Chart toppers All-4-One look here to stay
Chart toppers All-4-One look here to stay
By Dini S. Djalal
JAKARTA (JP): Pop music is going through a transition.
Mainstream mainstays Janet Jackson and Madonna may continue to churn out formulaic hits, but the kids are turning to "alternative" rock bands, "techno" tunes, and anything experimental in between.
As performers and audiences push the envelope, the lines between categories blur. What does one call an R&B band that mixes rap samples with soulful vocals? How does one categorize a screeching guitar solo electrifying a hip-hop track? And how to explain a duet between Luciano Pavarotti and Bono of U2?
Some stay away from exploring the edges. In this era of musical mish-mash, where does acapella boy band All-4-One fit in? Mostly on the charts. All-4-One's second single I Swear spent 11 straight weeks on Billboard's pop charts, and became 1994's biggest-selling record. The chart-busting single also gave them a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group.
Only one other group dominates the charts, but it's a key rivalry. That Boyz II Men is another all-male quartet shows that many women will pay to be serenaded by men with high-pitched voices in matching outfits. All-4-One is the male version, times four, of ballad queens Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. They sound just as sweet.
The band's origins may be traced to church choirs. None of the members of All-4-One had any formal vocal training, but singing in church choirs brought out their hidden talents.
"It was a gift," Jamie Jones told The Jakarta Post. "Singing in church choirs, playing instruments in school bands -- it all just came naturally," he said.
After a few radio station jingles and a karaoke show, Blitzz Records signed them to do what they do best: Singing love songs acapella.
During interviews, All-4-One are as harmonious and innocuous as their records. The group was in Jakarta recently to promote their second album, As the Music Speaks.
"We wanted to just say hello to all the fans," said Tony Borowiak.
As for the title of the new album, Delious explains it was to counter accusations that the band members do not get along. "If we didn't get along, you would hear it in our music," said Delious. "It would sound like four guys who don't get along rather than four guys who harmonize very well. So we're saying, listen to the music, let the music speak," he said.
Delious adds that there is room in pop music for all types of performers. "There's a lot of groups out there, but there's enough for everybody to have their own audience. We just do what we do and worry about ourselves," he said.
What All-4-One does not seem to worry about are interviews. Answering the questions in tandem and without missing a beat, the band showed the professionalism of performers accustomed to media grilling. Their retorts were swift, short, and opaque; replying to questions but not actually answering them.
All-4-One would be first to say that they prefer singing. "We love to sing romantic songs, we love to sing dance songs. That's why we try to put all that in our albums," said Tony Borowiak.
"We do like to sing," added Jamie Jones. "No matter what it may be, maybe even polka. We'll sing it if we like it."
All-4-One love singing as much as they love their fans, which they clearly expressed during the interview. "Thank you for supporting us," said Tony Borowiak. "Thanks for our fan mail, and we do get it, and we do read it, and we love you," he said in parting.
The following is an excerpt of the interview:
Question: How do you categorize your music? Do you categorize yourselves as soul performers?
Jamie Jones: We categorize ourselves as singers. We're not soul singers or pop singers. We're singers.
How do you feel about your audience? What kind of audience do you feel you have?
Tony Borowiak: Our audiences range from pretty much everyone. We have from young kids to the oldest adults, and cultures, it doesn't matter. We have a wide variety.
Do you think the boy-band acapella phenomenon will be a short- lived trend?
Jamie Jones: Well, it's been going on for years and years, starting from the 1920s and 1930s, so I'll let you be the judge of that.
What do you want to do now? Which direction do you want to take? Do you have any collaboration plans like the one between Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey?
Jamie Jones: You never know. Right now we just take it one day at a time. But if there's something in the future that looks good, we'll hop on it. But right now as we know it, we're just being All-4-One and we're just singing as All-4-One.
Do you think you are marketed differently for your international audience?
Tony Borowiak: How we're marketed is us just being us, doing what we want to do.
Where are you most popular internationally?
Tony Borowiak: Who's our biggest market? It's really hard to say, internationally. We've done pretty well pretty much everywhere.