After 20 years of music that made us swoon, sing along and laugh uncontrollably, Budak Pantai is calling it a day. The incomparable a capella quintet made up of Michael ‘Mike’ Low, Danny Lai, Gordon Ng, Ho ‘KK’ Kah Keh and Joseph ‘Joe’ Wong will be saying goodbye in 2014, but not before a pair of shows at the Esplanade Concert Hall billed as The Final Countdown. We spoke to the group ahead of this bittersweet farewell to find out why they’re retiring, how they kept going all these years and what the future holds.
Q: First things first, why have you decided to retire? Has the scene changed too much, is it not ‘fun’ anymore, have your interests and musical approaches changed?
Gordon: Every good thing has its season.
KK: We want to exit while we are still enjoying it and not try to outdo our ‘best before’ date. It is like a reality check when people come up to us and say, “I was still a young kid then,” and they are now… Ahem… Married with kids.
Joe: We’ve had 20 good years. We’d like to say thank you to our fans while we’re still able to stand and remember lyrics.
Q: What are your best memories from your 20 years together?
Joe: I personally enjoyed that moment when Lauretta Alabons and Douglas O announced Budak Pantai’s name as the winner of the Rollin’ Good Times Beach Boys contest on TV in 1994 because it was the first time I ever won a TV singing contest. As for the current band, our fondest memories have got to be the post-concert meet-the-fans sessions. They make all our effort on stage – and indeed the journey we’ve had as a band – so meaningful.
Mike: Walking by a Japanese bar while in Yokohama, hearing a song on a speaker, liking it, buying the CD and making an act out of it.
Gordon: Chicken rice.
Danny: My two most significant memories… First, driving through the Istana front entrance to have breakfast with president S. R. Nathan. We had performed for him at a surprise birthday party organized by his staff and he invited us back for breakfast! We had curry puffs and chatted – it was a very coffee shop experience . Second, butchering and rearranging a Sky Wu (伍思凱) song in a hotel room… with Sky Wu. We were engaged to do a song with him (as back-up accompaniment) when he came through town years ago. He was really aghast when we told him we had actually butchered his song, “突然的寂寞” (tu ran de ji mo) – Mandarin for “suddenly lonely” – to “a sudden zi mor”, a term used in a game of mahjong to describe a self-drawn hand that leads to a win. We then mixed it with another song that wasn’t even his (“Water Runs Dry” by Boyz II Men) and expected him to do it! After the initial shock, we had a good hour together working out how to do it. It was quite an experience because he’s not just a singer but also a musician who writes his own songs, so it was a moment of co-creation (or joint renovation).
KK: That there wasn’t a plan and that things just happened, and how there’s always a spanner thrown into the mix when we are on stage. And how some songs just come out of nowhere.
Q: What can we expect from The Final Countdown?
Mike: Er… you expecting something?
Gordon: No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.
Danny: All the fancy footwork, pyrotechnics and stunning stage sets that you would have come to expect from a Budak concert.
KK: Can expect songs that each one of us likes and well… We’ll figure the rest out when we get on stage.
Joe: We have some 130 songs in our repertoire. But we have chosen 40 songs that we know our fans will like. We have one or two surprises but not too many because we want people to remember Budak Pantai for whom we have been these 20 years – five ordinary guys who sing from their hearts to put a smile on the faces of people. You can expect another night of feel-good made-in-Singapore entertainment but it will also be an emotional night for the five of us and our fans.
Q: For posterity, tell us how you go about creating your own arrangements for new songs.
Joe: There are two key triggers for creating new arrangements. One, when we die-die must come up with a new song for a show (usually when collaborating with someone bigger than ourselves… Wait… Everyone is bigger than us!). Two, when we read a newspaper report on a current event and suddenly decide it needs a song to go with it.
Mike: First start with an ounce of lethargy, then throw in a good measure of desperation as a show is coming up. To add salt to the wound, stir in a lot of ideas, both good and bad. When almost coming to a boil, sniff for taste and if the end result is looking flat, throw it out and start again. But this time, allow aeration by whisking briskly into the pot tons of enthusiasm. And if all else fails, laugh at the final product and after 10 or more refinements, the perfect balance will be achieved.
Q: Tell us about some of the projects you’ll be working on after your final performances together.
Joe: Music will always be a key part of my life. Personally, I have lined up concert events to raise funds for charity, mostly with my other musician friends. I wish to use my voice to give back to society while I still can hold my notes. Performing with a respirator doesn’t look comfortable.
Mike: For me, it is to finally memorise the Chinese dynasties.
KK: Shy… Cannot say…
Gordon: Spend time with the missus. Go on a romantic trip to Myanmar.
Danny: Plan for The Final Countdown 2: Revenge of the Fallen… Oh, is that title taken already?
Q: If musicians are known for one thing, it’s retiring and coming out of retirement. Is there any chance of a reunion someday?
Joe: As MJ put it, this is it. But you never know what the future brings. If planet Earth gets attacked by aliens and the only way to rid them is with fabulous nonsensical songs, you know whom to call.
Danny: I can only say with great certainty that if you haven’t bought a ticket yet, then this is our last show ever!
The Final Countdown by Budak Pantai takes place on May 23 — 24 at the Esplanade Concert Hall. Tickets are available from $38 through Sistic.
