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DENNIS:
With many male groups in Asia, there are albums where each
member will do a solo track with their own musical taste.
Will you guys ever do something like that and what kind
of music would you like to experiment with if you had your own
solo track?
ASIA 4:
Well, we sort of have that right
now. Cardin is the
main vocals in two songs on the first album:
“I Never Thought” and “Tinh Da Lo”.
Evan has a track in the album called “Give Me Time” which
he wrote. Although he sings most of the song, Cardin also performs vocals
in this song as well. Spencer
and James were the main vocals in the song “If Tomorrow Never
Comes”
DENNIS:
Can a Vietnamese group based in the US also make it big
in Vietnam or is that a major challenge?
ASIA 4:
We think it’s possible since we
have received quite a number of fan mails from Vietnam.
There is always that political issue hindering the promotion
of our music and the ever so popular black market of fake CDs,
Videos and DVD's in Vietnam.
We are considering a promotional tour later this year in
Vietnam to promote our second album.
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DENNIS:
Do you get asked by people to do an album with all
Vietnamese songs or to have more Vietnamese songs on your
future albums?
ASIA 4:
Yes we do.
We are thinking about it.
In our first album, there is only one Vietnamese
song, which was written and composed by Dinh Huan, Cardin’s
dad. Cardin
is the main vocals in that song.
DENNIS:
Where do you guys stand on the MP3 debate?
Granted many people say that major artists aren't
affected but for Asian American artists or Asian artists
who are trying to break into the US music industry, do you
feel that MP3’s will hurt them?
ASIA 4:
We don’t support freely
distributing MP3’s.
There is not much we can do about it.
Our songs are available for streaming on MP3.com
and StationMP3.com.
If after hearing our music tracks, we would hope
our supporters and future fans purchase the album at their
local Vietnamese music store or purchase it online from
our web site or Asia Entertainment’s web site.
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DENNIS: Your music can be compared
to groups like N*SYNC, Westlife, and Backstreet Boys.
Do you mind being compared to the above boy bands?
ASIA 4: We
don’t like to compare ourselves to those groups.
We have great respect for them but we have our own style
that is influenced by our culture, the surge of Asian pop, hip
hop, and dance. We
hope that the comparison ends right there - at the boy band level.
We are doing all we can to make sure that we are true to
ourselves. People
may say we are similar to this group or that group, which is fine,
since that is their opinions.
But to us, we know that our music reflects our personal
lives and styles, not because we copied someone else.
DENNIS: How do you feel about your
fans?
ASIA 4: It was awesome. We love fan support,
especially at live shows. The appreciation the fans show for our
music and performances really moves us.
DENNIS: What was the most embarrassing
moment on stage?
ASIA 4: We
all have our embarrassing moments. For example, we forget where
we are at on stage, little glitches here and there on the dancing,
etc. Sometimes we even forget part of the lyrics of the songs.
All these little unpredictable events happen when you’re in front
of a lot of people and they're all hyped up and excitement is
going on. But we usually cover them up, play it off as part of
the act or something. We got each other's back on things like
that and just try to make it fun, so people will think we made
those mistakes on purpose.
DENNIS:
I’m curious. Among Vietnamese music groups in the US, is there a lot of
competition out there?
Is there any West Coast vs. East Coast.
Or even Bay Area vs. Southern California type of competition?
ASIA 4: From
what we know, there are no other Vietnamese music groups in the
Vietnamese mainstream market.
There are a few in Vietnam but we are targeting a different
audience, so we don’t consider them as rivals.
As the first and so far the only Vietnamese American male
vocal group, we feel that we have opened the doors to other future
groups.
DENNIS:
What is the most satisfying part about being a Vietnamese
or Asian American music group?
ASIA 4:
We always have each other to depend
on, along with our families and close friends.
We bring a uniqueness to the Vietnamese Music market which
makes us stand out from other Vietnamese American solo artists.
DENNIS:
What is the most frustrating part about being Vietnamese
or Asian American group?
ASIA 4:
The promotional aspects.
There are a lot of promoters who are interested in booking
us for shows especially on the East Coast but when they realize
that there are four of us, which means four plane tickets and
two hotel rooms, it can be a setback for them and for us.
But we have found ways around this and have proven to many
promoters that we are a good asset to their entertainment roster.
DENNIS:
I ask this question to many groups. Do you guys spend a
lot of time with each other as a group during your free time,
or do you guys each do your own thing?
ASIA 4:
A couple of us hang out together during our free time since we have
the same hobbies, others do their own thing.
But we all hang out together once in a while during our
free time. We all
lead different lives and are pretty busy with our own lives, but
when we have the time, we’ll get together for a round of golf
or something.
DENNIS:
Do you get on each other’s nerves?
ASIA 4: What group doesn’t go
through that? We
have learned over the past couple of years to deal with our problems
and disagreements in a mature manner.
We pretty much get along very well.
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DENNIS:
When you guys do have free time, aside from playing
sports, what do you guys like to do for fun?
ASIA 4: Hanging out and partying
with friends.
DENNIS:
What type of music and which artists do each of you
listen to? Are
there any Asian pop artists that you guys enjoy?
Cardin:
Michael Jackson, Babyface
James:
George Michael
Evan: Wanya
Spencer: Babyface
DENNIS:
If you had one word to describe yourselves what would
that word be?
Cardin: Ambitious
James: Fickle
Evan: Sincere
Spencer: Smiley
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DENNIS:
Let’s do a little word play and you give me your own personal
definition for each of the following words: LOVE, SUCCESS, BRITNEY
SPEARS, PHO and SEX:
CARDIN:
LOVE
- Very hard to find if it exists.
SUCCESS – Doing what you love and getting paid for it.
BRITNEY SPEARS – Knows how to work for what she wants.
PHO – My favorite food that I can eat any day and any time.
SEX – Don’t we all think about it?
SPENCER:
LOVE – Something you can’t describe in words, you’ll know
it one day when you feel it.
SUCCESS – When you reach your goals
BRITNEY SPEARS - Talented
PHO - good
SEX – something you share with your significant other
Evan:
LOVE - Such a beautiful word
SUCCESS - Believe in yourself
and you'll make it
BRITNEY SPEARS - Great stage
presence
PHO - I'm getting hungry now.
(laughter)
SEX – Hey! That's personal!
(laughter)
James:
LOVE -What
my parents had in order to "produce" me. (Laughter)
SUCCESS - Work hard and you'll
get where you want to get and achieve it.
BRITNEY SPEARS - Almost every
girl wish she was in Miss Spears shoes.
PHO - mmmm..yum yum
SEX – To do or not to do!??!
(laughter)
DENNIS:
Now that you guys are gaining notoriety for your music, do you have ex-girlfriends
and friends that you haven’t heard from in ages contacting you?
ASIA 4:
For some of us…no. For others...yes.
But we don’t give much thought to this. The people that never
believed in us before, now say they do. We treasure the friends
and people who have supported us since day one. Those are who
we consider our true friends.
DENNIS:
What are your personal and professional goals?
Where do you see yourselves in the next ten years?
Cardin: Still
performing and composing, arranging and producing.
Evan: Still
in the music business in some shape or form and probably locked
away in some room painting.
Spencer:
Successful and married with children.
James:
I want to see Asia 4 make a difference
in the music industry. Also, opening a chiropractic medical center
near my home in Orange County so I could be closer to the family.
DENNIS:
What words would you like to leave to your fans and supporters?
ASIA 4: We thank our fans for taking the time
to read this interview.
We are working on a lot of projects right now and hope
that you will continue to support us in whatever we do.
Remember to check out our official website for the latest
news or just to give us your comments or feedback.
We can be contacted at asia4@asia4.net.
Our snail mail is Asia 4, P.O. Box 383, Garden Grove, CA
92842-0383. We would
love to hear from you. Much
love from Asia 4.
--
Find out more information
about the members of Asia 4 and sample their music by visiting
their website at www.asia4.net.
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