AB Three don't want to be young forever<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): If there is a will, there is a way, and with a
\npinch of luck, one will probably stay. For the young and
\nenergetic singing trio AB Three, their strong will and bags of
\nluck have definitely led them on the right path to fame and
\nfortune. Enough for a long journey.<\/p>\n
Once amateur singers, Lusy Rachmawaty, Riafinola Ifani and
\nWidi Mulia were fortunate that their combined willpower saw them
\nthrough when opportunity knocked. Going from perfect strangers
\nbefore being united three years ago in 1994, the vibrant young
\nladies have become the nation's darlings, mostly thanks to a
\ntelevision show called Asia Bagus.<\/p>\n
It was in 1993 when they started down their own yellow brick
\nroad. Separately, they became weekly champions on Asia Bagus!, a
\nkind of a Starsearch assembled by Japan's Fuji TV held in
\nSingapore for the quest of discovering hidden talents in the
\nregion. But not all Starsearch winners reach the top if they ease
\nup afterward winning. For Lusy, Nola and Widi, a lot of strenuous
\npractice, prayers, buckets of luck and perfectly prepared
\nmanagement enhanced their voyage to stardom.<\/p>\n
\"What we have achieved so far is the result of a long trail
\nfilled with hard work. It's no coincidence,\" stated Widi, the
\nyoungest of the trio who started senior high school last year.
\nBut Widi could not deny that good fortune had its place in their
\nspeedy success story.<\/p>\n
Their path was engineered by Antero Bagus, the Asia Bagus!
\nnetwork in Indonesia operated by Chris Pattikawa, who works for
\nthe state-run TV station TVRI. Pattikawa brought them together,
\nlabeled them AB (Antero Bagus) Three and supported them with very
\ncompetent management. Experienced showbiz person Maryati became
\nthe girls' chaperone-manager. Producer Youngki Suwarno became the
\ngroup's songwriter with TVRI English newscaster Tengku Malinda as
\nthe English translator. Willie Puah choreographed their act and
\nSamuel Wattimena designed AB Three's costumes.<\/p>\n
All that effort paid off when the dollish trio unexpectedly
\nbrought home second prize from Romania's Golden STAG Festival in
\nSeptember 1994, less than a year after the group formed.<\/p>\n
\"We were really motivated to quickly adapt to each other due
\nto the planned festival. Less than a year really is a very short
\ntime for a new group to get to know each other,\" reminisced Lusy,
\na sophomore of French Language at the University of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
After the Romanian triumph there was no slowing down for the
\ntrio. They graced Finland's Midnight Song Festival a year later;
\ndazzled their way through the 1995 Indonesian International Song
\nFestival, taking Best Interpretation for an Indonesian Song and
\nthe overall Grand Prix prizes; attracted attention in music
\nfestivals in eastern Europe; signed a big contract with the
\nmanufacturer of Lux soap as the product's endorsers; and released
\ntheir debut album Cintailah Aku (Love Me) in 1995. Becoming the
\nnation's daughters seemed inevitable.<\/p>\n
\"God has blessed us with talent and I'm sure that there's a
\npurpose in it. So, what are we doing now is giving our best to
\nthe public,\" said Lusy, the trio's spokesperson.<\/p>\n
In 1996, they released their second album Kerinduan (Longing),
\nwhich has three new English songs and a cover version of The
\nBeatles legendary hit, Yesterday. They are planning to record
\ntheir third album in Italy in July. All the songs will be in
\nEnglish and the album will be distributed throughout Europe.<\/p>\n
\"We are planning to sign with Virgin Records or BMG,\" said
\nMaryati, adding that during the European recording sessions, the
\ntrio will perform at a international music festival in
\nKazakhstan.<\/p>\n
Lifestyle<\/p>\n
The music industry has been known as a place where stars come
\nand go as fast as comets. The all-consuming demand of being a
\npublic figure, and the celebrity-pompousness plague frequently
\nelbow their way in and crumble the plans of some suddenly famous
\nartists. For AB Three, the flip side of the exciting world of
\nperforming -- such as wild parties -- hangs over them. However,
\nthe three red riding hoods try their best to avoid the big bad
\nwolves in the woods of glamorous society.<\/p>\n
\"We always try not to be affected by it all but it's hard to
\navoid. Sometimes, the fans demand that we be like that and
\nwithout fans we're nothing,\" said adroit Lusy. \"But the ones who
\nshow off more than their accomplishment warrant are probably
\nthose do not know what else to show. Behaving that way, we will
\nonly hurt ourselves,\" she said.<\/p>\n
For the record, AB Three has never been rocked by any
\ncelebrity gossip, although they are at the top, where the winds
\nof rumors are most turbulent. They seldom go to celebrity parties
\nor huddle together at Jakarta's abundant cafes. One undeniable
\nfactor is their chaperon-style management, which limits their
\nentrance to the dark-side of the music world.<\/p>\n
\"They are rigorously watched to go for quality,\" bragged
\nMaryati, who, throughout AB Three's interview with me at the TCL
\nCafe, never seemed to stop watching the girls.<\/p>\n
Witty Widi, 17, who seemed more mature than other girls her
\nage, said that a lot of celebrities do not realize where they
\nstand.<\/p>\n
\"We are aware that the public is watching us. We are even
\ncriticized when we do the right thing,\" she said. \"Everyday we
\nsee this and that. Hopefully, with God's blessings we will not go
\nthe wrong way.\"<\/p>\n
Sharp-eyed Lusy seconded her young peer: \"We want to give a
\ngood image to our fans although we realize we're not superwomen.\"<\/p>\n
The fans<\/p>\n
If you see them perform, it is easy to say they are
\ncomfortable with the cute and innocent image. Their baby-doll
\noutfits and sweet youthful faces make them appear like three
\nBarbie clones who sing. Their album is decorated with childish
\ncrayon drawings and their gestures in their videoclips portray
\nthem as sweet girls-next-door or dream daughters. But will they
\ntry to portray a more mature image as they get older?<\/p>\n
\"We definitely will change in time. But we will do it
\ngradually, so our fans can mature along with us,\" said Lusy, who
\nstepped out of teenager territory last January.<\/p>\n
Widi added that AB Three will try to entertain all ages. \"We
\ndon't want to be 'girls' forever. And actually, our future
\nconcept is directed toward everyone, not only teenyboppers. But
\nwe do not want to imitate anybody, we want to express ourselves.\"<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the market is something they always bear in
\nmind.<\/p>\n
\"We are in the business of entertaining others. So, if we try
\nto do something we like which is disliked by our fans, we would
\nbe committing business suicide,\" said Lusy.<\/p>\n
\"Yeah, we can't just express art in an ideal way. We have to
\nbalance our amount of artistic expression with the public's
\nwants,\" quipped Widi.<\/p>\n
Being Indonesia's leading musical act in their category, AB
\nThree appears to have no competitors, although numerous sexy
\nfemale trios pop up on television every now and then.<\/p>\n
\"It would be more fun, if there was,\" said Lusy. \"But we are
\nnot here to sell our faces. And it seems that the public prefer
\nus, meaning that most are not buying the others' concepts.\"<\/p>\n
So, who do they see as competitors?<\/p>\n
\"TLC?\" hinted dreamy eyed Nola, who was quiet throughout the
\ninterview but always had a bright smiling face, referring to the
\ninternationally known U.S. trio. The two others just giggled.<\/p>\n
Why not? Remember, if there's a will, there's a way. (Achmad
\nNurhoeri)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ab-three-dont-want-to-be-young-forever-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}