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)