How to Start a Band? Drama Band's Journey of Satire and Strategic Rock.

Any digital marketer would understand that for a sales funnel to work, you need to convert attention into interest. After continuously exciting your audience with values and offers, it's time to turn that attention into action. Only a selected few could excel in this, let alone successfully do it again, and again, and again. If this is the case, the local Malaysian music group "Drama Band" could be considered a marketing powerhouse, never failing to maintain relevance and expertly navigating around people's attention regardless of sentiment.

Step 1: Find Great Band Members and a memorable Band Name.

Drama Band, led by Aepul Roza, stands out in Malaysia's music scene for its unique blend of rock and satirical commentary. Initially, Aepul gained attention in My Starz LG before meeting his bandmates Daus (bass), Adib (guitar), Faeez (drums), and Omey (keyboard) in HotFM Twisties Bingit, where they emerged as runners-up. According to an interview by Dol’s Podcast, among the few (bad) band name ideas that they came up with during the first task of HotFM Twisties Bingit was "Dramatic Vibes", which they later decided to drop the word “Vibes” and only let “Drama” remain. It was refined to "Drama Band" after a humorous exchange during a live performance with a Malay aunty who asked them “Drama apa? (What kind of drama?)”.

Step 2: Hustle Your Way For Commercial Attention.

The band’s first significant success came from Babak Pertama, which became the official soundtrack for the popular TV3 drama Juvana. This breakthrough came about when Aepul met a TV3 executive during an audition for the singing competition "Mentor" who mistakenly thought that a song played by Drama Band was by a famous Indonesian band. Despite not getting into the show, he manage to pass a copy of his song to the executive. A demo of Babak Pertama; created as one of the task requirements for HotFM Twisties Bingit in less than 24 hours, cemented their rise into the mainstream spotlight.

Step 3: Hypergrowth Your Audience, 'Drama'tically Increasing the Total Number of Eyeballs.

Known for aligning their music with trending social issues, Drama Band's 2020 singles Kayangan and Ular directly addressed elitism and corruption. Aepul even admitted to leveraging ongoing controversies to boost the band’s impact, but he also views their songs as personal reflections. Other songs such as Drama and ILU is a poke at how the entertainment industry is fueled by the audience attention.

The group’s satirical edge is intentional. Aepul and his bandmates believe their role extends beyond music, aiming to educate listeners on how marketing, media, and internet culture manipulate public perceptions. Their content often critiques how easily topics—whether positive or negative—can be commercialized and sensationalized.

Step 4: Get Recognition from the Mainstream Market.

Drama Band has maintained relevance not only through its critical content but also through its evolving sound. Their ability to blend thought-provoking themes with rock melodies has sustained their appeal across a broad audience. Aepul’s recent win in The Hardest Singing Show further highlighted the group’s creative evolution, reinforcing their position as leading voices in the Malaysian rock scene.

Step 5: Meet with True Fans, Interact, and Increase Brand (band) Loyalty.

For any business, finding its 1000 true fans or the first 1000 customers is a daunting yet important task. While gaining and maintaining fame is one part of the job, the most important next step is to maximize the attention by interacting with the audience that supports you. Being a group of bold creatives with strategic business sense, Drama Band decided to bring whatever crazy gimmick that Aepul had presented on satellite television, live to the audience. Big instruments, extravagant stunts, and lots of music. They are planning a concert like no other called "The Hardest Drama" on the 5th of October 2024. One of the most impossible feats is to have a starting price of RM79 for a prestigious venue like Zepp KL. It's not an understatement to say that this is Drama Band's biggest satirical publicity stunt yet, reflecting the actual price that Malaysians should pay in these delicate economic conditions as opposed to the bloated actual price of a concert ticket that has been set by the market.