***ppl i wan't sure b4 that i was aloud to post band of boys article in jassi forum, but there were in the show like once, so i think i'm aloud to so i did it lol. A band of boys, a song for all | A Band of Boys' 'Yeh Bhi Woh Bhi' sold over a couple of lakhs in a week. MADHUR TANKHA speaks to the band to know about their music, their songs... . |
AN ALL-WOMEN music group has so far provided entertainment to our star-crazed Capital. How about having a band comprising boys alone? Viva girls can take a rest as A Band Of Boys (ABOB) has already catapulted to limelight by selling 1,09,000 music cassettes of 'Yeh Bhi Woh Bhi'. The theme revolves around the ethereal aspects of romance, sung in different moods. It hasn't exactly been a cakewalk for Karan Oberoi, Sudhanshu Pandey, Chaitanya Bhosle, Sherrin Verghese and Siddharth Haldipur. The five musketeers have toiled painstakingly not only on the voice modulation part but also put their blood, sweat and tears in improvising upon their theatrical and dancing abilities. They rehearse for nine hours daily. Absolutely disarming, squatting on the stairs leading to the swimming pool of New Delhi's Le Meridien hotel, the band players are cock-a-hoop about their debut album at Pragati Maidan. How did this name come about? Karan, a towering six-footer, says, "We came about with all kinds of names. Some were really bizarre like Dead Rotten Tigers and Yeh Hai Jalwa. Then we thought that since all of us are males the name A Band of Boys would not only make sense but would stand good if you look from a commercial angle." The music for the album has been composed by Leslie Lewis and Vinod Nair is the lyricist. Says Oberoi, who made it to the finals of Graviera Mr. India, "I have done soap opera like 'Swabhimmaan', 'Zamana' and 'Milan'. I have also dabbled in theatre and have received three years of training in classical Hindi vocal". One asks Chaitanya that whether having the illustrious name of Asha Bhonsle in his list of pedigree play a role in his career. "Being the grandson of Asha Bhonsle is purely co-incidental. I started my career by working with an advertisement agency. I have also done radio jockeying. In our album we dwell on various aspects of love like slow, disco, aggressive type, soulful type." Sudhanshu says, "Before being part of this talented group I was into modelling, stage shows, music videos and movies. Lewis was impressed by my singing."
Verghese, who carved out a niche for himself by showing his creativity in Movers and Shakers Show on Sony television, says, "Don't compare us with Viva as ABOB was formed in 2001. There was so much of hype that Viva couldn't live up to the expectations."
A Band of Boys, Mumbai
'A Band of Boys' (ABOB), comprising of four extremely talented boys has been dubbed as 'India's First Boy Band'.
ABOB comprises of Karan Oberoi, Sherrin Varghese, Chin2 Bhosle and Siddharth Haldipur.
The music for their 1st album 'Yeh Bhi Woh Bhi' has been composed by Leslie Lewis and all the tracks have been sung by the 4 boys. 'Yeh Bhi Woh Bhi' was released in August 2002 and has obtained a phenomenal response (with the song 'Meri Neend' spearheading the sales!) subsequently leading to sales crossing 1,00,000 units in less then a fortnight of its launch!
While ABOB are essentially singers, they have been trained in all aspects of stagecraft culminating in their stage shows being something to watch out for – the boys sing, dance & act, and their shows are modeled on Broadway performances abroad. While Hindi music (Indipop and film music) is their forte, they also sing English numbers.
And now, the boys are rocking the world with their dancing, histrionics, acting and above all their singing.
They have been performing since 2001 all over India and also have toured to other countries too.
If you need a musical band for private parties, college festivals, special events, important functions, etc. this is a band to get in touch with.
Anupamaa
