Nothing quite prepared Manila-based quintet Kjwan for the reaction to their success at this year's Asean Ikon awards in Kuala Lumpur. The funk-rock band won the inaugural contest, which was open to professional singers and bands from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
'We knew it was big when we arrived home at the airport,' explains drummer J-Hoon Balbuena. 'It was my first time being welcomed by airport officials and a violent clan of paparazzi and reporters telling you how to hold the award properly. We ended up on the front of three national newspapers.'
Kjwan are visiting Hong Kong to play as part of the HK Live! lineup this weekend. It's a homecoming of sorts for Balbuena. He learned his trade here in local acts such as Flair and Mirage before returning to further his studies.
Kwjan's first single, Daliri, was released in 2004 and was No 1 in the Manila charts. 'From the beginning, we have always had goals to cross over cities and countries,' says Balbuena. 'And the Ikon win has brought in recording and music ventures in both Malaysia and Indonesia.
'The challenge now comes in having audiences react the same way to your song as your local crowd does - because they love you at all times.''
