ACAPELLA music has existed for centuries. It is a style of singing that sees several people singing in unison to produce pleasant music. Acapella music has been enjoying an increase in popularity in recent decades. There are now several incredible acapella bands available. Audiences love hearing how each performer has their own tone and approach.
The Wanted, a Taiwanese acapella group that made history by becoming the first band in the genre to create an original Mandarin Chinese album, recently spoke about themselves and their music in an online interview with theSun.
We looked into greater depth about their journey, difficulties, and their victories thus far.
There are five members of The Wanted. Leader Adi (vocal bass), Dodo (soprano), Rere (soprano), Chia (mezzo-soprano, rapper), and Don (Vocal percussion, beat-box). The members first got to know one another in high school when they all joined the school choir, and their teacher was the one who first introduced them to acapella.
They had several opportunities to participate in many acapella competitions during that time. The group ultimately received recognition from the Golden Melody Awards for their debut album in 2014, after transitioning from posting covers to producing original compositions and establishing a significant following.
In general, The Wanted listens to a wide variety of music, including classical, jazz, folk, rock, hip-hop, and even K-pop. This makes it easier for the group to think about their music without being constrained by guidelines and requirements, and they are always experimenting with new genres and methods to communicate diverse types of music using acapella.
They utilise an effects unit to alter their vocals to produce various sounds, because acapella is typically thought of as having a more acoustic feel. Their primary focus while creating songs has always been in that direction.
The band discussed how they write songs, and their creative process. Dodo and Chia are reportedly in charge of writing the majority of the songs. When the entire group has done creating the song, they will meet to discuss its direction. Dodo will only begin working on the arrangement after the group meeting.
Of course, the music will need to undergo several revisions and adjustments. Occasionally the group would work on their songs through a jamming session, allowing everyone to contribute ideas that frequently result in a pleasant surprise during the final recording.
The voice, in the band’s opinion, is the most straightforward means of expressing one’s emotions. They promise that by listening to their music, listeners would be able to instantly experience the members’ emotions as they make every effort to tell various stories with their voices.
They said that their music in particular carries a sense of cosiness and comfort due to the harmonies, as well as a sense of rebellion due to their willingness to experiment and buck the norms of their genre.
Every time the lineup of The Wanted changes, there is a significant amount of friction for the group as a whole, which is one of the most challenging obstacle the band has ever encountered. It appears that replacing a member is more complicated than just finding another musician who can play the same instrument to take their place.
Every member of an acapella group has a unique voice, as we already know, and a roster change significantly alters the tone of the song. Each time that occurs, they must restart experimenting with their existing task to fit a new arrangement, which gradually consumes a lot of their time.
The Wanted went a step further and said that they had thoughts of giving up at least once a day since this particular journey had been so difficult. It is undoubtedly challenging to succeed as an independent band in such a specialised genre.
They do, however, feel that they have much more to say and produce, as well as a greater yearning to be heard by more people, and that they have not yet reached their boundaries.
Winning the Golden Melody Award for their debut album was undoubtedly one of The Wanted’s most notable team accomplishments. It has made their music more widely known and strengthened the team’s faith in the music they are producing.
As a band, the group has been experimenting and learning new things. They often attended dancing classes together in the past. This helps the team be more expressive with their bodies when performing on stage, in addition to incorporating dance into their performances.
One of the team’s most memorable moments was trying to sing along to a BTS song while simultaneously dancing. They are now putting a lot of effort into becoming experts in both fields.
The group is currently preparing for their second album. Since their debut album, they have been experimenting, and this album seems to be the end result. They intend to write acapella songs different from those on their debut album.
They said: “Expect to hear more samples and synthesiser effects on this album since we want to establish a dialogue between electronic and acoustic sounds, fusing the old and the new. We ourselves are quite thrilled to introduce acapella in a fresh way to our fans.”
They made sure to express their gratitude to their support group, including friends and family. They aspire to continue winning more awards and honours, and to have a fruitful international tour.
“Live performances of acapella are the greatest way to experience it, and we want to get our music in front of more people, hopefully in Singapore and Malaysia as well!”
