Filipino Maribeth seeks second wind in Indonesia<\/p>\n
By Achmad Nurhoeri<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Five years after she swept the nation with her
\n1992 Denpasar Moon, Filipino diva Maribeth B. Pascua is back in
\nIndonesia to recapture her days of adoration. However, her first
\nshot at Jakarta's Poster Cafe on Thursday night proved that
\nsequels rarely match first time successes.<\/p>\n
It was a tale from rags-to-riches when nameless amateur Mari
\nbeth won the Voice of Asia competition in 1991, followed by a
\nfive-year contract with Sony Music Japan in Tokyo.<\/p>\n
She stunned Indonesia with a song using Balinese gamelan made
\nby a Malay Brit and produced by a Japanese company.<\/p>\n
But under the sweet fame and fortune there lied a sticky
\nbitterness.<\/p>\n
\"I experienced a lot of bad and good through these past five
\nyears. I wasn't happy then. I was a robot,\" said Maribeth contem
\nplatively. \"I don't want to be a robot anymore.\"<\/p>\n
To everyone's surprise, the debut album Alone Against The
\nWorld in 1992 struck gold in Indonesia. It triggered a massive
\ndrive of more than 60 illegal cover versions. Indonesians were
\nhumming the tune nationwide, from posh hotels and cabinet
\nmeetings to shabby shanties and village huts, in English,
\nIndonesian and even Sundanese.<\/p>\n
But the second album, I Was Born To Sing, was a
\ndisappointment. Maribeth's powerful voice was trimmed to
\nmediocrity. The third album Abhyanga was even worse and failed in
\nthe market.<\/p>\n
\"I was surprised that it was released here. The sound and
\ntaste are Japanese. I knew that it wouldn't sell,\" she said.<\/p>\n
In the end, the music industry has again proved its power to
\nsmother artistic quality for the sake of the dollar.<\/p>\n
\"I don't really like my own songs. On the first album I was
\nnot too dictated to. But in the second and third, they (Sony
\nMusic Japan) completely dictated me,\" said the 25-year-old
\nFilipino.<\/p>\n
\"They wanted me to change my voice style and used a lot of
\nfake voices. I don't like that,\" sighed Maribeth, who is now her
\nown manager. \"It's only now that I have the freedom of speech and
\nchoice. Now it's all up to me. I tell you, a part of singing is
\nabout enjoying it.\"<\/p>\n
Strong<\/p>\n
But bad experiences are what make people strong, especially
\nthis singer, who is practically unknown in her home country.<\/p>\n
\"I realized my mistakes. And they have to change for the
\nbetter. So, I've been praying to the Lord that my 1992 success
\nwill happen again in 1997,\" she said noting that she will retire
\nin five years unless her star continues to shining.<\/p>\n
She is now preparing her fourth and fifth album here with PT
\nIndo Semar Sakti, Sony's Indonesian distributor. One is in
\nEnglish but the other album will be the one she has hopes for. It
\nwill consist of 10 songs, all in Indonesian. It will be furnished
\nby various strokes of ethnic and contemporary Indonesian music.<\/p>\n
One song, Tarian Dewata (Dance of Gods), is a copy of Denpasar
\nMoon with heavy blows of gamelan. The other songs will be filled
\nwith pinches of Sundanese strains, brushes of dangdut beats and
\nhigh pitched notes and ad-libs. Both albums will hit the market
\nnext September.<\/p>\n
Asked why she wanted to make it big for the second time in
\nIndonesia, Maribeth confidently said, \"I must maintain my image.\"<\/p>\n
\"I want to be classified as an Indonesian celebrity. I prefer
\nthat because here is where I am accepted the most. The people
\nalways wanted me here,\" she proclaimed, adding that she does not
\nmiss her home at all.<\/p>\n
Maribeth confessed that she has a grudge against certain
\nparties back home. \"I want to prove to the people in the
\nPhilippines who never accepted me that I'll make it big outside.
\nAnd once they know, they'll regret it.<\/p>\n
\"They will get their 'karma' for using me. Just let God de
\ncide,\" she said after explaining an unpleasant incident in her
\nearly days.<\/p>\n
Dry comeback<\/p>\n
Getting up from a fall is never a simple task and Maribeth
\nfound out that Indonesia had begun to forget her.<\/p>\n
Her reappearance at the laser-splashed Poster Cafe was filled
\nmostly by people who were not the fans she desired. Most of them
\nwere dandy-suited people who only clapped at the end of each
\nsong. The Voice of Asia quality rushed back but it was just not
\nenough.<\/p>\n
She used her broken Indonesian to stimulate the mood. She
\nforced several people to sing along with her. Some refused, some
\nshied away. \"Jangan malu (Don't be shy),\" she said to a gray
\nhaired chap while she sang the 1960s oldie Stand By Me. Luckily
\nshe discovered a beautiful young lady none other than model Cut
\nKeke for her target, which excited the crowd a little.<\/p>\n
Pitifully, the dry audience just made her another Filipino pub
\nsinger you frequently see in Jakarta's many pubs. Maribeth only
\nsang twelve songs, one song less than planned. Ten were Western
\nsongs you usually hear in cafes these days. She skipped Ruth
\nSahanaya's Bawa Daku Pergi (Carry Me Away).<\/p>\n
Only Denpasar Moon was able to excite due to the six Balinese
\ndancers who were too much for the tiny stage. \"That's the song
\nthat made me famous,\" she said to the audience.<\/p>\n
A couple in the audience gave her a bouquet and asked for an
\nencore. But no one said a comeback would be easy. If Maribeth
\nwants to be more than the singer of Denpasar Moon, she will need
\nmore than confidence, broken Indonesian, a remarkable voice and a
\npretty face.<\/p>",
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