Live The Good Life at OneRepublic Live In Malaysia

Malaysian fans have been counting stars for days (including me with no exception) in anticipation of OneRepublic’s return to our shores.

It was the evening of the middle of yet another work week, but clearly no amount of blues in the world could bog the spirit that filled the air at the Merdeka Stadium as fans gathered from near and far for OneRepublic's 'Live In Malaysia'. ICYMI, here are the highlights that made up for an electrifying and stellar night:

OneRepublic kicked off their Kuala Lumpur show with “Stop & Stare” and “Secrets”. It seemed like lead vocalist Ryan Tedder the 38-year-old singer’s voice was slightly under the weather at first. But the violin and cello-enhanced instruments were able to get the crowd in the mood. In between tracks, we could hear Tedder greeting the crowd with “apa khabar” and offering appreciation with “terima kasih”.

The 38-year-old singer also shared that he was surprised to find out that OneRepublic’s concert venue was indeed an open-air space. Thank goodness the weather gods were kind to us after thunder and raining for the past few days.

The quintet band continued to fire hit after hit with upbeat numbers such as “Kids”, “Good Life”, “Wherever I Go”, “Better” and “Feel Again”. The talented songwriter must have been feeling good, cause he told the crowd that he was inspired to write 2 songs since landing in Malaysia. If you’ve been following Tedder on Instagram, you’d notice that the singer, has been fascinated with the Petronas Twin Tower.

Speaking of inspiration, Tedder has also been known for writing a ton of hit songs for A-listers in the music industry. He then treated us to 2 covers – Beyonce’s “Halo” (which he described it as his karaoke version) and Ed Sheeran’s “Happier”.

It was nice to hear Tedder being candid about his relationship with Sheeran. The American record producer even jokingly called the Brit “son of a bitch” for changing “Happier” to guitar when the song was originally on piano. We couldn’t help but laugh along when Tedder proceeded to sing “Happier” in a British accent.

OneRepublic also entertained the audiences with another tender moment when Tedder paid tribute to the recently-deceased Avicii by singing an acoustic cover of “Wake Me Up”. It was a beautiful moment when everyone joined in unison and harmonise to the late DJ’s hit.

Following that emotional tribute, the group performed 2 songs – “I Lived” and “All The Right Moves” – before treating concert-goers with a brand new tune. OneRepublic decided to debut “Born To Race” for their second leg of Asian mini tour. Tedder wrote that for the video game, “Need For Speed”. The music genius also shared that he has been working with rapper Logic and teased about contributing something for “13 Reasons Why” season 2 soundtrack.

Needless to say that the entire stadium truly came alive towards the end of the show. The crowd sang the loudest during “Apologize”. OneRepublic saved the best – “If I Lose Myself”, “Counting Stars” and “Love Runs Out” – for last. It was a nostalgic trip down memory lane thanks to the set list of hits over the past decade. See the full set list here:

1. Intro/NbHD/Stop + Stare

2. Secrets

3. Kids

4. Good Life

5. Wherever I Go

6. Better

7. Feel Again

8. Halo/Happier/Wake Me Up

9. I Lived

10. All The Right Moves

11. Born To Race

12. Something I Need

13. Apologize

14. Rich Love

15. If I Lose Myself

16. Counting Stars

17. Love Runs Out

But alas, even good times must come to an end. It's back to the daily grind for now, and we probably won't be the only ones playing OneRepublic on repeat to counter post-concert withdrawals.

OneRepublic Live in Kuala Lumpur 2018 is organised by WGW Entertainment and supported by Malaysia Major Events (MME), a division of Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), a bureau under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

Be sure to follow WGW Entertainment on Facebook for all the latest updates on OneRepublic Live in Kuala Lumpur 2018, or visit OneRepublic's website.

If you like my story, do follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more views on music and entertainment!

xoxo - aly

One Republic: Hunting For New Voices Singing Competition

HUNTING FOR NEW VOICES was the live music cover competition in conjunction with OneRepublic Live in Malaysia 2018 put together by organizer WGW Entertainment. The event was held on Saturday, April 7 at the Concourse of Berjaya Times Square saw fans of OneRepublic who are also aspiring singers to show what they've got to woo the crowd and most importantly the judges.

The contestants, including individuals and bands, were chosen after making through an entry form submitted online. All contestants must first competed in the preliminary round which be done earlier, and only 10 of them made it to the finals. Before the competition began, the emcee gave an introduction on the CONCERT and HUNTING FOR NEW VOICES, speeches by Mr. Hendrick Huang Managing Director of WGW Entertainment, followed by a Q & A session with Mr. Hendrick Huang and Mr. Kenny Ong, Managing Director of Universal Music Singapore and Malaysia.

Mr. Hendrick Huang, MD of WGW Entertainment (left) and Mr. Kenny Ong, MD of Universal Music Singapore and Malaysia (right)

The 10 finalist hopefuls took the stage on one by one for the chance to win cash prizes as well as the coveted Rock Zone tickets for the upcoming OneRepublic Live in Malaysia 2018 concert. Some of the contestants made a mind-blowing impressions during their set when showcasing their best version of notable hits by OneRepublic.

10 finalist

Among the songs preferred by the finalists were “Apologize”, “Stop and Stare” (the songs that keep humming in our ears) and the more recent “Let’s Hurt Tonight”. Some of the finalists were also played their own instruments such as guitar and keyboard, embracing their talents as they were judged by 4 criteria, Voice Power, Rhythm and Tempo, Vocal Expression and Stage Presence.

After deliberation, the judges Mr. Hendrick Huang, Mr. Kenny Ong and Ms. Yi Jun (who’s had experience participating in the World Championship of Performing Arts held at Long Beach, California) picked Ullyseus, Affan and Pitt Sarmon as the top three winners.

Pitt Sarmon who sang “Stop and Stare”, walked away with the grand prize comprising of RM3000 cash and a pair of Rock Zone tickets worth RM578 each. Whilst Ullyseus who wooed the audience with his rendition of “Apologize”, and Affan who also played the keyboard during his performance of “Apologize”, won the second prize (with RM2000 cash) and third prize (with RM1000 cash) respectively. Both winners also getting a pair of Rock Zone tickets. The remaining 7 finalists did not walk away empty-handed as they were also been awarded with 2 pairs of CAT3 tickets each worth RM298.

Ullyseus

Affan

Pitt Sarmon

Mr. Hendrick Huang also stated in his speech that the “Hunting for New Voices” winners might be seen as an opening acts for WGW Entertainment’s upcoming concerts later this year. This is a might be a great news to the enthusiastic OneRepublic fans out there as Mr. Kenny Ong mentioned during the earlier press conference that fans in the Rock Zone have a higher chance of being picked to go up onstage with OneRepublic (as the band tends to pick a lucky fan from the crowd to sing with them) during the concert.

So hurry go and grab your tickets now to avoid disappointment! Tickets for CAT4 are sold out but the rest are still available. There were also one-day exclusive promotion on April 7 at Berjaya Times Square KL from 11am to 6pm, where fans who already bought the concert tickets entitled to redeem a limited edition poster, while stocks last. Walk-in customers were also entitled to a 5% discount on concert tickets with any spending at Berjaya Times Square KL on that day.

Fans can get tickets online at TicketCharge or by calling 03-9222 8811. Walk-in purchases are available at Eden Ultimate Sdn Bhd, 1 Shamelin Shopping Mall, The Mines, The School by Jaya One, Blonde & Brunette Sdn Bhd, Quill City Mall KL, Eastern Records Sdn Bhd (Rock Corner HQ), Rock Corner The Gardens and selected Speedy outlets.

OneRepublic Live in Kuala Lumpur 2018 is organised by WGW Entertainment and supported by Malaysia Major Events (MME), a division of Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), a bureau under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

Be sure to follow WGW Entertainment on Facebook for all the latest updates on OneRepublic Live in Kuala Lumpur 2018, or visit OneRepublic website.

If you like my story, do follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more views on music and entertainment!

xoxo - aly

Oh My My OneRepublic Returning to Kuala Lumpur For A Concert This April

Stop and listen, Grammy-nominated American pop-rock band OneRepublic returns to Kuala Lumpur for a concert in April.

OneRepublic will be returning to Malaysia as part of the Asian leg of their world tour in support of their fourth and latest top-charting album, “Oh My My”!

The band led by Ryan Tedder, is holding their Asian tour this year with stops that include Singapore, Malaysia, and South Korea.

Organised by WGW Entertainment and supported by Malaysia Major Events (MME), a division of Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), a bureau under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, OneRepublic Live in Kuala Lumpur 2018 is set to illuminate Stadium Merdeka on April 25. Tickets go on sale February 23 through TicketCharge platforms.

Their headlining show will feature new offerings from the latest album, which was number three in the US charts upon release, as well as notable hits from their discography.

Their latest singles, "No Vacancy” and "Rich Love" as well as singles from their latest album, "Wherever I Go”, "Kids" and "Let's Hurt Tonight" boosted the band’s monthly listener-ship on digital streaming platforms from 13 million to 21 million.

To those who might not know, OneRepublic is made up of frontman Ryan Tedder, guitarist Zach Filkins, guitarist Drew Brown, drummer Eddie Fisher and bassist / cellist Brent Kutzle.

This will be the quintet’s second show in Malaysia after nearly half a decade; they last performed here back in 2013.

The band formed in 2002, rose to fame on the social media platform MySpace before signing to a label and releasing a string of hits like “Apologize”, “Stop and Stare”, “Counting Stars”, “Secrets” and “If I Lose Myself”, in becoming one of the most successful and popular bands of the decade.

Throughout their music journey, they have won a number of music awards and landed many nominations, including Grammy Awards, American Music Awards and Billboard Music Awards.

Tickets to OneRepublic Live in Kuala Lumpur 2018 are priced at:
• RM668 (VIP, Numbered Seat - SELLING FAST)
• RM578 (Rock Zone)
• RM498 (CAT1, Numbered Seat)
• RM398 (CAT2, Numbered Seat)
• RM298 (CAT3, Free Seating)
• RM178 (CAT4, Free Seating - SOLD OUT)

*All prices include 6% GST but exclude RM4 Processing Fee.

Fans can get tickets online at TicketCharge or by calling 03-9222 8811. Walk-in purchases are available at Eden Ultimate Sdn Bhd, 1 Shamelin Shopping Mall, The Mines, The School by Jaya One, Blonde & Brunette Sdn Bhd, Quill City Mall KL, Eastern Records Sdn Bhd (Rock Corner HQ), Rock Corner The Gardens and selected Speedy outlets.

OneRepublic Live in Kuala Lumpur 2018 is organised by WGW Entertainment and supported by Malaysia Major Events (MME), a division of Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), a bureau under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, with ODR LUBRICANTS and PREMIUMLOGY as the Official Partners, MIX as the Official Radio Partner, ERA, MY and HITZ as the Supporting Radio Partners, OD RACING as the Official Race Team Partner, APOLLO ASIA TRAVEL GROUP as the Official Travel Partner, PARADIGM EVENT as the Official Roadshow Partner and UNIVERSAL MUSIC as the Record Label.

Be sure to follow WGW Entertainment on Facebook for all the latest updates on OneRepublic Live in Kuala Lumpur 2018, or visit OneRepublic official website.

If you like my story, do follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more views on music and entertainment!

xoxo - aly