Malaysia’s newest boy group, ALPHA, was recently introduced to the public. Comprised of members from Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, the group was formed from the Top 7 contestants of Astro’s singing competition Big Stage Alpha, handpicked by both the judging panel and the public.
The group is set to perform at Hael Hussaini’s solo concert at Zepp Kuala Lumpur this August. However, before that highly anticipated appearance, they performed their first single, “Mona Lisa (Bang Bang)” on “Raise The Star Malaysia”, but things didn’t quite go as planned. Here’s what happened:
ALPHA opened the “Raise The Star Malaysia” show over the weekend, but unfortunately, several things went wrong on stage – though none of it was the boys’ fault. During their performance, fans expressed frustration over the camerawork, commenting that it focused too much on the audience and parts of the stage instead of the singers. Many also pointed out that the camera zoomed out during the chorus, arguably the most important part of the performance.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, one side of the stage briefly caught fire after one of the pyrotechnics appeared to malfunction. It was later revealed that the stage crew acted quickly, extinguishing the flames with a fire extinguisher, all while ALPHA continued performing. However, just as one crisis was averted, another occurred: towards the end of the performance, the smoke machine went off again, completely obscuring the singers from view.
The performance quickly went viral on social media, with fans criticising the camera operators and production team for how poorly it was executed. Some speculated that the cameraman or operator may not have attended rehearsals, as the angles, positioning, and panning appeared completely uncoordinated. Others suggested that the production team could take a cue from South Korea’s Inkigayo, which is known for its seamless handling of K-pop idol performances.
At the time of writing, there has been no official statement from “Raise The Star” or Astro about the criticism, aside from commending the stage crew for their swift response in putting out the fire. Let’s hope that ALPHA won’t have to deal with more stage disasters in the future.
Watch the viral clips below:
@bigstagealphaa ALPHA – Mona Lisa (Bang Bang) Persembahan Pembukaan Raise The Star Malaysia #alpha #mpop #raisethestar #raisethestarmalaysia #monalisa #fyp
