans sing along for me on the Internet. We get so much exposure on YouTube. 

“But … with all the texting and the Twittering - they don’t talk to each other anymore. I’m worried that our fans are not gonna have personalities anymore.”

Added Bryan: “Twitter and Facebook are kinda similar. They’re great tools to use, but you can’t make it just about the Internet. You gotta be a real person.”

“I just don’t want people’s characters to be buttons on a cell phone, or buttons on a computer keyboard,” said Martin.

Boys Like Girls pretending to be the Blue Man Group

But still, Martin only had good things to say about all BLG fans in Singapore: “You guys are amazing… we can’t wait to come back and see Singapore again,” he said. “We miss you guys and we love you a lot, thank you for continuing to be supportive fans and tell your friends!”

Don’t worry guys. We will!

Tags: Abang of the Airwaves, BLG, boys like girls, Bryan Donahue, Christopher Toh, Compass Ballroom, Hard Rock Hotel, John Keefe, Love Drunk, Martin Johnson, Paul DiGiovanni, Resorts World, Sentosa, Singapore, Taylor Swift, Two Is Better Than One

WHEN the newspapers ran that local Chinese pop singer Kelly Poon had said she was going to quit singing return to her previous job as an air stewardess for Singapore Airlines, I was devastated. (Okay, not really, but for dramatic purposes, let’s pretend I was devastated.)

The Singapore girl on the cover of last year’s FHM Singapore

I tried calling her up, but seeing as I didn’t actually have her private number and nobody would give it to me, that was a rather futile exercise and I wasted a good part of five minutes on it.

But I wasn’t the only one who was shocked. So too, was she, apparently. On her blog (http://kellypoon.pixnet.net/), Kelly wrote “I have heard news, really shocked!” *

See, not just me.

(*note: By the way, I’m translating these statements using my pitiful Mandarin skills, Google Translate and Yahoo Babel Fish – just so you know.)

She also cleared the air somewhat. ”What I mean is that if one day I leave pop music, I will go back to being a flight attendant, because that is what I like to work as.”

The news stemmed from the fact that her contract with Universal is up next year. Although she wrote that negotiations are still going on, she hinted that she might want to leave Taiwan and return to Singapore because her friends and family are here.

As for reports that she only gets a mere $500 a month, she said that it was true, but that it was her monthly expenses, since her label pays for everything else – from accommodation to food – the Singapore girl only needs to spend $500 on her personal stuff. Which is commendable, given these tough economic times.

But she added: “I’d like to chase my dream, but I do not come from a wealthy family, so if this doesn’t work, I have to find other jobs.”

Still, she’s got a fairly lucrative McDonald’s ad deal going on, plus she’s busy preparing for her concerts in Taiwan and next week, she’s off to China to do, er, something. So really, no big scandal there.

Yet.

If she crashes her car outside her home, of course, that’s whole ‘nother story. And you can be sure to read all about it here, because, you know, I really have nothing else better to do, seeing as how Tiger Woods still won’t return my calls.

Of course, I don’t actually have his private number and nobody will give it to me, so…

Tags: blog, Christopher Toh, Kelly Poon, Singapore, Singapore Airlines, Taiwan, Tiger Woods

IN THIS extremely revealing and totally non-serious interview, Zakk Wylde reveals all about his split Ozzy, why he doesn’t booze any more and his sex change operation. (Note: This was done just before his prison performance at Changi.)

Hi Zakk, I’m Chris. Could you just say something into the recorder? I need to check the levels. Hi, I’m Zakk, I wear women’s underwear.

Great. How’s your day so far? I’m great! Havin’ a great day so far. Is that a brace on your wrist? What happened? Too much whackin’ it, huh?

Well, no, but… Well, let’s do this interview then I can catch a few zzzs before we get to the prison. How far is it? About an hour?

No, actually about 30 minutes. Oh.

Anyway, let’s get on with the interview. Is there any question that you don’t want us to ask? Don’t ask about my women’s underwear and my sex change operation. We’ll keep that on the down low for now.

Right. Well, you’re in town to promote your signature range. Yeah, the guys at Epiphone did a great job with the Graveyard Disciple, and with the new chambered-out Les Paul BFGs – they’re both slammin’ guitars.

You’ve had an eventful 2009. Aside from the botched-up sex change operation? I mean, I got butchered man, And I paid top dollar for this s**t too. You think your hand’s bad? You should see what happened down here!

I heard you were in and out of hospital a lot. But it’s always funny. I always laugh about it. It’s always something. It could be with jazz musicians or something. It’s shit you can’t make up. Whenever this stuff happens, you have to laugh. It’s par for the course. I’ve broken my back, ribs, messed my neck up, my shoulder’s tweaked, then there were the blood clots, I’ve had two hernias, a throat operation… They just glue me together and ship me out on the road. And when I come home, the kids call me “Uncle Frank”. They don’t know who I am, I’m just some guy that comes around the house once in a while and gives them money. They’ll go like “Uncle Frank!” and I’m like, “No, it’s Daddy!” Then they’ll go like, “Whatever man, just give me the money. I’m getting ready for college.”

And you had to give up booze. What’s your poison now? I’m drinking like 6,000 cups for coffee. I’m probably going to have a stroke from drinking that much coffee! I like to chill and have a beer and watch the game with the guys, but the doctor said that if I continued drinking, I would bleed internally. So it’s like, “Let’s weigh the options here: Do we really need to go to AA for this? Internal bleeding or chill out?” So I was like, what the hell! I just boost the heroin intake and the pain pills.

The other big thing that happened to you was that Ozzy Osbourne replaced you in his band with Gus G. He’s jamming with Gus G, who’s a great guitar player. Oz was like, “Zakk, you’re doing the Black Label thing”. Our relationship is bigger than music anyway, he’s the godfather of one of my kids. And whenever he needed me, like if Gus had to go home because his wife was pregnant or something, I’d come out on the road and fill in for Gus until he can get back out.

Well, you have three kids… I do? First I’ve heard!

But you’re on the road a lot. How does make you feel as a dad? The way I look at it: Even if I had a normal day job, I’d still have to go out to work. My two oldest are teenagers and my little one, Hendrix, is seven – and they’d probably rather be spending time with their friends than with me. But whenever I get any breaks, like if I’m home for a month or something, then I actually spend some quality time with them. When I’m on the road, the kids sometimes come out, but they have school so they’ll come out for a bit and then go home. You make it work, whatever it takes.

And you’ve been married for the longest time. In celeb years, that’s 100 years. How do you guys do it? To me, everything that happens, it’s all part of the job. You know going in, this is what you’re going to get. If you’re a porn star, you can’t really go “The sex is killing me” – it’s part of the job. It is what it is.

Being on the road is his job, but he loves it 

You’ve been doing this for a long time. You were 19 when you started with Ozzy… I’m 42, but that’s in dog years. I’m really 526 years old – in my liver, pancreas and kidneys.

What’s the biggest life lesson you’ve learned? Why did I do this? Why? Please make the pain stop!

What’s the best thing or worst thing about being Zakk Wylde? It’s awesome. I’m a musician, I travel the whole world, I meet new people… well, the drawback would obviously be not being able to spend time with your family but that’s how it is with every household right? The dad’s not home because he’s at work trying to put food on the table so that your kids can have nice things. I love what I do – I don’t treat it like a job, but as I said, everything has a drawback to it. But even if I didn’t do this, I’d be bitching or moaning about something else.

What advice do you have for fans who want to do what you do? Don’t. Run! Far away! No, the whole secret to life is do what you love and do it to death. Find out what you like? If you like whackin’ it, do that for a living, we’ll figure out a way to make money from it. If that’s what you like, knock yourself out.

Any new Black Label music coming out soon? Yeah, we’re going to start on Friday at the Black Label bunker. I’m having a state-of-the-art studio built in my place in California. And once that’s done, we’re figuring January and February we record the album, mix it in March, and in April we’ll be out promoting it, and in May, that’s the next step in Black Label global domination. We’re going to be back over here with the band. And when I get back I’m going to be working on a book, a rock and roll survival guide. So get ready for some comedy on that one!

Okay, quickly before it starts: Your thoughts on doing this prison gig. Well, we got the offer to do the prison show because they said the gang there like the sweet, soothing romantic sounds of Black Label. I hope they like the performance otherwise this could been the last recorded interview for me! So, enjoy it, kids. But, seriously, you have to take care of everybody, don’t you? That’s the reason why you’re here, right?

Tags: Abang of the Airwaves, Changi Prison, Christopher Toh, interview, prison, Today, Zakk Wylde

MY FRIEND will be in a bit of a tizzy this weekend, because the Anime Festival Asia 09 (AFA09) is in town. I’m not as big an anime fan as she is, but I’m also pretty psyched up because four of Japan’s hot music makers will in town for that event too.

Maid in Japan: The AFA09 brings the best of anime to our shores… and these chicks too (not that I’m complaining!)

As any anime fan will tell you, anime isn’t just about the story, the effects or even the animation. It’s also about those cool theme songs and music you hear in the background. I remember watching Vision Of Escaflowne and Lain and being blown away by their theme songs. (Yeah, the story was nice too, but I could not miss the opening credits.)

May’n: She’s hot – hence the lack of clothing

So you can see why I’m a bit stoked about having Yoshiki Fukuyama, celeb blogger/singer Shoko Nakagawa, May’n and the “big bro yo” of anime songs, Ichirou Mizuki trooping into town for the I Love Anisong concert during the festival. (Of course, it also helps that Shoko’s purty darn cute, and May’n is a babe.)

Oh, and to put the icing on the cake, “Virtual Idol” Hatsune Miku will also be making her formal international debut at AFA09.

For those who still don’t know, Hatsune Miku is a popular “vocaloid”, a virtual “person” generated from music software that can be tuned to create J-pop anime songs. Not surprisingly, Hatsune Miku is a big hit in Japan – and even performed “live” to 25,000 at Animelo Summer Live.

Anime music veteran Ichirou Muzuki

On Saturday, Nov 21, Hatsune Miku, Shoko Nakagawa and Ichirou Mizuki will perform, with Hatsune using the Vocaloid 2 programme. Organisers have also planned a “surprise”. Only one way to find out what it is.

Shoko Nakagawa will also be having an autograph session at 3.30pm at the Suntec City Convention Center halls 403 and 404 hall.

The very chio Shoko Nakagawa

On Sunday, Yoshiki Fukuyama and May’n will take the stage, with the latter featuring brand new songs from her upcoming album and the latest Macross Frontiermovie. Despite his busy schedule, we managed to get Fukuyama-san to answer a few questions.

Firing up the fretboard: Yoshiki Fukuyama

Why do you like anime?

I like animation because I saw it when I was young.

Which anime do you like?

I like Heidi, although if I had to choose among recent anime, I like Gintamal and Sgt. Frog.

Do you find that the theme songs for anime are sometimes bigger hits than the anime itself? Is that a concern of yours?

I don’t think so.

What do you think the most challenging thing is about singing animation songs?

Nothing.

And there you have it folks, the only person who talks less than Mando-pop singer Jam Hsiao.

The I Love Anisong two-day passes ($188) are selling out, the $108 single day tickets are still available. I Love Anisong ticket prices include entry into the main AFA09. Tickets available from Sistic.

General entry passes to AFA09 priced at $25 (2-day pass) and $15 (one day). Student concession available, children below 12 years, free. Available at the door. For more info, visit www.afa09.com.

Tags: Abang of the Airwaves, AFA09, anime, Anime Festival Asia, Animelo Summer Live, Christopher Toh, Hatsune Miku, I Love Anisong, Ichirou Mizuki, Jam Hsiao, Macross Frontier, Mandopop, May’n, Shoko Nakagawa, Suntec City Convention Centre, Yoshiki Fukuyama

FIRSTLY, sorry for the delay with this instalment. I was dreaming beneath a desert sky in Dubai last week, and it’s made me all forgetful and stuff. 

But I’m back with our column featuring some of Singapore’s brightest musical sparks that we think will light our way into the future. (Thanks to our good friends at Walk On Music for their help.)

THIS WEEK: INCH CHUA

Inch Chua is a 21-year-old singer-songwriter who “indulges in cathartically expressing herself through music”. While not being an arts management student at LASALLE College Of The Arts, she fronts pop rock outfit Allura, but recently released her solo EP, The Bedroom, as a free online download. According to her, the music is inspired by “personal experiences and sometimes contains a message for the audience”.

Why did you become a singer? I always did enjoy singing while growing up, (but) I never thought of becoming a singer solely because I never thought my singing was anything special. When I was in primary school, however, I was very aware that I enjoyed performing. I didn’t care if I was good enough; I just really enjoyed expressing myself to an audience. Eventually, at 14 I discovered the local music scene and gradually grew to love doing music more and at 16 I started “seriously” singing when I decided to start a band.

Who are your influences? I basically grew up listening to my mum’s records, which pretty much are artists such as The Carpenters, The Bee Gees, Engelbert Humperdinck, The Beatles, Boney M, etc. Today, my influences are a combination that and music that intrigues me, such as Bjork, Aphex Twin, John Mayer, Electric Light Orchestra, Mutemath and Nine Inch Nails – a mix of electronica and folk acoustic. Folktronica, if you will.

Is Allura over? Allura’s not over. The guys are currently taking turns doing National Service. Matt went it last year, Aaron just got in and Han Quan will be enlisting next year. The band’s not completely stagnant because we still do write and meet up weekly to hang out and stuff. We’re friends and family, after all.

Why do this solo EP? It’s always been something I wanted to experience for myself but I never really had the confidence to do so. I guess you could say that I wanted the world to know that there’s a different side of me, other than that rocker chick persona most people associate me with. So now that the band is on a short hiatus because of NS, I thought this would be the best time to test the waters and pass some time. A lot of people usually assume that the guys feel upset about me going solo, but in reality, they were most encouraging and supportive about doing this. They helped me get over my insecurities.

Can you tell us more about The Bedroom? It’s named so because I recorded everything in my very own bedroom. The recording and mixing took less than two weeks. The biggest challenge was finding the capital to do it. I wanted it to be a proper release, well mixed and mastered; hence I had to play more shows to get the extra cash for it. But recording the EP was a relatively smooth ordeal for me – it was really fun. I think it was much more nerve-wracking waiting on the public response.

Even singers need to rest before they take over the world

So has the response matched your expectations? I really didn’t know what to expect. After all, it is my first time revealing another side of me. The download count is now above 4,500 – both overseas and local. I’m quite happy for now, but it wouldn’t hurt to have more! Ha-ha!

What’s your plan for world domination? Well, so far I’ve gigged in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, but I intend to venture more overseas. Till then, the Internet is probably the closest thing you can get to world domination, and it’s the best tool a modern day artist has for promotion. Nevertheless, another strategy I believe would be good old fashion talent. I don’t know if I have what it takes, but I’m sure as hell going to try!

Download Inch Chua’s album here http://www.inchchua.com/Wallflower/Downloads.html; and catch a video of Inch performing here http://www.walkonmusic.net

Tags: Abang of the Airwaves, Allura, Christopher Toh, Inch Chua, S-Pop, The Bedroom, Walk On Music

DURING the recording of The Beatles 1968 double album, entitled The Beatles, aka The White Album, Paul McCartney recorded this jaunty pseudo-ska tune called Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da.

Apparently, only Paul liked it. John Lennon and George Harrison both hated that it took such a long time to record (because Paul wanted the vocals to be perfect), and George even made a barb at it in his White Album tune, Savoy Truffle, with the line, “we all know Ob-la-di la-da, but can you show me who you are”.

But even John and George would turn in their graves, and Paul would wish he was dead, if they knew that the tune would be the basis for a productivity song by the Food Drinks And Allied Workers’ Union of Singapore.

Watch the video:

Thanks a lot, guys. I’m just sorry about the people appearing in the video. Did they know what they were getting into? They should be compensated well.

I know, when the MDA released a rap video some time ago, they got flak for that too. But at least it RHYMED BETTER!

Really, sample this last verse:

“Happy ever after in the work place/ cheaper better faster is the way/We all work together to give quality/That only workers in Singapore can achieve…”

Sorry, that’s not going to win the award for Best Lyrics anytime soon. Heck, even I could do something like that. In fact, here it is, sung to the tune of Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da…

“FDA double-U U of Singapore/Got the thought to write this song/It started as an idea that could be all right/but at the end the song just came out sounding wrong…

Oh bloody, oh brother, hate this song, ah/La la how we hate this song (repeat again)”

See? That took six minutes, including corrections. I’m available for other songwriting services for Christmas, New Year and other major festivities. Thank you.

Tags: Abang of the Airwaves, Christmas, Christopher Toh, Food Drinks And Allied Workers' Union, George Harrison, John Lennon, MDA, New Year, Ob-la-di Ob-la-da, Paul McCartney, productivity songs, Savoy Truffle, Singapore, The Beatles, White Album

WELL, it looks like da Abang was wrong.

A day after publishing that the Australian do call St Jerome’s Laneway Festival wasn’t going to make a Singapore appearance, I got a message from a source that wished to remain anonymous, so let’s call him, or her, or it, Deep Throat, like that guy from that TV show that was popular last century called The X-Files, and not, you know, that notorious movie of the same name that every guy worth his, er, salt has no doubt seen.

No, that’s not true.

What actually happened was I received a comment  from someone called Michelle(http://blogs.todayonline.com/poparazzi/2009/11/10/no-laneway-in-singapore-never-mind-got-buzzcocks-etc-etc/#comments) that basically said there will be a Laneway Festival in Singapore after all, and they will announce it later this month on the website.

Well… WE’RE ANNOUNCING IT HERE NOW! HAHAHAHA! So, thanks Michelle!

And even though the line-up isn’t fully confirmed, I’m just going to say ”yay!” for those who wanted Laneway to happen.

Watch this space for more info, y’all.

Tags: Abang of the Airwaves, Australian, Christopher Toh, Festival, Laneway, Singapore, St Jerome, The X-Files

SO as it turned out, the 15th Singapore Hit Awards, or SHA, should have been renamed the S.H.E. awards, seeing as the babelicious Taiwanese trio picked up four – count ‘em, four – awards Friday night.

(Okay, they were pipped to the post by Mayday, who picked up FIVE – one for each member – but then my pun wouldn’t have worked as well.)

Anyway, babesome threesome, who were also in town to launch the Osim uKimono, picked up trophies for Best Group, Most Versatile Artist, Asia Media Award (Group) and Oustanding Regional Artiste (Taiwan). 

Too hot to handle (from left): Hebe, Ella and Selina of S.H.E.

Other big winners included Rachel Liang (below) and Tanya Chua (three each) and Lala Hsu, Jam Hsiao, Kelvin Tan and Jay Chou (two each).

As expected Rachel picked up a not only the Most Popular Newcomer and the Meritorious Newcomer awards, but in a surprise move, also picked up the Most Popular Female Artiste award.

Rachel Liang belting it out

Tanya (below), on the other hand, was feted for her outstanding achievement to local music, and also picked up an award for Best Local Lyrics. It was, she said, gratifying for her because writing in Mandarin wasn’t her strongest suit.

However, if there was an award for Most Succint Artiste, it would have gone to Jam Hsiao.

Jam Hsiao: Tall in height, short on words

The good-looking singer, who is known for his economical use of language, was the butt of many jibes. The show’s presenters joked that  they were promised $50 for every word he uttered.  And even then they couldn’t even make more than a couple of hundred.

Even when presenting the awards, Jam was tight-lipped. “Good evening. Here are the nominees,” he intoned before the video clips for the Meritorious Newcomer Awards started. And after: “The winner is Liang Wenyin… Lala Hsu… Huang Jing Lun… Zhang Yun Jing.” Don’t think about a career as a public speaker anytime soon, Jam.

There were a few interesting moments, particularly those involving Yes 933FM DJ Dennis Chew’s turn as Auntie Lucy, although admittedly, it always strikes me as psycho creepy whenever he does that.

Still, he had his arms full, literally, when S.H.E.’s Ella decided to jump him. We’re not sure who was more shocked, but we’re thinking it was co-presenter Michelle Chong.

And when JJ Lin (below) won the Best Local Artiste award, he sent back a text message to his fans, explaining his absence: He was in Los Angeles mixing his new album, which is expected to be out next month.

There were gaffs too. The video projections failed to live up to the occasion more than once, but overall, everybody – from fans to er, more fans, alike – had a good enough time. And maybe next year, we’ll hear Jam actually say something more than just sound bites.  

Anyway, here’s the full list of winners…

Album Of The Year: Poetry Of The Day After Spring, Mayday

Best Album Producer: Jay Chou

Best Single Producer: Edward Chan, Charles Lee, Khalil Fong

Best Local Lyrics: Shi Nian, Tanya Chua

Best Local Composition: Ru Yan, Olivia Ong (below)

Best Local Artiste: JJ Lin

Best Male Vocalist: Jam Hsiao

Best Female Vocalist: A-mei

Best Group: S.H.E.

Best Band: Mayday

Best Composing Artiste: Sodagreen

Meritorious Newcomer: Rachel Liang, Lala Hsu, Huang Jin Lun, Zhang Yun Jing

Zhang Yun Jing (left) and Rachel Liang

Most Popular Male Artiste: Jam Hsiao

Most Popular Female Artiste: Rachel Liang

Popular Group/Band: Mayday

Most Popular Newcomer: Rachel Liang

YES 933FM Pick of the Pops Award - Single of the Year: Heartbeat, Wang Lee Hom

YES 933FM Pick of the Pops Award - Artiste with Most Chart Hits: Mayday

Asia Media Award (Male Artiste): Jay Chou

Asia Media Award (Female Artiste): Tanya Chua

Asia Media Award (Band): Mayday (below)

Asia Media Award (Group): S.H.E.

Outstanding Regional Artiste Award (Mainland China): Zhou Bi Zhang

Outstanding Regional Artiste Award (Hong Kong): Eason Chan

Outstanding Regional Artiste Award (Taiwan): S.H.E.

Outstanding Regional Artiste Award (Malaysia): Fish Leong

Inspirational Award (Local Media’s Choice): Kelvin Tan (below)

Outstanding Local Music Achievement Award: Tanya Chua

Most Versatile Artiste of the Year Award: S.H.E.

Most Acclaimed Artiste of the Year Award: Fahrenheit

Courts MV Award: Kelvin Tan

i-weekly Dazzling Newcomer Award: Lala Hsu

(Thanks to Yes 933FM for the pictures.)

Tags: A-mei, Abang of the Airwaves, Auntie Lucy, Aunty Lucy, Best Local Lyrics, Chinese music, Christopher Toh, Dennis Chew, Eason Chan, Fahrenheit, Fish Leong, Huang Jin Lun, Jam Hsiao, Jay Chou, JJ Lin, Kelvin Tan, Khalil Fong, Lala Hsu, Mayday, Michelle Chong, Most Popular Female Artiste, Olivia ONg, Rachel Liang, S.H.E., Singapore Hit Awards, Singapore music, Sodagreen, Taiwanese, Tanya Chua, Wang Lee Hom, Yes 933FM, Zhang Yun Jing

Australian guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel was in town last week performing at the DBS Auditorium. We sat down the man over a plate of dumpling noodles and got to get him to talk about what it means to be one of the world’s top guitarists.

This is your fourth time in Singapore. Not to sound facetious, but why? Well, I don’t want to wear out my welcome here, but I have a following here and I’d like to continue to build that.

Have guitar will travel: Tommy has better transport arrangements these days

What’s the most important thing for you as a guitarist? The most important thing is that people have a great time and they’re uplifted by the whole experience. That’s the only reason I’m there! I don’t really care to impress. I don’t care about fame and fortune. I don’t need to be rich and driving a Bentley – that’ll be nice, but it won’t fulfil me. What fulfills me is doing a good job. I’m the vessel for the music. Whatever flows through me is very powerful. I don’t know what it is, but it works.

What’s your pre-show ritual? Eat something good, change strings and I spend a lot of time tuning. I’m really meticulous about it. Like many guitarists I’m always searching for the best sound. Just the other day in Seoul, the sound in the hall was so good it was giving me goose bumps all night. But there are other nights where you can’t get the sound no matter what you do.

Have you ever had a bum gig? Thousands of them! You just carry on and do a better job the next day. I don’t believe in looking at the rearview mirror. I break it everyday.

Don’t you ever get bored? I get bored with myself. But I get inspired by the audience. You have to live in the moment. That’s what does it for me. I live in the today. I don’t know what I’m doing tomorrow, my business is today. And what you think of me is none of my business either, so there’s no point in my worrying about it. I just go for it in everyway and try to do my best.

You’re known as an acoustic player, but you actually began with the electric guitar. I was mostly electric player, and only did a bit of acoustic stuff. It’s kind of evolved and a lot of it was because in my early days, during a show, I’d do a solo acoustic segment and people kept saying to me that was the most incredible part of the show. And I thought, “There’s something in there”. So I ended up writing a lot of solo songs and it worked so well. I spend 320 days a year touring now.

Will you ever whip out your electric guitar again? I’m going to play all that music again. Late next year, I’m going to celebrate 50 years of playing so my brother and I are going to form a band, and I’m going to play all my electric stuff as well. Looking forward to that!

No part of the guitar too sacred to make music from

What advice do you have for budding guitarist? You’d better get to work! What else can I say? There are no shortcuts, you have to work your butt off to get anywhere in this business. Get some good songs to play, and play something that inspires you. Don’t just listen to guitar players – listen to singers, songwriters, listen to people whose music moves the world.

Look at Les Paul. I played with him twice this year before he passed away. And he was better than last year! He practiced all the time – and he was riddled with arthritis! He said, “If there’s a heaven on earth, it must be standing up here playing this guitar. What an inspiring statement!”

If you’re good, we’ll want to hear you. There’s nothing surer than that. It doesn’t matter where you are on the planet, if you genuinely are good; the world’s going to know about you.

Tags: Abang of the Airwaves, Christopher Toh, DBS, guitar, guitarist, Singapore, Tommy Emmanuel

Hello, da Abang’s in da house, welcoming  you to our spanking new column featuring some of Singapore’s brightest new sparks that we think will take our music scene into the future and boldly go where no band has gone. (Thanks to our good friends at Walk On Music for their support and help.)

THIS WEEK: COVE RED

Suyin (left) and Rachael of Cove Red: By a cove, not wearing red

Formed by Rachael Teo, 25 and Suyin Koh, 27, they released their EP, Awaken The Dreamer, in May this year. The purpose behind this recording was to help Rachael raise funds to attend a summer school in the United States back in June.

Tell us how the band began. Having met for a gig two years ago, we started jamming for fun last December and slowly morphed into a performing band after finding out that our goals in music/performing were similar. The cove-by-the-sea imagery comes from the Christian concept that God “cove-rs” us amidst life’s storms. We too,  hope that our music can be a shelter for our listeners from the noise of the world and be a window into new perspectives. Red also represents our passion for music and the people who we come into contact with.

In five words, can you describe Cove Red? Chill, authentic music. People matter.

Who are your musical influences? We listen to a lot of different bands and singers. In general, we are both pretty affected by introspective indie rock/folk singer-songwriter types like Damien Rice, Rachael Yamagata, Sara Bareilles and Sarah McLachlan.

Can you tell us a bit about your EP? RACHAEL: It contains potent dosages of positive messages, such as faith, destiny, hope, love and peace. It might sound like an early Christmas album, but it’s really not. These sub-themes help to weave together the heart of the message: Living unafraid and unashamed. The biggest challenge was to get it recorded, mixed and mastered on time, with limited instrumentation due to budget constraint. Thankfully, we had a very competent producer, Gerald from local band Lunar Node. It took us about three days to record and the result was a dream.

Do you prefer performing live or recording in the studio? SUYIN: Live, because of the opportunity to communicate directly. But I actually enjoys recording demos at home a lot, does that count? I like the space to be both accurate and creative with the absence of stress and time restrictions.

What’s your plan for world domination? Some of the gigs that mean the most to us are the really small-scale events. We really treasure the personal contact and believe the key to being “world-changers” is starting small and going deep. On the other hand, we’d both really like to use our music to support causes on local and global levels that are important to us.

When’s your next gig? Our next gigs are on January 8 and 9, 2010, at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre. Look out for more details on the Esplanade website!

 To watch a video of Cove Red visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz0ua0kxylg or http://www.walkonmusic.net/

Tags: Abang of the Airwaves, Awaken The Dreamer, Christopher Toh, Cove Red, EP, Music, Rachael Teo, S-Pop, Singapore, Suyin Koh, The Esplanade, Walk On Music