Fans of the boyband A1 in Singapore and the Philippines are in for a treat, as the group will once again hit Asia after four years of inactivity. Movie News Guide detailed that A1 will be performing in Singapore this October 22, and in the Philippines on October 23 and 25, in Manila and Cebu, respectively.
Among the group’s most popular songs are ‘Same Old Brand New You‘, ‘Like a Rose‘, ‘Everytime‘, ‘Heaven By Your Side‘, and their own take on the A-Ha song, ‘Take On Me‘. Coincidentally, their biggest hit, ‘Caught in the Middle‘, was also the first time the members were allowed to write their own material as explained by Ben Adams in an interview with Rappler.
In 2001, A1 received a BRIT Award for British Breakthrough Act. After a series of hits, however, the band went on hiatus a year later in 2002, after Paul Marazzi, one of the members, left. The band had a comeback in 2009 and have since released two studio albums as well as a Greatest Hits compilation.
Looking back at the 90s and up until a few years after the turn of the century, boy and girl groups were all the rage and they became the main faces of pop music. But although boybands became a hit in those years, the same group format had already been used as early as the 60s by groups such as The Monkees and Jackson 5.
The success of modern boybands such as A1 however, can be greatly attributed to the development of music as a whole. In an infographic about sound and music from Pocketfruity, it documents that audio technology was relatively primitive 25 years ago as compared to present times. To get a picture, that was when the iconic boyband New Kids on the Block reached the top spot of Billboard’s Hot 100.
Since then, the incorporation of more advanced technology in music made mainstream success much more achievable not only for boybands and popstars, but for other genres of music as well. Today, aside from tech that support musicians in creating songs, a lot of artists become recognized through media such as YouTube, which is another tool for spreading music.
More importantly, tech advancements also allow audiences to connect with their beloved artists. It was previously reported that A1 decided to hold their upcoming concerts in Asia as a dedication to their loyal fans who remained in touch with them through social media channels.
Just like in their song ‘Like a Rose‘, it seems the members of the group are considered precious by their followers. One thing’s for sure, die-hard fans will certainly feel ‘Heaven by Your Side‘ once the stage lights turn on.
