The five-piece indie band Sunset Rollercoaster edged out six other nominees to win best band, for the album “SOFT STORM,” at the 32nd Golden Melody Awards (GMA) in Taipei on Saturday.
The quintet comprises vocalist and guitarist Tseng Kuo-hung (曾國宏), bassist Chen Hung-li (陳弘禮), drummer Lo Tsun-lung (羅尊龍), keyboardist Wang Shao-hsuan (王少軒) and saxophonist Huang Hao Ting (黃浩庭).
GMA judges touted the band’s music as “international and futuristic.”
In the band’s acceptance speech, Tseng said the pursuit of music is a “never-ending expedition.”
“Through each performance, (we) communicate to the world with our music,” he said. “We have discovered that we are small, we have discovered that the world is big and diverse, and we have discovered our passion and love for life. It truly has been a joy.”
Tseng also gave an anecdote about a conversation with the driver who took them to the GMA venue on Shimin Boulevard in Taipei’s Nangang District.
The driver asked what award they had been nominated for, and when they said best band, the driver related his own experience of being in a band, Tseng said.
“He told us that he was once a bassist in a band, and then he said there’s a chance we too will end up working as drivers in 10 years’ time,” Tseng said, to laughter from the limited live audience.
Sunset Rollercoaster’s sound is a mix of soul, R&B and pop, with songs in English that have a dreamy and romantic vibe. Tseng, who composes the lyrics, said the words usually come to his mind mostly in English.
“SOFT STORM,” the band’s third album, was released in 2020 and features Oh Hyuk, the lead vocalist of the South Korean indie rock band Hyukoh, and Filipino-American singer Michael Seyer.
The band’s most popular song “My Jinji,” from its 2016 EP “Jinji Kikko,” has been played over 43 million times on the streaming service Spotify.
The group now has two GMA trophies under its belt, having previously won best music video for the song “Slow/Oriental” from its sophomore album “Cassa Nova.”
At this year’s GMA, Sunset Rollercoaster was up against six other nominees for best band — OVDS, Sheng Xiang & Band, KST, Accusefive, Outlet Drift and deca joins.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel