The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
| Posted: 24 Jun 2011 02:59 AM PDT A new generation of Norwegian jazz mavericks are making inroads in this part of the world. TWO years ago, Norwegian jazz outfit In The Country's mercurial pianist Morten Qvenild took a moment to reflect on how far he had come with his band when they stepped off the stage at the Penang Island Jazz festival. On that humid December night, the Oslo-based group had left the audience with a stunningly emotive set dominated by jazz, post-rock and electronica elements. "Only a few days ago, we were playing a gig in the dead of winter in Tromsø (northern Norway, within the Arctic Circle), it was total darkness and bitter cold. Tonight we are in Penang, and sweating it out. At the end of both gigs, we felt that we connected with the audience – no matter where you are and who the crowd is, it's the music that strikes a chord," said Qvenild back then. "There is this stereotype that Norwegian jazz is about music inspired by mountains, fjords and islands. That's hardly the case. Norwegian jazz is a complex story – with so many inter-mingling genres and musicians involved. Yet the diversity factor is a huge part of its appeal," he added. Not only at the Penang Island Jazz festival, which also featured the explosive tuba-propelled Trondheim-raised trio PELbo last year, have these contemporary Norwegian jazz musicians found a new fanbase. In Kuala Lumpur, two noise/improv acts – Jazkamer and MoHa! – played to small but no less enthusiastic crowds in the last six months. "Despite the extreme noise and experimentation, MoHa! managed to attract over 200 fans to its gig in KL ... that's not too bad. The awareness is growing because music fans in the region have caught up on the things happening in the Norwegian jazz scene," said Mak Wai Hoo, Soundscapes Records promoter, who organised the MoHa! show. At the Nattjazz festival in Bergen, Norway late last month, which coincided with the JazzNorway In A Nutshell 2011 programme, most of the musicians agreed that Norwegian jazz is being taken seriously in new markets, especially in Asia. Norway has remained visible on the foreign jazz scene ever since Jan Garbarek and Terje Rypdal's rise to fame in the 1970s. Now Bugge Wesseltoft, Sidsel Endresen, Nils Petter Molvær, Silje Nergaard and Jaga Jazzist are frequently top-lining international jazz festivals. But the next Norwegian jazz generation is picking up the torch. The Nutshell programme, designed to expose Norwegian jazz to international media, agents and festival directors, is also aimed at creative exchange and networking. This writer, who was invited by the West Norway Jazz Centre to be a part of the Nutshell programme, discovered that not only were the newcomer Norwegian acts actively touring abroad, but some top names at Nattjazz had already made recent tracks in this part of the world. Take, for instance, acclaimed Norwegian jazz drummer Paal Nilssen-Love (of Atomic fame) who toured South Korea/China with noise artiste Lasse Marhaug (Jazkamer) in February while saxophonist Trygve Seim was on jazz missionary work in Pakistan last month. Jazkamer even played an experimental set at a Norwegian Seamen's church (Sjømannskirken) in Singapore late last year. The young MoHa! duo Anders Hana and Morten J Olsen – part of the experimental act Ultralyd at Nattjazz in Bergen – already had touring stops in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Singapore. Natjazz was filled with Norwegian jazz artistes with a foreign presence. "This Norwegian jazz phenomenon wasn't an overnight thing. Only now you hear more about this scene in far away places ... South-East Asia, (South) Korea, Australia. The system of support from the Norwegian government in assisting jazz musicians has been crucial. With funding, you can make albums and tour to give the music a wider reach. As a musician, you start to build your name from one festival to the next," said trumpeter/improv musician Arve Henriksen, one of Norway's foremost jazz names, during a conversation at Nattjazz. "Younger Norwegian jazz musicians play abroad a lot more than ever before, it is a different environment for them than say ... the days of Jan Garbarek. Yes, Europe keeps everyone busy in the summer, but we can also think of other places now. The scope is more expansive and there is more versatility with Norwegian jazz music closely associated with classical, rock, Sami folk, electronic, singer-songwriter and psychedelic music. A Norwegian 'jazz' act can easily play at a rock festival and not feel out of place," he added. Also at the JazzNorway In A Nutshell programme at Nattjazz was Paul Augustin, the Penang Island Jazz (PIJF) festival director, who has set up an "introductory gateway" for Norwegian jazz acts here. As emerging names, In The Country and PELbo were booked for the last two editions of the Penang Island Jazz fest. Now both are regarded as established names in the international touring circuit. Augustin, who has adopted a European-centric edge for the PIJF, has set his sights on more Norwegian acts for this year's edition. The potential choices were overwhelming at Nattjazz, so Augustin has a pleasant headache announcing his selection soon. "We will have another Norwegian act for our festival this year and have identified two acts which are very different in musical styles from the previous years, which we feel will go down very well with the PIJF audience," said Augustin at Nattjazz last month. "Previous Norwegian acts at PIJF turned out to be some of the highlights of the festival. This has taught us one thing, the audience for PIJF has matured considerably over the years and are appreciative and open to various forms of musical creativity. Norwegian jazz is at the forefront of musical creativity – that is why you tend to see many Norwegian acts having their own style/sound. Most of the acts have a 'Norwegian sound' – which is very different from the jazz styles and sounds we are used to." Home advantage has played a big part in Norwegian jazz's growth. At Nattjazz, it was mostly the homegrown acts that drew the crowd. There is pride in putting local musicians first – an admirable Norwegian trait. Musically, scene diversity is also a major factor. "It's a small music community in Norway, maybe we have to work harder and together to get heard. It is not an exaggeration to say that for many young Norwegian jazz musicians; learning how to play has meant learning how to play the music of other genres," said Oyvind Skarbo, drummer of fast-emerging free jazz outfit BMX. Jae Jin In, founder/artistic director of Jarasum Jazz Festival in South Korea, counts the Norwegian jazz scene as the way forward. "Where European jazz is concerned, Norway is the place to look for the genre's cutting edge and avant garde directions. I admit, their trail-blazing sounds can be overwhelming, but once you get it, there is no looking back," said Jae, who has programmed three Norwegian acts for Jarasum this year, including classical-turned-jazz supremo Ketil Bjørnstad. |
| Posted: 23 Jun 2011 03:11 PM PDT Having undergone showbiz training boot camp in South Korea, wannabes Elaine Yuki Wong and Ferlyn Wong now know the price of fame. ALL those wannabe pop stars dreaming of fame and fortune, take note. Stardom comes at a cost, as two Singaporean K-pop hopefuls are finding out. Ferlyn Wong and Elaine Yuki Wong were picked from a mass audition in the city-state last year and will join three Korean girls to form a yet-to-be-named group that will debut in South Korea in March next year. Back home in Singapore from South Korea last week for a two-week visit, the two girls spoke about the gritty reality behind the glitz. They had spent a week in Seoul getting their first taste of the gruelling regime of exercising and dieting they will have to endure for five years under the Korean star-making machine. Elaine, 23, says: "I didn't expect it to be so tough. But since we are scheduled to debut in March next year, the intensive training is necessary. We have to be at our best." Their experience of being groomed for stardom has been more like undergoing a military boot camp. This has been their regime five days a week, with weekends off: > Get up at 7am. Eat breakfast consisting of a few low-fat biscuits and lettuce. > Go for 2½-hour gym session. > Swim for two hours. > Lunch, well, no lunch, actually. Must count those calories. > Snacks (if the girls complain of hunger) – a banana or a few low-fat biscuits. > Dance class after lunch, for up to four hours. > Dinner – boiled chicken breast and salad. > Finish dinner by 7pm. After that, they are not allowed to eat or drink anything; apparently drinking will make them look bloated in the morning. > After dinner, vocal, acting and Korean language lessons. > 10pm, free time. The girls are given back their mobile phones, which their Korean manager keeps during the day so they cannot use them. They can use the Internet to communicate with their family and friends but it is no more personal Facebook and blog accounts for them. No boyfriends are permitted, either. Luckily, both girls say that they are single at the moment. And no make-up – the girls are supposed to have a minimal, natural look. Other orders: When out with their managers, they have to wear sunglasses which they must not remove in public, even when indoors. Add to that new look, new identities: They have to use Korean stage names, with Elaine's being Yuki and Ferlyn's, Gieun. Elaine, who has finished her studies in tourism and hospitality management, says: "I get hungry very easily and I would complain once every two to three hours. Luckily, my minders give me a banana or a few low-fat biscuits when I complain." One of the aims of the week is to build up their stamina and whip them into shape. Ferlyn, who is deferring her business studies course at Temasek Polytechnic for her shot at stardom, says: "It is very tough, but it is something that previous female stars have gone through before. They survived and are fine now, so I am not worried that it would affect my health or anything like that." The 19-year-old has been ordered by her minder to lose three kg during the two weeks she is back home. Ferlyn, who weighed 52kg before she went to South Korea, says: "I have only soup these days when I am in Singapore: tofu soup, seafood soup, seaweed soup, fish soup. I feel hungry sometimes, which is why I try to have more small meals a day. It works, though; I have already lost two kg in a week." The duo are being handled by Korean minders who are well-known in the industry and have managed big names such as Girls' Generation, Rain and Dong Bang Shin Ki. The training they are undergoing is similar to what those Korean big names went through to crack the big time and make millions of dollars. Singapore talent management company Alpha Entertainment pays for everything during the training period. The girls do not get any allowance during this time. After they debut, they will be paid once every three months – a net sum and any profits they earn. They went to Seoul after being chosen from more than 3,000 hopefuls by Alpha Entertainment in an audition held in Singapore late last year to find K-pop's next big thing. Ferlyn's previous entertainment experience consisted of learning singing and dancing for many years. She was a dance instructor at Chinese pop entertainment company Ocean Butterflies before the life-changing audition. As for Elaine, she does not have any prior experience but had been doing freelance modelling on a regular basis. This weekend, it is back to South Korea to continue their rigorous training, coming back to Singapore only once every three months to visit their family. They will stick with Alpha Enter- tainment under a five-year contract which starts on the first day they debut. If either of them wants to quit during the training period, they have to pay a penalty of US$20,000 (RM60,000). With about five to 10 Korean rookie groups debuting every year, competition is stiff. Some bands, such as five-member male group Beast, made a strong impression when they emerged, but there are others who toil for years before making it – and some fizzle out altogether. OK to diets, plastic surgery Elaine had her concerns as well. She says: "Initially, I had my doubts. I had to shut down my blog, which was my source of income through advertisements and I wondered what I would do if we didn't make it big in a saturated market. "However, I have decided not to think so much anymore. Since I have decided to go for it, I should work hard and perform well when the group debuts." But such is the pull of the fame game and she and Ferlyn are undaunted. They are even prepared to undergo plastic surgery, common among Korean pop stars. Ferlyn wants to have double eyelids, while Elaine has thought about enhancing her nose. However, Elaine, who before being selected for K-pop camp was earning her own money from modelling and blogging, says: "We asked our minders in Korea and they told us that we look fine and do not need to go for plastic surgery. So, we are not thinking about that issue anymore." The duo were wary about one aspect of the Korean entertainment industry: the casting couch, where rising stars have to perform sexual favours in return for landing roles in shows. But their Korean minders have assured them that no such thing will happen as they will keep tabs on them all the time, even when they go to the restroom. Ferlyn's parents are unfazed by the K-pop boot camp. Her mother, housewife Rosy Ng, 48, says: "What the girls have gone through so far has been quite reasonable. The company has invested a lot in them, so they need to work hard for the company. I am not worried about Ferlyn. I want her to follow her dreams and make it big." Alpha Entertainment says it is investing S$500,000 (RM1.2mil) in each girl to turn her into a star . As for Elaine, her mother, a housewife in her 40s who wants to give her name only as Mrs Wong, has told her: "No matter what happens in Korea, do not do anything stupid. Remember that your family is always here for you." – The Straits Times, Singapore/Asia News Network Related Story: |
| Posted: 23 Jun 2011 03:12 PM PDT THE man behind the talent management company that signed on Ferlyn Wong and Elaine Yuki Wong for a shot at K-pop stardom is Singaporean Alan Chan (pic). He was a stockbroker for 22 years and his ability to handle risk will be useful, as he says that he will lose S$2.5mil (RM6mil) if his plans for a girl band flop. That is how much he would have invested in his selected star hopefuls. His switch from stocks to stars began two years ago, when he saw potential in the Korean pop industry after his daughter, now 19, introduced him to the rising Korean pop wave sweeping the region. She is a K-pop fan, but has no intention of becoming a singer in the industry herself. Chan, 48, founded Alpha Entertainment to manage potential stars last year and is its chief executive officer. He has ambitious plans to expand into the region. Although he has no experience in the music business, he has the right contacts. He got to know veteran Korean actor Byun Woo Min through some of his business partners, and Byun introduced him to Do Yeon Yun, former artiste manager of popular Korean bands Girls' Generation and Dong Bang Shin Ki. Through Do, Chan managed to link up with Korean talent management agency JYP Entertainment to hold a mass joint audition in Singapore last year to scout for rising stars. Other than his first signings Ferlyn and Elaine, Chan also has his eye on Natasha Low and Alfred Sng. Low, 18, is going to South Korea this weekend with Ferlyn and Elaine to see what training is like before signing on the dotted line. Sng, 20, has asked for a two-year deferment from national service and is awaiting a reply. Chan says: "Initially, the auditions were supposed to be held only in Hong Kong, but I insisted that they should be held in Singapore as well. I wanted Singaporeans to be given a chance, too." The businessman, who is gambling on the girls to help him break into the talent management market in South Korea, is confident that they will do him proud. He says: "With the tough training by top managers and teachers in Korea, I am sure they will be an outstanding girl band when they debut. If they fail, then my $2.5 million will be gone. It's a risk that I am taking." There are four employees at Alpha's Singapore-based office. The company has recently rented an office space in Seoul for its three additional Korean staff members, who are well-known in the country's entertainment industry and have managed, trained or marketed stars such as Girls' Generation, Super Junior and Shinee. Chan adds that he has just set up a new office in China with six new hires. He plans to expand into the region and manage not only K-pop bands, but also actors, actresses and models. "We plan to launch a girl group and a boy band every year. Besides that, I am also in talks with film and martial arts schools in China to discuss the possibility of sending my talent there to train. What we are looking at is a region-wide all-round talent training academy in the future." He has another surprise for Korean pop star wannabes: He will hold another audition in Singapore on Dec 15. He says: "After the last round of auditions, I have been receiving letters and petitions to hold another round. After much discussion, we have decided to go ahead with it." He adds: "There are so many talented people in Singapore, but they have not been given opportunities. I want to help promote local talent and make them famous in Korea." – The Straits Times, Singapore/Asia News Network Related Story: |
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