Over 1500 screaming fans of 90s pop stars, 911, filled the hall at Quill Convention Centre on 22nd June 2019. It was a great turnout for an artiste that last touched the shores of Malaysia almost 20 years ago. It was a night of reliving memories for every fan girl (and some fan boys!). Additionally, ANDREAH was also there as an opening act!
A New Single & An Opening Act
As how all international shows are, the usual practice for an opening act would be a local rising star to kick off the night. However, this time, it was a little different. 17-year-old Irish-Filipino, ANDREAH took the stage like a champ. She showed no sign of nervousness, but confidently performed 3 of her original songs, ‘Best Friend’, ‘You’ and her latest single, ‘Focus’ which was released on all digital platforms the same day of her performance. She owned the stage as though she had been performing for ages. The young star has also supported The Script and Sam Smith during their South East Asian legs of their tour.
Focus
Her original compositions chronicle the struggles of your regular teenager through her music in the hopes that her listeners would be able to find comfort and solace in knowing they are not alone.
“I hope this song and my music, in general, can help people through rough and difficult times, as it has helped me.”
At a glance, the lyrics to ‘Focus’ seem to be filled with teen angst and frustration (think Simple Plan’s ‘I’m Just A Kid’). However, a deeper look at the lyrics tell listeners that this song is more than that, it’s about having all these feelings and thoughts but with no one to actually vent them to. It’s a song that brings to ‘focus’ about the kind of things every teenager experiences while growing up; a song that ANDREAH is using to reach out to her peers to say, “It’s okay, you aren’t the only one experiencing this, and I’m with you.”
An Outstanding Opening Act
During the performance, ANDREAH’s voice stood out and really turned heads or ears in this case. Casually dressed and her laid back persona really put the audience at ease. For many opening acts, no matter how well you sing, often times, the audience would turn to their phones or chat over the artiste. This was different. Nobody was talking and there were phones but they were all held up high recording her performance – that is always a good sign. The audience listened attentively and cheered their loudest.
A day before her performance, ANDREAH landed in KLIA2 from Singapore at about 10am and headed straight for her pre-planned media meetings. Starting with AFORADIO, who was also the official radio station for the concert, performing her single as well. Her chirpy attitude definitely lit the room with excitement. She also got a special guest calling in, and it turned out to be Spike from 911 himself. What a surprise it was for a legend to call in. Right after that, she was driven over to the team at JOOX, Fly, Hitz and also Mix.
A singer-songwriter at heart, ANDREAH is currently in the UK working with producers for her album. You will be seeing her back here in KL really soon with new music and a full on tour.
