F.I.R. set to fly

Fans at F.I.R.’s upcoming concert at Bukit Jalil can expect some pleasant surprises.

TAIWANESE alternative pop rock band F.I.R. promised to rock the stage and surprise fans with an entertaining show at their concert in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, next month.

Following their sell-out concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, a 10,000-strong crowd is expected at their upcoming Malaysian show.

Made up of vocalist Faye Zhan Wen Ting, guitarist Real Huang Han Qing and producer/keyboardist Ian Chen Jian Ning, F.I.R (known as Fei Er Yue Tuan in Mandarin) are currently among the hottest bands in South-East Asia.

At a recent press conference in Kuala Lumpur to promote the Malaysian leg of their concert tour, the pop trio , which had written some new songs especially for its Singaporean fans is set to do the same for its Malaysian fans.

“We will be writing a new Malay song especially for our fans in Malaysia,” said Huang. “And we’ll invite Michael Wong and Victor Wong to pen the lyrics,” added Chen.

When asked to speak a few words of Malay, Zhan surprised the media with, “Aku cinta padamu (I love you)!”

Huang said the concert was more than just performing their songs. “To us, a concert is an opportunity for us to interact with our fans.”

The group made the first stop of their world tour in Taipei last year with a concert theme of Tenth Planet, derived from a track from their latest album Love Diva, delighting concert-goers with a dreamscape which involved countless costume changes made possible with the help of over 100 crew members.

Pretty vocalist Zhan professed a liking for the costumes which went with the concert theme, a mix of genres including rock and folk. She even has one costume change which takes place on the stage itself. “Mine takes only three seconds to change into,” said Zhan with a laugh.

Producer Chen revealed there were about 50 costume changes and they barely had time for a breather in between. “Many times, we would be changing while walking backstage with the help of the crew.”

F.I.R. was formed in 2002 when Chen, 36, recruited Huang, 28, and Zhan, 26. The two respectfully refer to him as lao shi (teacher).

Bursting onto the Mandopop music scene with their hit song Lydia which was the clo­sing theme for season one of the popular Taiwanese TV series The Outsiders, the trio only made their debut in 2004.

They have since released four studio albums (F.I.R Fairyland in Reality, Unlimited, Flight Tribe and Love Diva), two mini-albums (I Wanna Fly and Glory Days) and a single (Spread Love)

The name of the band F.I.R. is made up of the initials of their names Faye, Ian and Real and is also the acronym for Fairyland in Reality, the name of their eponymous debut album.