Starlite reach for the stars
By Rosli Abidin Yahya

Mr Big (4th from left) is leader of the local band Starlite. Pic by Zureena Abdullah

Local bands may find it hard to survive in the current entertainment industry because of the stiff competition from their international counterparts.

Even in the cut-throat competition of today's global music industry, only a handful of groups manage to survive and be famous.

Starlite, a local group comprising of seven youngsters, two of them singers while the rest musicians, are playing at the Coco Beats Café in Berakas every Saturday night.

By the end of this month the seven lads will move to a bigger stage when they will be guest players to top Malaysian singers and a rock group performing in a concert at the JPCC Amphitheatre, Jerudong on May 31.

AIM 2003 Best Female Vocalist Siti Sarah, Vocalist of Best Selling Nasyid Album Yasin and vocalist Misha, nominated for the Best Female Vocalist as well as rock group Def-Gab-C,nominated for Best Rock Group, will be seen in Konsert Sensasi 2003.

Starlite said they are looking for the big event but being small they possess smaller bargain power.

"Just like Sheila on 7 when they first performed, they were only paid a few Brunei dollars. But now they command thousands of dollars per performance.

"We are not complaining now but previously we were not paid a cent by organisers even though they promised to pay us.

"At times we felt we wanted to quit and stopped playing music but our high spirits made us go on and on," they said.

In the realm of manufactured pop music, where there is a constant demand for new faces, competition is really tough, the boys said.

Three-year-old Starlite added they hope they would become an exception to the rule.

"We want to make albums, not just one recording, and reach stardom one day."

In their bid to gain acceptance in the pop industry and to have an equal standing in the entertainment business as their foreign counterparts, they accepted offers such as appearing as a guest group on May 31.

"Its great to be able to perform in front of thousands of fans at the JPCC Amphitheatre but we do not know our future yet.

"We have seen local bands and artistes appearing as guest stars and groups over the years but there were no follow-ups after such performances.

"Yes, a few of them made an album but that's it. For us one will never be enough," they said.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin