H O O K E D - Soler Power

Soler Power

Written by Alicia Tan

Page 1 of 2

Dubbed the "Sunshine Twins", Soler - the band who hails from Macau - is undoubtedly a burst of sunshine in the music industry's otherwise stagnant affair. It's no surprise that the duo brought the sun back up, after the torrential rain on the day of their showcase at Bugis Junction.

        Their origins are uncommon enough, but the members of Soler themselves are equally unique. In a world where cookie-cutter artistes are commonplace, Soler takes the XEROX copy effect to a whole new level: Soler, in fact, is made up of twin brothers Julio and Dino Acconci.

        Born and bred in Macau but of Italian-Burmese heritage, the Acconci twins left, when they were teens, for Italy to pursue their studies. Along the way, their gift for music surfaced and, pressed by their friends (this is where peer pressure becomes positive), Julio and Dino formed Soler.

        Plagued with difficulties at the start of their musical career, the Acconci brothers decided to start their own production company, K-Town, in order to produce the music that they wanted their listeners to hear. It's evident from the interview that Soler takes great pride in their music, and each song is penned with an effort to not only cater to the fans, but also to uphold their artistic vision.

        While you might not have heard of Soler until now, the band has seen considerable success in Hong Kong and Taiwan, gathering a sizable fanbase. Their song "Ma Ma Zai Jian/Hey Ma" was even picked to be the theme song for the Chinese movie "The Little Pianist".

        With their refreshing vocals and effortless harmonies, it's puzzling why the band hasn't taken off in Singapore yet - radio stations should pay more attention to acts such as Soler, who provides a different but much needed style of music to balance the typical fare we always hear.

        However, it's evident that Singaporeans do look past good looks and pay attention to good music, as HOOKED discovered when a few of Soler's fans were interviewed.

        The girls, having gotten into Soler's music a few months ago, after listening to their songs on the radio, admire the band for their talent, and their song writing abilities, which they felt was original and inspirational.

        In spite of that, their Singapore fan base did seem small, with only a handful turning up for the autograph session and showcase at Bugis Junction, though the heavy rain might have been the main deterrent.

        When Soler arrived on stage, their musical ability and amiable personalities shone through and drew an even bigger crowd. Soler power was evidently at work, with the Sunshine Twins chasing the clouds away. [Check out their live performance here!]

    Of course, if you're looking forward to see Soler again, or meet them for the first time, you won't be disappointed. The band has signed onto local music company Funkie Monkies, and has assured HOOKED that we'll be seeing more of them in the future.

For a band that has seen success in a relatively short period of time, Soler remains down-to-earth and family oriented, as HOOKED discovered in the interview with them.

        The two men were relaxed and ever friendly, answering the media's questions readily - no reticent stars here! When asked how we can differentiate one twin from the other, Julio (older by 90 minutes) cheerfully described how he keeps a goatee, while Dino (the younger brother) usually shaves.

        Still, HOOKED has to admit that with or without stubble, the two dashing young men are two peas in a pod.

        Conducted in both English and Mandarin, Julio and Dino showed HOOKED that it was no surprise that they were fluent in seven languages (Spanish, Portuguese and French amongst others), seamlessly switching between the two during the interview. How's that for motivation in improving our own language abilities!

        Of course, it was evident that the Acconci twins were slightly more comfortable in using English. Their brotherly affection for each other could also be seen in the way Julio took a back seat in the interview, allowing his younger brother to speak up more for the band.

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