Cheak Hong Ian
They tour the world and play to crowds of up to 100,000 screaming fans. So it’s a wonder why Crowned King can even be bothered to fly halfway across the globe, making annual trips to our little red dot for the past 2 years, to play to the generally strait-laced Singaporean audience again at SINGfest 08.
Back For More Of Singapore
“It’s always good to come back to play to an audience who’s just starting to be interested in your music,” Crowned King lead vocalist Shaun Frank tells UrbanWire over the phone from his home in Vancouver, Canada.
He’s recovering from corrective Lasik surgery, which is probably why we managed to catch the active 26-year-old on a rare day resting at home.
When the Indie rockers first played here at Hard Rock Café in 2006, the local crowd was barely warming up to their blend of the traditional guitar, bass and drums with the more unusual additions of trombones, saxophones and trumpets – a combination usually heard in Ska music.
Last year, Shaun and his bandmates (keyboardist Jonny Biggs, bassist Adam Brown, guitarist Rugan Lewis and drummer Chris Lambert) returned to Singapore, performing alongside mainstream stalwarts like Gym Class Heroes , Avenged Sevenfold and Hinder at SINGfest 07. The band was really surprised at how enthusiastically the fans lapped up their music and even cleared the band’s stock of Crowned King merchandise .
“We felt we connected with the Singaporean music fans and the show went way better than we’d ever expected!” Shaun gushes.
Shaun adds the group has been getting “non-stop emails” from fans in Singapore, begging them to come back since SINGfest 07. Thankfully for the fans, the band agreed.
This year, SINGfest 08 is the first stop for Crowned King on their summer tour of Asia, adding to their hat trick of performances here. They also happen to be the only band returning to this mega music event that is barely 2 years old.
“We’ll bring our best, like we always do,” Shaun promises, saying that the band will be performing pieces from last year’s performance, like the fans’ favourite “War”, together with some new tracks from the band’s new EP.
Music Royalty
Crowned King isn’t just going to deliver a unique rocking experience to Singapore. They’re also bringing with them a sneak preview of their upcoming EP, Don’t Let Go, which is slated for release in late July.
“The new music doesn’t feature the trombone, saxophone and trumpet as much,” Shaun says, adding that the band’s trombone player, Jonny, is now on the keyboards.
But that doesn’t mean that the band has lost its special way of weaving together various musical fabrics to form beautiful audio collages.
“The band spends lots of time in the studio creating keyboard sounds and layers – unique music textures are what Crowned King is all about,” Shaun explains.
“We try to capture the energy that we give off live in the studio as well,” he adds, saying that the many music layers and high energy sound of Crowned King is what keeps fans asking for more.
The lyrics in the new EP are inspired by the band’s growing up in their 20s. They deal with issues that arise with moving out, falling in love, touring and even conquering the “impossible” feat of playing music for a living.
“I personally feel that the best songs are the most honest songs and this is the most honest EP I’ve ever written!” Shaun declares.
“We’re only half done with the EP, but we’ve recorded what we have for now on a limited edition CD which only people coming to our shows will be able to have,” he adds.
Don’t despair if you can’t make it for the gig, the digital EP is available for download on the iTunes music store and the Nokia Music Store.
Exhausted But Happy
But playing at more than 500 performances all over the world over the past 4 years has tired the lads out just a little. Surprisingly, the boys aren’t too jaded by that.
“It can definitely affect personal relationships. So it’s important to make sure that when you’re home, you spend most of your time with family and friends – though most of the time you’re in the studio when you’re back in town,” the self-described swinger says.
However, there’s always something that Crowned King takes away from each overseas gig.
“You take everything you learn live and try and reproduce it in the studio. Right now, everyone is really energised and we never complain,” Shaun says.
So fans, you can look forward to a full album and even a music video on MTV Asia coming your way pretty soon. But for now, just catch them at SINGfest 08 to get your fix of music royalty.
Crowned King will be performing on Day 1 (Aug 2) of SINGfest 08.
SINGfest 08 tickets bought before Aug 2 will cost $150 for the first day pass, $200 for the second day pass, and $300 for the weekender pass.
Tickets at door will cost $200 for the first day pass, $250 for the second day, and $350 for weekender pass purchased on the first day.
Get your tickets from SISTIC now. Prices stated exclude SISTIC charges.
This article is part of UrbanWire’s SINGfest 08 Special Features.