AB Three don't want to be young forever

AB Three don't want to be young forever

JAKARTA (JP): If there is a will, there is a way, and with a
pinch of luck, one will probably stay. For the young and
energetic singing trio AB Three, their strong will and bags of
luck have definitely led them on the right path to fame and
fortune. Enough for a long journey.

Once amateur singers, Lusy Rachmawaty, Riafinola Ifani and
Widi Mulia were fortunate that their combined willpower saw them
through when opportunity knocked. Going from perfect strangers
before being united three years ago in 1994, the vibrant young
ladies have become the nation's darlings, mostly thanks to a
television show called Asia Bagus.

It was in 1993 when they started down their own yellow brick
road. Separately, they became weekly champions on Asia Bagus!, a
kind of a Starsearch assembled by Japan's Fuji TV held in
Singapore for the quest of discovering hidden talents in the
region. But not all Starsearch winners reach the top if they ease
up afterward winning. For Lusy, Nola and Widi, a lot of strenuous
practice, prayers, buckets of luck and perfectly prepared
management enhanced their voyage to stardom.

"What we have achieved so far is the result of a long trail
filled with hard work. It's no coincidence," stated Widi, the
youngest of the trio who started senior high school last year.
But Widi could not deny that good fortune had its place in their
speedy success story.

Their path was engineered by Antero Bagus, the Asia Bagus!
network in Indonesia operated by Chris Pattikawa, who works for
the state-run TV station TVRI. Pattikawa brought them together,
labeled them AB (Antero Bagus) Three and supported them with very
competent management. Experienced showbiz person Maryati became
the girls' chaperone-manager. Producer Youngki Suwarno became the
group's songwriter with TVRI English newscaster Tengku Malinda as
the English translator. Willie Puah choreographed their act and
Samuel Wattimena designed AB Three's costumes.

All that effort paid off when the dollish trio unexpectedly
brought home second prize from Romania's Golden STAG Festival in
September 1994, less than a year after the group formed.

"We were really motivated to quickly adapt to each other due
to the planned festival. Less than a year really is a very short
time for a new group to get to know each other," reminisced Lusy,
a sophomore of French Language at the University of Indonesia.

After the Romanian triumph there was no slowing down for the
trio. They graced Finland's Midnight Song Festival a year later;
dazzled their way through the 1995 Indonesian International Song
Festival, taking Best Interpretation for an Indonesian Song and
the overall Grand Prix prizes; attracted attention in music
festivals in eastern Europe; signed a big contract with the
manufacturer of Lux soap as the product's endorsers; and released
their debut album Cintailah Aku (Love Me) in 1995. Becoming the
nation's daughters seemed inevitable.

"God has blessed us with talent and I'm sure that there's a
purpose in it. So, what are we doing now is giving our best to
the public," said Lusy, the trio's spokesperson.

In 1996, they released their second album Kerinduan (Longing),
which has three new English songs and a cover version of The
Beatles legendary hit, Yesterday. They are planning to record
their third album in Italy in July. All the songs will be in
English and the album will be distributed throughout Europe.

"We are planning to sign with Virgin Records or BMG," said
Maryati, adding that during the European recording sessions, the
trio will perform at a international music festival in
Kazakhstan.

Lifestyle

The music industry has been known as a place where stars come
and go as fast as comets. The all-consuming demand of being a
public figure, and the celebrity-pompousness plague frequently
elbow their way in and crumble the plans of some suddenly famous
artists. For AB Three, the flip side of the exciting world of
performing -- such as wild parties -- hangs over them. However,
the three red riding hoods try their best to avoid the big bad
wolves in the woods of glamorous society.

"We always try not to be affected by it all but it's hard to
avoid. Sometimes, the fans demand that we be like that and
without fans we're nothing," said adroit Lusy. "But the ones who
show off more than their accomplishment warrant are probably
those do not know what else to show. Behaving that way, we will
only hurt ourselves," she said.

For the record, AB Three has never been rocked by any
celebrity gossip, although they are at the top, where the winds
of rumors are most turbulent. They seldom go to celebrity parties
or huddle together at Jakarta's abundant cafes. One undeniable
factor is their chaperon-style management, which limits their
entrance to the dark-side of the music world.

"They are rigorously watched to go for quality," bragged
Maryati, who, throughout AB Three's interview with me at the TCL
Cafe, never seemed to stop watching the girls.

Witty Widi, 17, who seemed more mature than other girls her
age, said that a lot of celebrities do not realize where they
stand.

"We are aware that the public is watching us. We are even
criticized when we do the right thing," she said. "Everyday we
see this and that. Hopefully, with God's blessings we will not go
the wrong way."

Sharp-eyed Lusy seconded her young peer: "We want to give a
good image to our fans although we realize we're not superwomen."

The fans

If you see them perform, it is easy to say they are
comfortable with the cute and innocent image. Their baby-doll
outfits and sweet youthful faces make them appear like three
Barbie clones who sing. Their album is decorated with childish
crayon drawings and their gestures in their videoclips portray
them as sweet girls-next-door or dream daughters. But will they
try to portray a more mature image as they get older?

"We definitely will change in time. But we will do it
gradually, so our fans can mature along with us," said Lusy, who
stepped out of teenager territory last January.

Widi added that AB Three will try to entertain all ages. "We
don't want to be 'girls' forever. And actually, our future
concept is directed toward everyone, not only teenyboppers. But
we do not want to imitate anybody, we want to express ourselves."

Nevertheless, the market is something they always bear in
mind.

"We are in the business of entertaining others. So, if we try
to do something we like which is disliked by our fans, we would
be committing business suicide," said Lusy.

"Yeah, we can't just express art in an ideal way. We have to
balance our amount of artistic expression with the public's
wants," quipped Widi.

Being Indonesia's leading musical act in their category, AB
Three appears to have no competitors, although numerous sexy
female trios pop up on television every now and then.

"It would be more fun, if there was," said Lusy. "But we are
not here to sell our faces. And it seems that the public prefer
us, meaning that most are not buying the others' concepts."

So, who do they see as competitors?

"TLC?" hinted dreamy eyed Nola, who was quiet throughout the
interview but always had a bright smiling face, referring to the
internationally known U.S. trio. The two others just giggled.

Why not? Remember, if there's a will, there's a way. (Achmad
Nurhoeri)