from the electric newpaper
In for a ROCKY RIDE?
While Milubing may rejoice at being S'pore's first SuperBand, industry players wonder about the staying power of Mandarin bands.
CHANG MAY CHOON looks at difficulties faced by Mandopop bands here
August 08, 2006
THE dust has settled, Singapore's first SuperBand is born.
Hot favourite rock-pop trio Milubing beat fierce competition to win a recording contract with Warner Music Singapore during the finals of the Channel U talent quest held at the Singapore Expo on Saturday night .
Others can only go home and 'calculate losses', as one contestant joked.
But that appears to be the sad truth.
Despite not winning, runner-up boy band Soul, visual rock band Lucify and pop trio J3 said that they will continue to work towards their musical dream.
Sorry to burst your bubble, guys.
But being a Mandarin band in Singapore is a lot harder than you think.
While Singapore can produce solo Mandopop acts like Stefanie Sun and JJ Lin, our homegrown bands are limited to short-lived flops like Peace, Mirai and One-Fifth.
And when asked, industry sources are more sceptical than encouraging about whether the SuperBand finalists can sustain commercially in the long run.
The reality is, boy bands are facing a decline in the stagnant Mandopop scene. No rock band has been able to emulate the wild success of Taiwanese outfit Mayday.
Unlike in Project Superstar or Singapore Idol, where the organisers were able to identify a handful of potential stars other than the winners, both MediaCorp and Warner could not confirm if they would sign any other SuperBand finalists.
THE FEWER THE BETTER
Warner's marketing director, Mr James Kang, has reservations. Managing a five-member band is five times the challenge of managing a solo artiste, he said.
'People are bound to disagree and that could prove to be a big headache when it comes to styling and music direction,' said Mr Kang.
'The non-lead singers may feel overshadowed, resulting in jealousy and conflict.
'Dealing with one artiste is already a headache, not to mention five. I'm quite happy that Milubing won because it has the least number of members.'
Economic viability is also a factor to consider.
Signing a band comes with a hefty price tag as the record label would have to provide for all its members - from costumes to instruments and stage logistics.
But it's no secret that most bands that shoot to fame eventually split up due to personal differences or money issues.
An insider who declined to be named said: 'Every fee has to be split by five. It's just not economically viable.
'Be realistic. How long can you last? Even Milk has to come and host SuperBand now,' she added, referring to the former leader of Taiwanese boy band Energy who left the group last year.
Other industry pundits pointed out that the crucial element of originality was sorely lacking in the SuperBand competition.
Taiwanese rocker Chang Chen-yue, who was the guest star for the finals, observed that band competitions in Taiwan tend to focus on original compositions while SuperBand was centred on stage performance.
Hype Records executive director Ken Lim added that SuperBand finalists were more focused on winning the competition than creating their own unique sound.
'People who support a band are going for a message and not the looks or packaging,' said Mr Lim, who groomed Singapore Idol Taufik Batisah.
'You've got to come out with an original sound, a fresh approach that doesn't exist in current market and a right message that will create awareness.
'You can't copy other bands.'
It does not help that Chinese music fans here are more receptive to mainstream pop than alternative rock.
Many rock bands from Taiwan have tried their luck here, like Shin and Don Gin, but only Mayday remains the crowd favourite.
Said Mr Kang: 'Generally Chinese rock bands are harder to break in Singapore.
'By tradition, rock stars have a bit of attitude and strong opinions about their own music.
'But some people may take their loud music and aggressiveness as noise.'
Luckily, Milubing is deemed to have enough mainstream pop appeal to reach out to the masses.
Mr Kang said he hopes to keep the band's fresh and youthful image, and strong pop element.
'Ultimately we don't just want to sell them to those who like rock music, but also the masses who like them for their natural and friendly ways.
'I hope they can do some songwriting too, but for a start, they can sing songs by other musicians and grow from there.'
As for the other finalists, Mr Kang pointed out more flaws than strengths.
The J3 trio boasts good vocals, but he doubts their albums will sell well because 'they face a big disadvantage in the looks department and that's something difficult to compensate for'.
Lucify's Japanese-inspired visual rock image is a double-edged sword. Mr Kang said it is interesting to explore but also risky at the same time.
'I'm worried they don't have mass appeal. Their costumes are also a problem because it means five times the trouble. But for visual rock, you can't be careless about the make-up and hairdo.'
TOO MATURE
Finally, Soul's members, whose average age is 24, look too mature to appeal to the teenage girls who embrace boy bands.
Their strength is in their dance moves, but Mr Kang said they pale in comparison to Korean acts like ShinHwa.
But there is some hope yet for Soul - if MediaCorp can tailor-make a drama and mould them into Prince Charming figures to appeal to teenage girls, said Mr Kang.
The formula has worked for Taiwanese boy band 183Club, which shot to fame after starring in the drama The Prince Who Turned Into A Frog.
Said Mr Kang: 'Like 183Club, they can then ride on their popularity and release an album.'
