Vellin, Bandung's 'queen of magicians'

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

When releasing her first album, titled Raja Sulap (King of Magicians) in 1999, the actual notion of becoming a magician had not exactly crossed Vellin's mind.

The idea of learning magic came from her fans who challenged her to play the tricks for real on stage, and not just fantasizing about them in songs.

"I thought they were right -- that it would be more lively to perform tricks in the context of a music show," says Vellin.

Thus began the story of Indonesia's best-known child magician, whose given name is Marvellin Yohanna. She turned 15 on March 23.

So, as fate would have it, Vellin, an eighth grader at Nehru Memorial International School in Bandung, is now better known as a magician than child singer -- the profession which first catapulted her to stardom.

The first Indonesian junior magician to have become a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, Vellin has never abandoned her dream of becoming more professional as a singer, pianist and composer, however.

Her talent has earned her the credit of becoming the presenter of a Sunday childrens' program on ANteve.

Her parents, who run car body repair shops in Bandung, first frowned upon their daughter's determination to become a professional magician, and wanted her to concentrate on instead on music.

"But they changed their minds and gave me their support," said Vellin who, these days, will not perform a show without the company of her mother, who is also her manager.

In fact, "they shield me from critics," she noted.

Over time, her parents succumbed to her resolve and the proficiency she demonstrated -- at home and on TV.

Dian Maryska, her mother, said, "We wanted to see her become a true professional."

Since Vellin learned magic from Malaysian guru David Chow and veteran Indonesian magician Robin, Vellin has grown obsessed with becoming a world-class magician, like the American icon Melinda.

Her interest in the art of magic intensified after she learned more about it from master Ziang in Singapore, and read basic tricks in the Magic Crazy series she purchased there.

She started making a name for herself by performing at private parties. As her reputation grew, she also performed on more formal occasions -- such as companies' product launching.

As she is now coming of age, Vellin has found it difficult to identify with a core audience: she is either too "big" to identify herself as "child entertainer," or too young for an adult crowd.

And this is where her magic skills have become a major advantage: because magic knows no age limits.

She has been concentrating on a combination of "classical" and "techno" genres.

When performing at a recent operetta held by childrens' magazine Bobo at Taman Mini, Jakarta, she began with the classic trick of turning paper into two white ducks. The high point of the 15-minute show was calling and hiding a girl in a box -- a domain used by adult magicians.

Vellin believes only in the "scientific magic," and not in the use of spiritual power that religions disavow.

"What I do is a combination of hand speed, concentration, and equipment -- there is no 'magical power' as people understand it," she explained.

So, when asked what she would do were she to wake up finding herself in a cave teeming with wild snakes, she replied, "Wow, I would run for dear life."

And why not turn the beasts into canes as Moses did the Bible? "Because magic is only an art of trick, you know," she replied. "It doesn't work that way in real life."

As an entertainer with a million skills, she cherishes the dream of going international. Becoming a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians is her first step. She has performed in Malaysia and Singapore.

"I want to travel around the world while performing and meeting people whom I can learn from," she says.

Abracadabra!