KUCHING: Rock band Wings will hold a streaming concert in August as they are gradually picking up under the new normal of Covid-19 pandemic.
The band’s lead vocalist Datuk Awie said such decision to venture into digital platform was timely in order to put food on the table and stay connected with their audience after three months of lockdown.
“We will have no physical audience during the show, just an empty concert. The audience worldwide can just subscribe and stream the concert online.
“We are still in the midst of planning for promotional tours and we will also introduce a digital app as a platform for the audience to stream the performance,” he told New Sarawak Tribune in an exclusive interview at a local hotel last Tuesday.
The popular rock legend further said that there was no denying that the music industry was amongst the worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the implementation of movement control order (MCO) to curb its spread.
“That is why we are grateful that with the existing technologies available, we as the performers can still perform virtually.
“The downside of this is the pay may not be the same like previously. So now, all the celebrities and even the ministers alike have to cut down their spending in view of the economy,” he pointed out.
In another development, Awie described the government’s way in handling Covid-19 crisis as “sangat best” (at its very best) and he acknowledged the fact that the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had been recognised as one of the best prime ministers in the world for his leadership during these unprecedented episodes.
“I hope the pandemic will soon be over because like the others, I am also affected in a way that several of my big concerts in Singapore, Phuket and Kuala Lumpur all have to be postponed.
“These big shows are my sustenance so if I don’t perform, how can I generate income? The same applies to all of my colleagues in the music industry. If we don’t work, we don’t get paid.
“Even when we are out of job, we have to find something to do. Maybe doing corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme is one of the options. “Thus, all of us are hoping for the pandemic to end as soon as possible,” he added.
When asked on rumours about the rock band Wings’ comeback, Awie, who has been dubbed as King of Rock Malaysia, revealed that the band is currently in the process of searching for new materials and finetuning the concept for an album.
“I dare not say when the album is going to complete but we will continue our focus on searching for the best materials and perfecting the album for now. We do not want to make a comeback similar to the old concept.
“It has been 35 years since we (Wings) started building up our reputation in the music industry and if we come back with a similar concept as before, I wouldn’t want to sing,” he stressed.
