QUEZON City, Philippines (September 5) – A1 cannot forget the passion exhibited by Filipino fans on their first visit in the Philippines. Now, four years later, A1 is returning to all that passion for their “Here We Come Back!”visit.
A standout among the best boy groups of the late 90’s, A1 is returning to the Philippines for their two-night show “Here We Come-Back!” visit at the Kia Theater in Araneta Center, Quezon City on October 23, and at the IEC Pavillion in Cebu City on October 25.
The British-Norwegian band had their first leap forward in the UK in 1999, with an accumulation of numerous global Top 10 and number 1 hits. Who in the late ’90s haven’t jammed and sang their lungs out to these A1 hits: “Like A Rose,” “Caught in The Middle,” “Same Old Brand New You,” and “Heaven By Your Side” to name a few.
Formed in 1998, the English-Norwegian pop-group was composed of Christian Ingebrigsten, Mark Read and Ben Adams. The group became a trio after orginal member and founder, Paul Marazzi, left the group in 2002. Ingebristen was originally from Oslo, Norway and the other members are from London.
Their debut single, “Be the First to Believe”, entered the UK Singles Chart at number six in mid-1999. They achieved success in the UK and other parts of the world in the late 1990s and early 2000s, particularly Southeast Asia and Japan. In the UK, they scored two number ones and eight top 10 hits, seven of which were written by the band. Adding to this, they also won a BRIT Award for “British Breakthrough Act” in 2001. They were managed by band manager Tim Byrne, who also formed the group “Steps”.
A1 represented Norway in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest with “Don’t Wanna Lose You Again”. The band reached the national final and won the 2nd place.
In 2012, A1 performed with another Uk-based band Blue and Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees in “The Greatest Hits” tour which took them to Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. During the tour, A1 also engaged in philanthropy for the underprivileged children especially those of Cebu.
A1 also showed up in the TV documentary “The Big Reunion” along side other UK-based bands like Blue, Five, Damage and 3T. The band also released two new albums “Waiting for Daylight” and “Rediscovered” in UK last June 2015.
(written by Allysa Ruiz, edited by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Vince Alvin Villarin)