SINGAPORE, March 18 — Earlier this month, Singapore pop band Scarlet Avenue’s full-length debut album 2024 hit number one on the iTunes Album Charts on the day of its release.
Scarlet who?
But don’t feel bad if you’re unfamiliar with the band — Scarlet Avenue had been building a fan base rather quietly prior to 2024. And the surprising, seemingly out-of-nowhere success has as much to do with the band, which comprises siblings Adam and Amos Ang, as the record label behind it, United Records.
Brothers in arms
Like many musicians, the brothers’ love for music came at a young age. “We would sing in our bathroom and the whole void deck could hear us as we stayed on the 2nd floor,” recalled Amos. “We would shout at the top of our lungs when it came to rock songs and it was a fun thing to do for us brothers to take on different parts of the song and take turns to sing them. So naturally, it led us to choose music as our path.”
Unlike many other Singaporeans, the Ang family was very supportive of a career in the arts.
“They are the best, our number one fans!” shared Amos. “My dad bought a Green Day concert DVD for us back then, and we played along with it so much that we memorised every song from the start till the end. We then would perform a two-hour concert for our dad every night for months.”
So it was no surprise then that the boys began to learn how to play covers of classic rock bands such as Guns n’ Roses, Scorpions, Eagles and Led Zeppelin at a young age: When Amos was 14 and Adam, 10. From then, it did not take too much for them to get serious about the music.
Said Adam: “We decided that we wanted to be serious in music when we had a chance to perform for our annual music school recital in France. That was the first time we stood on a stage in a concert hall filled with parents and friends. The feeling was intense and when we looked into the crowd, hearing their applause and cheers and their delighted faces, somehow we told ourselves that we want to make music so as to make people happy.”
While the Angs themselves acknowledge that they possess an innate chemistry as brothers, they also admit there are downsides as well.
“The cons happen when we quarrel, but I guess in any sibling relationship there would always be fights and down times, but we learn to compromise with one another,” said Adam.
Local hero
Meanwhile, there’s also the story behind Scarlet Avenue’s label, United Records. Founder Eric Wong had set it up with his wife around five years ago, but he had always wanted to do more with local acts if the opportunity arose.
“We started to think about artiste management and artiste development right from the start, but it didn’t kick off till we met Scarlet Avenue about three years ago. We have always been musicians and our passion is for the local music industry, so it was quite a natural step for us to want to work on developing artistes and content,” said Wong.
He highlighted that even though the label was already initially impressed with the Angs’ songwriting skills, it was the brothers’ personalities and attitudes that won over Wong and his wife.
“Our criteria for signing artistes is quite stringent. Potential artistes have to understand that it’s not always about the skill. It has a lot to do with having a great attitude, and a willingness to work hard and do whatever it takes to make things happen even when under tremendous stress and pressure.”
Apart from the above attributes, Wong believed that the simple strategy of making music accessible to everyone has paid off.
“We believe strongly in meeting the fans on the ground. School tours were very effective in educating the next generation to appreciate and support local music. We were very touched when students shared with us that from now onwards, they will support local music and local bands. We feel like we have played our little part in helping the overall industry.”
And this includes bringing the band’s music to different platforms such as television and film, as well as exposing the band regionally.
“We have already been building a fan base in the Philippines and they are very welcomed there as well. I feel that there is a need to make Singapore music exportable, and to take our local acts regional and then international.”
Naturally, United Records hopes to expand its roster, which can be good news for the local scene.
“We are always on a look out to sign on good acts, be it English or Mandarin. We have another new artiste who is a winner in a Poly competition coming up with a single very soon. So watch out for him.”
Scarlet Avenue’s 2024 is now available on all major platforms. The band will also be performing at cafe “pop-in” events this month and next month, as well as a few other performances. — TODAY
