Boyzbands phenomena fascinating local female fans
By Helly Minarti
JAKARTA (JP): Boys who can sing and dance, and if not incredibly good looking, dress and act cool? Yes, it is the boyzbands phenomena luring female fans.
In the past, they sometimes had blood ties, were brothers who synchronized their voices. Think of the Jackson Five in America, or the Masnait Vocal Group in Indonesia. But in today's market- driven age, boyzbands are "born" from a producer's hand who molds them carefully to fill a lucrative niche in the pop music market. In the 1980s, this method achieved massive success for New Kids on The Block, the U.S. male pop quintet, assembled by producer, Mauriece Starr. The tradition continued in the 1990s.
In Indonesia, ME and Coboy are the two top boyzbands. ME is a new arrival on the pop scene, while Coboy are veterans making a comeback.
ME hit the music scene with a big bang last year, as their swinging R&B tunes were infused with fresh air during the crisis. The five young men in their mid and late 20s (Fery, Denny, Irvan, Didan and Widi), prefer the appellation "vocal group" over the boyzband tag.
"The (boyzband) definition is obscure since sometimes it can refer to young bands like Hanson," said Fery, 27.
ME -- a name which was just plucked out of the air by group members -- took the classical path of a band in which producers and talent scouts were no where to be found.
"We kept running into each other because we all joined vocal group festivals for our Bandung schools," explained Fery.
After months of hearing each other slug it out for awards, the guys formed ME and won 1991's Java and Bali Festival Priangan with a Sundanese vocal repertoire.
ME went on to stage gigs in schools and campuses throughout Bandung. "We needed that (experience) to hone our musical skills as well as attract fans so they'd be familiar with us when our record was released," said Irvan, 25.
A year after forming the group, a record contract came their way but they decided to turn it down. "We were not ready," said Irvan.
During the first years the group sang anything from Top 40 to rock to alternative music. As they gained confidence, the group began composing their own songs as well as arranging the vocal arrangements. Achieving their own distinctive style and group chemistry led to frequent lineup changes. During its first two years, seven members came and went.
ME's first self-titled recording was made in 1995, but it was not released until 1997. A record company dispute over creative input and management style was blamed: "It took us ages to assure them (we could) sing our music the way we wanted too, as well as choreograph our own stage shows. They were very cautious," said Widi. The debut sold a modest 50,000 copies.
In 1997, they moved to a major international label to record Terbuka which was released in the same year. It was well received selling 100,000 units, a substantial response considering their U.S. black music genre, which remains unfamiliar here. They performed popular stage shows, entrancing legions of teens with their dance hit, Inikah Cinta (Is This Love) and a slower ballad Terbuka (Opened).
ME is pleased with its management and plan to start selling ME merchandise. Though most of them were studying -- there are two graduates and two dropouts -- they all intend to work full time in the music industry.
"Some of us have begun composing songs and arranging vocals for other artists. We'll make it," said Irvan optimistically. ME is currently in the studios preparing their third offering, scheduled to be released sometime this year.
Coboy
Doing their best to stage a comeback are veterans in the music industry Coboy - initially a male teenage quartet founded in 1991. Coboy stands for Cover Boy -- the members were finalists in a cover boy contest run by a teen magazine. They are a typical boyzband, created by music producer Aldi Wahab, who spotted their singing potential not long after the contest.
"At the start he wanted us -- six finalists, all male model wannabees -- to form an ordinary band," said Ali.
But they ended up forming a boyzband with four instead of six members: Ali, 16, Ferry, 17, Gilbert, 16 and Ponco, 20.
Under a contract signed with a local record company they produced three albums. Singing pop love tunes, Coboy had no trouble making teenage girls swoon and whoop. Early albums in 1992, 1994 and 1995 were relatively successful with the biggest hit Katakanlah (Say It) on the second release. They claimed 400,000 copies were sold for their first release, but are not sure: "We've been told so, but we never know," said Ali.
Unlike ME, which is creative, writing and arranging their own songs, Coboy is dependent on their producer.
"We do everything the producer tells us to," confessed Ferry. And this means it is the producer who selects the songs, picks the arranger and musicians and hires the vocal trainer and dance choreographer.
Aldi, the "father" of the group has not been with them since their third recording effort. Ponco left the group earlier this year after they had released their fifth recording.
Coboy's fourth recording was released in 1997 and the latest, Yang Terjadi (What Has Been Done) was released last December. "The music is still the same -- (it is) always pop. But tuning in with latest trends we 'polish' it with slight R&B -- but only on the surface," said Ali. The sound has been modified in areas such as their use of drum loops.
Like their music, the main story has not changed much. Though they are now older, their producer still has almost absolute control. But one thing has changed: their audience. Coboy now faces the challenge of not only catering to fans of their own age group -- their first fans with whom they grew up -- but they must also try to attract the new under-twenties to buy their records and attend their gigs.
At the same time, the crisis has reduced their sales. "Less than 10,000 on our last release", said Ali. Despite the downturn, they plan radio promotions in smaller cities and perhaps even gigs in bigger ones. "We have learned a lot about the music industry. After we finish our contract with the present record company (national) hopefully a major label will be interested in us. They seem more professional -- especially in the promotion area," said Gilbert.
The formula of "music, dance and looks" works well but what about the myth that boyzbands are short-lived?
Both ME and Coboy reject the idea. "We have no problem with growing older. The most important thing is to be consistent in what we're doing and retain a strong personality in our work," said Ali.