A1 hopes band’s music represents a ‘happy time’ in fans’ lives
MANILA, Philippines — The secret to ‘90s boy band A1’s longevity in the music industry is the unwavering support of their fans who stayed with them, whether they were active or not in the music scene. The members of the British-Norwegian group — Paul Marazzi, Christian Ingebrigtsen, Mark Read and Ben Adams — just marked their 25th anniversary with a world tour aptly titled Twenty Five and a newly-dropped single Call Me When You Land.
“One secret apart from being such a great guy, they just wanna hang out with me. That’s the only thing I can think of,” quipped Ben in a press conference at Novotel Manila Araneta City when queried about how the band managed to keep it together after 25 years in the business despite the many challenges they went through.
On a more serious note, “it’s our fans,” offered Christian.
“We have to thank (them) for us doing this after all these years. We are so grateful that 25 years after we wrote some of these songs, people still wanna hear our songs. And (when) we come here, we are being treated so fantastic, with great smiles, enthusiasm, joy and that makes us so happy and makes us want to do what we do.”
Formed in 1998, A1 rose to fame in the late ‘90s and early 2000. They have produced numerous albums, including hit songs such as Like A Rose, Everytime, Same Old Brand New You, Caught in the Middle, among others.
Now in their 40s, the four members noted the most significant change in their lives and that is having their own families.
The “cosmetic change is something that we all go through,” said Mark to which Paul reacted, “I think Mark got better looking. He’s a very handsome man. Don’t you agree?”
Mark went on, “I think obviously the biggest change is our family and obviously three of the guys are fathers now. Ben has one baby girl, Christian just recently become a dad and Paul is a dad twice over.
“I think family changes everything ‘cause it changes your focus, priorities, and everything that you do every time you travel. You are thinking about leaving a family. And I think family is the biggest change to any band.”
Relating that change to the sentiments in their newly-released track Call Me When You Land, Mark mused, “That’s something that everyone can relate to, us particularly leaving our families behind. And we also hear our family say, ‘Hey, call me when you land.’ I think that’s something that we all can relate to.”
Paul, Ben and Christian then shared how much they would call their loved ones back home while on tour.
The group likewise told the press that they don’t get to see each other as often as they want to because they are currently living in different countries. However, they would make it a point to get together during special occasions and concert tours.
“It’s actually a good time for us to hang out as well, doing concerts, because we don’t see each other (often),” expressed Ben.
Mark added that they would see each other during weddings. “Christian was recently married, Ben was married last year and we had some down time with each other. We sang at each other’s wedding as well. We don’t get as much time together as we’d like.”
But the quartet is happily together again while touring Southeast Asia, including the Philippines for a four-day concert series. They performed in Davao City on Thursday, Cebu City yesterday, and will stage another show at the New Frontier Theater tonight (Oct. 14) and tomorrow (Oct. 15). The series of shows is presented by Concert Republic.
The boy group has visited the Philippines several times in 2001, 2002, twice in 2012, 2016, 2018, 2019, and this time around for the 25th anniversary show.
Ben recalled that he went to Boracay the last time he was in the country. “I (also) went to an island called Ginto Island (in Palawan) which is lovely. Yeah that’s my fondest memories other than the concerts obviously and the amazing correspondences, of course.”
They also expressed their gratitude to their Filipino fans who have stayed loyal to them throughout the years. “As I’ve said before, (they are our) lifeblood,” said Mark. “They’re valuable. We can’t really describe what they mean to us because it’s just unquantifiable (and) it’s just incredible. So, thank you!”
Christian, on the other hand, cited Filipinos’ “warmth, optimism and positivity” as traits that they love about their fans here.
The local acts that they would like to collaborate with, if given the chance, are Morissette, Ben&Ben, and SB19 and international pop duo Subwoolfer. Morissette got to sing Like A Rose with A1 in a virtual performance during pandemic lockdown.
During the presscon, The STAR asked the group about what they would like their legacy to be in the music industry.
“Wow,” reacted Christian.
“That is a deep one,” commented Mark and answered, “The legacy that we wanna leave behind is to represent a really happy time in people’s lives. (That) simple time when they were growing up and just throw on music that you can, put on a certain song and it will take you back to a certain time.
“You may hear that song for the first time (and) remember what it meant to you. So our legacy is being a small part but a significant part of our fans’ lives. And what more could you ask than that?”
The fans can expect more singles and shows from Ben, Paul, Christian and Mark as they continue their music journey.
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