Lyna Mohammad
When COVID-19 first hit Brunei Darussalam, local artiste Pengiran Adek Faizal was performing live acoustic gigs in the bustling city of Miri, Sarawak.
Pengiran Adek Faizal, who goes by his artistic name PAF 811, does acoustic solo and duo performances.
Pre-COVID, he initially commuted to the city but as the demand for his performances increased and he attracted his own circle of fans, he began to stay there. However, when the city was hit with the second wave of the pandemic with rising cases and businesses were shuttered, he returned home.
Times have been hard with the pandemic. The local artiste has had to adapt by trading the stage with the kitchen and selling food in Brunei. This has not deterred his spirit to make ends meet for his daily living as well as savings.
Sharing his experience in the entertainment industry, Pengiran Adek Faizal said that his performances are dependent on the budget – with a higher budget he is able to bring in more members for duo or trio performances.
For performances in Brunei, the members would usually be his former bandmates with the selection random depending on their schedule.
During his time in Miri, he would do busking sessions to generate an additional income when times were hard.
“I had Edmon Junior and Wan Daniel as partners for busking. All of us are bassists and our schedules would usually be similar (albeit performing with different bands),” he said.
“Busking was a very unique experience for us since bassists do not usually take centre stage. We started from the bottom, from awkward showmanship to very confident performers. We draw our confidence from the crowd and it became our drive to continue more. From busking, we went from nobodies to very influential performers in Sarawak.”
It was during busking at Container City that they attracted interest from Sarawak Tourism, who asked them to perform at one of Sarawak’s biggest event – Sejiwa Senada, which was a stepping stone, especially for Pengiran Adek Faizal as a Bruneian on foreign soil.
Undeniably challenges were there, but standing alone in another country is not a reason not to perform and Pengiran Adek Faizal believes that if there is a will, there is a way.
“I draw my energy from the behaviour of other people,” he said. “They may not have the talent but they are very confident in throwing their voice and that became my drive to move further. And also, after various interactions with the audience, I became confident and grateful for being able to entertain.”
“After a year busking, I performed as an acoustic singer, and it feels good to be able to entertain people to release them from their problems or a rough day they went through.”
From performing, Pengiran Adek Faizal then took the bold move of organising an event in Miri – the Borneo Acoustic Got Talent – under his company MudaMoody Acoustic Entertainment and to his relief, the event was successful, thanks to the sponsors.
His journey in the entertainment industry also saw him participate in a competition where he was the only one who performed acoustic, while other competitors used karaoke.
“Being bold to compete came from the years of playing in a live band and performing solo. Confidence was gained from those experiences. The other reasons were to trying something new and overcoming my fear.”
Another milestone was being chosen as an ambassador for Cort Guitars. During his busking journey, he attracted the attention of the owner of The Guitar Music Store in Kuala Lumpur through his videos posted on social media. He was told that his passion in music and continuously moving with no break time is what attracted the owner and after several interactions with them, he was given the opportunity and signed as the ambassador for Cort Guitars.
Having built memories with musicians in Miri, Pengiran Adek Faizal also wrote a song entitled Diari Melodi and had the song broadcast on TVS, a TV station in Sarawak. He made it through the selection after they viewed the Diari Melodi music video shot and produced by Omar Mediaworks.
With the pandemic having hit many industries hard, when asked how he has managed to generate income, Pengiran Adek Faizal said, “Now back in Brunei, during the day I sell fried Kway Teow and burgers under my Warung Pak Tam, while at night, I would be performing at a café in Lumut, Zara Brew. The owner has provided space for me to perform acoustic during weekdays and trio band during weekends.”
Sharing his thoughts on the local music industry, he said that talents are increasing but support is yet to be found.
“The mindset has always been music cannot generate income but, to me, it is better to pursue something what you enjoy doing that can generate income. I would like to see in future that support will be given by authorities to polish the talents in Brunei.”
Imparting some advice, Pengiran Adek Faizal said, “Don’t be complacent and don’t give up easily. Especially to our local youth and job hunters, don’t just rely on being offered jobs but think of something that you know you are good at and turn it into your advantage. That is the purpose of life. Struggle is real but at the end of the day you will bear fruit of your hard work and persistence.”
