Boyzbands phenomena fascinating local female fans

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.