KABUS is certainly not lost in a fog, that’s for sure. With three singles under their belt and more music coming soon, we sat down with frontman Fadhil Rushdan on the band’s journey, his inspirations and advice to aspiring musicians.
FIRDAUS MUTALIB: Hello Fadhil, I would like to express my thanks for taking the time off to sit down and have a chat with us. First off, congratulations on releasing a new music video “Kill This Thought”. So Fadhil, walk us through the story of KABUS.
KABUS: Thank you Firdaus for having me in this interview session, I am honoured to be here. Kabus started back in 2019 when I accidentally met our bassist Faris at the same office. Coincidentally we both had the same interest in music; he started off as the lead guitarist at first. Then I contacted Altaf, our drummer. He’s been a good friend of mine since primary school and I’ve known him as a drummer since back then, and he agreed to join us. We started jamming off as a trio, and during that time I already had three songs in hand. Aqmal, our lead guitarist came into the picture when Faris confided that he wasn’t confident enough with the playing style since his playing style has always leaned towards metal. I have known Aqmal since highschool as a guitarist from my tuition centre. Our ex-keyboardist Zufayri was recruited by Altaf since I wanted to take the band’s direction to be like Sheila On 7. After the release of our second single “Masa Berganti Masa” our second guitarist Danial Abrar was recruited to replace me on the rhythm guitar.
FIRDAUS MUTALIB: With three singles under your belt, and with over 200 listeners on Spotify, this is already a big feat for your band that just started. Fadhil, you wrote all three of KABUS’ songs, what was the thought process that went through your mind when writing the lyrics down?
KABUS: Yeah, I never thought that I would end up in a boyband and a singer-songwriter at that. It started when I lost my job back in 2019; I’ve been trying to write songs since both my parents were involved in the film/music industry as well. The first ever song that I wrote and composed was “Bukan Ini Yang Ku Mahu” a masterpiece on rejection of life and love simultaneously; it was the only way for me to express my feelings and share it with the people who felt the same.
FIRDAUS MUTALIB: Why music? What about music that made you so passionate about it?
KABUS: As I mentioned earlier, my parents were involved in the music/film industry, and watching my mom on National TV made me excited and I started to love singing since I was five years old. My late father was a film music publisher as well, and I guess you could say that I’ve been in love with music since then.
FIRDAUS MUTALIB: What’s the best piece of advice you guys have heard from a fellow musician and how have you incorporated that into your musical career?
KABUS: There’s a story behind this question because our first ever debut show was in University Malaya back in 2019. We joined a battle of the bands competition which saw us in the top three, and where we also managed to perform alongside Insomniacks and Patriot. After the show ended, a music lecturer approached us and told us that we had the potential to strike in the music industry not only locally but also internationally.
FIRDAUS MUTALIB: You guys started off as boys with big musical dreams and look where you guys are now. WIth that being said, what advice can you give to aspiring musicians who want to make it big?
KABUS: Keep doing, never doubt whatever you dream of, stop giving excuses and just do it!
FIRDAUS MUTALIB: Thank you for your time guys. It was a great conversation indeed. For those who wish to get in touch with you, how can they do so?
KABUS: Again, thank you so much Firdaus for having me in today. For those who want to know more about us, you guys can check out our social media on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel as well because we are planning to upload more content soon. Thank you and stay safe!