Enjoying mainstream success is understandably the ultimate vision of most indie musicians yet to gain the attention of general public. Fame and fortune are simply irresistible.
Girl-fronted band Amelia is one fast-gaining a following, with an intact lineup playing relatable alt-rock compositions, and led by a pretty, charming vocalist. The group practically needs just one breakout hit to fully realize their potential.
For Amelia “Leya” Roberts, the Filipina-Australian front lady who speaks fluent Tagalog and is every bit Pinay, staying positive and spiritual is the key to keeping the faith.
“By God’s grace, we will hit mainstream one day. Through our music, we want to be there with those artists we look up to,” shared the head-turner whose father is from the Australian state of Queensland.
When she was sweet 16 she appeared on TV as a model for Nivea lotion. Yet she felt within that she’d rather flaunt her music thereon.
Fast-forward to present and Amelia the band has gone to play at venues like 70s Bistro, Route 196, and Saguijo, and bigger stages for special shows like in Music Museum. It was in Rizal Park some months ago where they launched their original “Unan” with a music video directed by filmmaker Edmer Guanlao. The track itself features guitar parts by the late rock pioneer Jun Mallilin who died early this year.
As Leya put it, “‘Unan’ has taken us to hotels, mall shows, out-of-town gigs, and well-paying gigs.”
The group makes use of social media in developing fan base while delivering numbers tackling topics and expressions familiar to the masses like “Walang Forever,” “Basted,” “Kambyo King,” “Akinse,” among others. Their latest is called “Advance Akong Mag-Isip.”
With Leya handling singing and songwriting chores, the boys make sure the backing track is covered. They are bassist Roderick Pani, strummer Marc Cruz, lead guitarist Duane Claude Javier, and drummer Roland Paras. Roland is the brother of Toks Paras, bassist from indie vet Soledads and maker of tree:ty drums.
The Amelia lady leader, who cited Lolita Carbon and Sampaguita as key influences, reflected, “Basically our songs are inspired by regular human experiences like heartbreak and separation. Where general words fail, we put in our music to capture the heart. ‘Walang forever’ is from a viral phrase so I composed one about it.”
The band often cuts demos that get the likes when uploaded. Somehow the ploy is their way to get gig invites and satisfy their crowd’s craving.
Like most indies, the Amelia personnel have day jobs. One is a real estate broker, another is with AXA Phils. Leya herself was once a sales manager at Unilab.
“If you are an independent artist, you need to have a stable job to support your own music,” she argued.
Even scoring a major hit is not a guarantee for continued success, so a regular job or a business venture as a fallback is not bad at all.