THEIR viral videos reminded Malaysians that we have so much raw untapped talent out there. Colour Of Voices (C.O.V) ticks all the boxes to make them newsworthy. They are an award-winning multiracial, multilingual and Malaysian a cappella group that have come together to deliver the perfect song for every occasion. Last year, they blew everyone away with their medley of Chinese New Year songs and they have also performed a wide repertoire of songs in English, Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Tamil, Korean and Japanese.
The group’s current line-up is Tux (Jeffrey Goh a.k.a. TuxBoNic), the group leader and beatboxer; bassist and arranger Jaswan Abdullah; soprano Krutika Muralidharan (Kru), who is also their vocal coach; baritone Juhairee Khan (Joe); tenor Asnal Nashriq Khirrudin; and tenor Mohammad Ikhwan Shan (Ikhwan).
Formed in 2014 with Tux, Jaswan and Asnal as founding members, the line-up has changed from a six-man group to what it is now.
In 2015, Tux invested in and built a music and audio production company called Polymath Records Sdn Bhd (formally known as Broo Productions), that offers a variety of services that include song-writing, recording, mixing, mastering, sound designs, film scoring and talent management (musicians).
Colour Of Voices then recruited Joe (they met him at a Pentatonix concert), Ikhwan (from Jaswan’s singing circle) and Krutika (from “The Acapella Night”, a small concert held by the a cappella community in KL).
Among the accolades they have received were the Penyanyi Harapan Baru award from ERA Digital Muzik Award 2016, collaborated for commercial projects with leading brands and were featured in award-winning movie A Journey Of Happiness (2019).
During the interview, Tux spoke about how he would put up a cappella videos of him rendering cover versions of popular songs in 2012.
“Around then, Asnal and his friends were looking to do a cappella too. Their musical background was Nasyid. The had a strong base of harmonising songs, something that they started since their high school days. They saw my videos and we got together in Gombak to lepak at a mamak restaurant and talk about forming a group.”
Tux said that his spoken Malay was rusty but once he became part of the group, it improved.
Initially, the idea was to form a group to expose themselves through music. They would meet at their hangout and each would bring their own talent to the table, such as Tux beatboxing while another member will do bass.
“We just wanted to try our vibe.”
They started with eight members and did a Hari Raya song. Back then, they did not have proper video equipment. Some members thought that the group was going a cappella for fun and it might affect their own music career and other commitments. So they left and others were recruited.
“Right now, each member of C.O.V. has their own life. Asnal is not just the bassist, he is also the arranger. All of us have to get together and add colour to the songs.”
Essentially, every member provides some input in creating each song.
All the videos and recordings were done at Tux’s studio.
“A cappella is not just done at a touch of a button. It is not like a live band where you can go on stage and start performing. It is not like a choir. It requires multiple technical things to support it.”
Exposure on social media is important and C.O.V has plans to create their own YouTube channel that not only showcases their singing but also each individual member’s talents. Essentially, it will be a variety show of sorts.
They performed in a variety of languages and when asked how that idea came about, Tux explained: “Initially, we did not know what songs to choose and we ended up doing Chinese New Year dinners, Raya, Christmas and Deepavali songs.”
“Nowadays, we sing oldies and new pop songs. We practise on our free time. We would perform at events and get paid. Before going on stage, we would even practice backstage in the makeup room. That is how we ended up doing new songs.”
In fact, Tux is a songwriter for a major recording label and his music has been sold to artistes in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
2020 may not have provided them with any career highlights but Tux is sure that 2021 will open more avenues for C.O.V.
