Choo Mei FangWith lead singer Kenneth Tan wearing a camouflage-print snapback and lead guitarist Alvin Wong in a gray beanie emblazoned with the word “DAAMN”, these 2 guys from ORANGECOVE look every bit like a typical pop-rock boy band.
These 25-year-olds ooze charisma, coupled with affable and outgoing personalities. Drummer Sean Tan, 21, and bassist Benjamin Zhu, 23, make up the rest of the quartet, but they were away for National Service during this interview.
ORANGECOVE is a comfortable family affair. Kenneth and Sean are brothers, while Benjamin is their cousin. Alvin was randomly scouted at a youth cultural event where they were playing back in 2007, but identifies as their “converted brother”, as he cheekily puts it.
“ORANGECOVE is not really a band,” Kenneth declares. “It’s a brotherhood. It’s like our surnames are all ORANGECOVE.”
No Better Moment than the Present
After 8 years in the local music industry and changes to their band lineup, the band finally released their first mini-album in June titled Our Time Is Now. This album was entirely self-funded by the band, and it is the precious offspring of their collective hard work and effort.
“Before this, no one has really heard of us – like we were quite underground. But this year, more and more shows are coming up for us, and it feels like this is really our year to get ourselves out there,” Alvin says, summing up the reason behind the album’s title.
Indeed, 2014 seems set to be their year, with the band performing for different gigs throughout the last 8 months. Notable shows include Tones, Music Matters Live,Baybeats and more recently the IGNITE! Music Festival, but they agree in unison that opening for We The Kings was hands down the most memorable gig yet.
“They are one of our favorite bands, so that was quite epic,” Kenneth grins. They were initially worried that the crowd would not be receptive to their music (after all, the fans were there for We The Kings), but their concerns were unfounded.
“They were really encouraging and they sang along to our songs, which was something we didn’t expect,” Alvin continues.
An Extended Family
Through their various gigs, they had numerous opportunities to interact and perform alongside many up-and-coming young bands in the local music scene. However, they are quick to assert that they do not view them as competition.
“Every band has their own identity. If people like [their music], they like it. If they don’t like it, they don’t,” Alvin shrugs. “Everyone is helping the music industry in Singapore to grow, so I’m very supportive of every other local band.”
Both boys have been pursuing their musical aspirations since they were 17 (“It’s not that long actually. Just close to a decade,” Alvin deadpans), and successfully made the transition from teenagers playing covers of McFly and Busted to serious musicians making a living out of their passion.
Beyond Teenage Years
The band has undoubtedly matured and evolved from when they first started out, and this can be seen through their songwriting inspirations.
“We started out writing about joyous things. Our first song “I Can Dance, You Can Dance!” was to tell people to get together and have fun. Then we moved on to other things like love and relationships. But now we realize that we just want to write songs that help people to relate,” Kenneth explains.
The band believes in the healing power of music, and they have a noble goal.
“As a whole, ORANGECOVE music wants to reach out to people who always had a dream but never had that push or motivation to reach it,” he affirms.
Alvin adds on, “We don’t want them to regret not pursuing their dreams. [Our songs are] like an encouragement to them.”
If all goes well, the band intends to release their 1st full-length album next year. Other possible plans in the future include travelling to either Japan or Korea to showcase their music.
ORANGECOVE can only get bigger and better from here, and it’s hard to believe that their time is now. Instead, it looks like it has only just begun, and UrbanWire is sure that the band won’t be trading in their snapbacks and beanies anytime soon
Photos courtesy of Klix Photography and ORANGECOVE