THE suave, groovy and soulful sounds and moves of singer-songwriter Ruebben Chelvan got many of his fans jiving in their seats.
In fact they likened him to American R&B legends such as Sam Cooke, Michael Jackson, Prince and El DeBarge when he swept them off their feet singing four of his singles — 'Can't Keep Loving You', 'Like Nobody Else', 'Di Sisiku' and 'I Got A Woman'.
Ably assisted by his band which comprised six talented youths on the keyboard, drums, guitars, trumpet, saxophone and trombone, 28-year-old Ruebben was the final act and show-stealer who ended the second 'Generasi DFP' concert on Sept 25.
RISING STAR
Ruebben, 28, is a rising star in Malaysian music who has performed around Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and the United States, and blends soul, funk, jazz, disco, blues, pop and R&B.
He was one of five popular new Malaysian acts showcased in the two-hour concert which was held at 8.30pm at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) in Kuala Lumpur.
'Generasi DFP' is a groundbreaking initiative by DFP in support of Malaysian music.
AMRITA AND DEKWA
The concert began on the dot with Seremban-born Amrita Soon.
The 28-year-old has a sweet voice reminiscent of Suki Low, but her songs hold powerful lyrics reminiscent of her idol Yuna.
Amrita put audiences under her spell with three of her compositions as well as a decent cover of Yuna's 'Terukir Di Bintang'.
Her original songs were 'Familiar Strangers' about not knowing someone any more, 'Run' which is an ode to sadly missed friends, and 'Glitter And Gold' which celebrates happiness.
Amrita gained fame when she co-wrote the theme song for the movie 'Rain Town' released this year.
She has performed in the United States, China and Japan.
Then came Ipoh girl Dekwa Cuwa.
The 25-year-old is a music graduate from the National Arts, Culture and Heritage Academy (Aswara) and has 12 million views on TikTok.
Her playful and adorable disposition showed in all of her songs and she reminded music lovers of Shila Amzah and Najwa Latif.
Dekwa performed two originals — 'Tentang Cinta' and 'Sembunyi Hati', and cover versions of two Indonesian Asli songs 'Benci Ku Sangka Sayang' and 'Ayang', backed by her own five-member band.
Her songs were reminiscent of those by Ramlah Ram and Rahimah Rahim, and beautifully blended keroncong with modern pop.
BANDS
Saiko-Rama comprising vocalists Aiman and Shazman, guitarist Haziq, bassist Pali, keyboardist Meezan and drummer Mirza was the first group act for the evening.
From Penang and Ipoh, they were formed in 2019 and their music has shades of Indonesian rock bands Dewa and Sheila On Seven, plus local bands OAG and Hujan.
Their songs for the show were RPM which paid musical tribute to Linkin Park, 'Sekali Lagi', the poignant 'Aku' about repentance and 'Kau Beautifool', an upbeat song.
The other band was year-old Cherry On Top comprising vocalist Holy, keyboardist Kuzan, guitarists Usama and Didi, bassist Bobo and drummer Tommy.
The band's songs that harmoniously blended hard rock and melodious traditional pop. Songs included the fast-paced 'Resolusi', the moving 'Mengintai Rahsia' about letting go, the haunting 'Menunggu', a women's empowerment anthem 'Srikandi', and 'Ketagih' which Sabahan Holy sang stylishly with Datuk Syafinaz Selamat.
Interestingly, Usama is the son of pop king Datuk Jamal Abdillah.
AUDITIONS
'Generasi DFP' was launched in March and after a selection process by professionals, 15 acts were shortlisted.
The first concert on July 24 featured Fadzly, Syiqin Azim, Ruhil Ariana Wilson, Ee Vone and LOKO.
The final concert will be on Nov 20 and will feature Khalyn Mulyani, Jo Lixin, Mardiana, Meruked and Sounds Like Sunday.