In case you didn't know, a phenomenon has become increasingly common in the world of teenybopper pop. Due to mounting competition on the music front, teens-friendly acts like The Moffatts and Hepburn have all emphasized their ability to play their own instruments and write many (if not all) of their own songs. British band BBMak is the latest addition to this league of artists.
BBMak are Christian Burns, Stephen Patrick McNally, and Mark Barry. Blessed with their good looks and musical talents, the three boys were destined to become major pop stars.
And their dream looks set to materialize, thanks to the Music Radio showcase held recently at the Radio Academy in London. After the third song by BBMak, radio programmers from all around England were all aching to play their music on air.
And the excitement is far from over. BBMak also found themselves working with several famous hit makers -- like Oliver Leiber (son of Jerry Leiber, famed songwriter of the '50s and '60s), Phil Thornalley (most famous for his work with Natalie Imbruglia), and Gary Clark (of Danny Wilson fame), who all lent the boys a helping hand in songwriting.
The trio's first single "Back Here" was just released in the U.K., and the album is slated for a November launch date. MTVAsia.com's John Pang took the chance to interview BBMak when they were recently in Singapore for promotions.
MTVAsia.com: Tell us more about the origin of the band's name.
Stephen: It's based on our surnames -- "B" from Barry, "B" from Burns, and "Mak" from McNally.
MTVAsia.com: Was it difficult for the three of you to write songs together? Were there any differences in musical directions at all?
Christian: No, we're really compatible. We like the same sort of songs -- Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, The Beatles, The Jacksons...so when we write, most of the time, if it's something good, we'll all like it. We are not like chalk and cheese, so when it comes to writing, we all have similar styles. And it works well.
MTVAsia.com: It must have been wonderful being able to work with people like Phil Thornalley and Gary Clark. Was it an intimidating experience?
Stephen: Not really, because before we did anything, we'd go out, have a drink, chat about music, and see if we get along. In my opinion, there's no point in working together if we don't see eye to eye. Fortunately, everyone we've worked with is really nice.
MTVAsia.com: With all this help from renowned writers and producers, would you still consider yourself a boy band, and would you be offended if people think that you are?
Stephen: We are just a band. Boy band, lad band, whatever. If people see us as a boy band, that's fine. The difference between those regular boy bands and us is that we don't dance, we play instruments on stage, we sing live, and we write our own songs.
MTVAsia.com: There is now an influx of young groups who play their own instruments -- like Hepburn, for example. Do you think this will become an increasingly common phenomenon?
Christian: Personally, I think everyone's doing what we are doing…which I think is great. There should be more bands like us...there should be more people who actually write and sing their own songs. And I think there're actually a lot of talents out there. And we'd like to encourage them to get together.
MTVAsia.com: Mark, we heard that you play the bagpipes. Will we get to hear that on the album?
Mark: No, not on this album, maybe the second or third album.
MTVAsia.com: Christian, your father used to play at that legendary pub in Liverpool, called The Cavern. Has he met any of The Beatles when he was playing there?
Christian: My father used to be in a band in the '60s and had played in the Cavern before. Yeah, he did (meet the Beatles).
MTVAsia.com: Stephen, you took guitar lessons from Cast's lead guitarist, Liam Tyson. How is he as a teacher?
Stephen: It's strange because I've always wanted to play the guitar when I was a kid. So when I was 14, I thought I should go and take some lessons. I went to this place, a community center not far from where I was living, and there he was. This was, of course, before he became famous. And when I stopped my lessons with him, he got into this band Cast, and then two years later, he was like mega-famous! I was like "Wow!" I haven't seen him for six years but we did do a gig together about a month ago. Cast were playing and I saw Liam for the first time in about six years. It was great! He's a really nice guy and a good teacher. He still remembers me. He looked a little strange now though, and a little shorter. Now he's got long hair and a beard -- he looks like Jesus Christ.
MTVAsia.com: The current single is "Back Here". Is the song released in Europe already?
Christian: It has just been released in the U.K. at the moment.
MTVAsia.com: Will you be touring U.K.?
Christian: Yes, starting next week. We'll be doing two tours over the next two to three weeks in the U.K. We'll be doing the Smash Hits tour, in conjunction with the biggest teen magazine in England. And that's with bands like Westlife and 5ive. We'll also be doing another tour with Sugar, also a big magazine.
So we will be getting around a lot for the next two to three weeks. And then, we'll be back in Asia, in Singapore for National Kidney Foundation's Flame of Life Run and Concert on October 30. It's really for a good cause -- the NKF needed some money, so we're just doing our bit to help.
Stephen: We didn't realize what it was like until we met the patients. They are regular people who have to go for regular dialysis for 10 hours a day. Ten hours a day is a long time! I think most of the time we tend to take life for granted, and just go on living our lives without thinking about things like that.
Christian: We sang for the patients before we left, just to put a smile on their faces. We also sent them some flowers yesterday. Yeah, we don't have much time, but when we can help, like doing a free show, it can really help to raise some money for a good cause.
MTVAsia.com: When's your debut album coming out?
Christian: It'll be out end of October or beginning of November. And there'll be one cover of "More Than Words," originally performed by Extreme. We don't really do covers often. But when we went to the record company, all they kept saying was, "God, you guys did a really good job on 'More Than Words.' It sounds like your kind of music." So we thought that we should do it. It's definitely one of our favorite songs.
MTVAsia.com: What are your thoughts about the Internet, especially concerning how the Net can help promote BBMak and the band's music?
Christian: Well, we've got our own Web site. The address is "http://www.bbmak.co.uk". It's great, because when we're busy, it's a good way to keep in touch with our fans. What we do is to get our manager to print out each message and then we would write out our replies by hand and then get someone to type them in. It's just a good way to keep in touch and to tell our fans what we are up to.
