Australia's Human Nature knows appearances count

By Astrid Amalia

JAKARTA (JP): Human Nature believes that what you see is what you get.

The band did its best to give local fans positive images during a recent concert here.

"This is something like what you see is what you get. So, when we make our own songs and sing those to the audiences, we just want to leave a good impression in their minds, the realistic one," Toby, one of the group members, told The Jakarta Post.

Human Nature consists of Australian schoolmates Andrew Tierney, Phil Burton, Toby and his brother, Mike.

During their performances, they not only sing, including acappella, but also dance and whip up excitement. Their strong point is that they always try to communicate with the audience.

Human Nature maintains the close rapport with their fans, even when the latter get a little close for comfort.

In Jakarta, hundreds of youngsters aged 15 to 20 years old flocked the entrance of the concert venue for a glimpse of their idols. A huge crowd was also seen thronging their hotel.

"We can't say the crowd is bothering us," Andrew said. "The truth is that we appreciate everything that our fans do. We wouldn't be here without them, and that is something that we won't forget."

During their appearance in Jakarta, Human Nature was presented with a triple platinum record for sales of more than 300,000 copies of the album, Tellin' Everybody, in less than three months.

Andrew formed his ensemble vocal group with his three friends in 1989 under the name 4 Trax. The guys dreamed of becoming big stars in the music world.

For almost five years, 4 Trax kept sharpening their talent and harmonizing their voices by taking part in many festivals for young performers. The hard work paid off with two MO Awards -- an Australian music honor -- for best stage performance.

At the end of 1995, 4 Trax got a chance to meet the president director of Sony Music Australia, Denis Handlin. When Handlin witnessed them singing acappella, he immediately signed them to a contract and a bid for full-fledged stardom.

In March 1996, 4 Trax changed its name to Human Nature and released their first single, Got It Goin' On. Four months later, that single was followed by others that topped the pop chart: Tellin' Everybody, Wishes, Don't Say Goodbye and People Get Ready.

Gift

In the past year, Human Nature has shown it can handle live performances, touring with the likes of Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Eternal and John Farnham.

Human Nature strives hard to avoid the stereotypes of many boy band. Rather than taking the route of emulating American artists, Human Nature has it own sound and puts across a streetwise style. The purpose is to show the reality, not some manufactured image.

Members of Human Nature consider their skill at harmonizing to be a gift from God.

"We had better sing in front of people than sing in the studio because we enjoy the moment when people listen to what we sing," Mike said. "That's why we always try to improve our vocals by practicing a lot when we are not on stage.

Also, singing in front of people is our way to thank God for blessing us with talent and good voices."