Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, 5 friends, all of which were studying in Vanderbilt University, were going back to their dormitory at Branscomb Quad. On their way, they decided to form a band, a band that would later be known throughout the years as Vandy Boyband.

Original Members: Hubab , Dols, Babe, Arif, and Hafiz Hafifi

Later that night, as the newly formed band continued their walk home, they decided it was time for their first performance. The performance was held behind Olin Hall, and featured a guest singer, a rising star made popular by band members Babe and Hubab, named Abal.

Abal takes a pose with the original Vandy Boyband.

The band's first music video was released later that year. The momentous event for Vandy Boyband occurred on the band member's way home from the 2005 Raya celebrations. Using Rizwan's Handycam, the band recorded their video clip in between the Art Studios and the Student Life Center buildings. However, due to some difficulties, band members Dollah and Hafiz couldn't attend the shooting, and were replaced by Amar and Hassan, who would later become prominent members of the band. Among the songs sang where from Westlife, the Backstreet Boys, and Jamal Abdillah and Siti Sarah. The music video was available only for a limited time on Youtube, and generated almost a thousand views. Not bad for a first timer.

Vandy Boyband's first music video.

Vandy Boyband continued its rise to stardom when the band was invited to sing during the 2006 Senior Farewell Party. However, no photographs were taken, and thus, no record of the performance survived.

Later that year, the band decided to change courses for a while when it released it's debut nasyid album. The band even went as far as changing its name into Auliya'. Two extra singers were invited to the photo shoot, Qayyum and Amir. The newly formed nasyid band made its sole performance during the 2006 MAS Youth Camp. Again, no photographs of the event were recovered.

The band rebranded itself into Auliya'

The band went into a brief hiatus after that and it wasn't until the winter of 2007 that the band finally reemerged.The band decided to reform it's boyband and inspired by James Blunt hit You're Beautiful, which was shot in the snow, Vandy Boyband's cover album was also photographed in the snow. The album title: Boyband in the Snow. The band retained Dollah and featured Danny for the cover album.

Boyband in the Snow

The band decided to move slowly from there onwards. Their performances were limited to the MSAV's annual Raya celebrations only. There were no record of other activities by the band.

May 2009 signaled another milestone for the band. All of the band members, Dolah, Amar, Hubab, Hasan, Babe, and Arif graduated from Vanderbilt with a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering. After of which, they decided it was time to step out of the lime light and call an end to their glittering four year career. Now, the band members are dispersed everywhere in Malaysia and are living life as ordinary people among you and me.

That's the story of the Vandy Boyband. And yes, as with all fairytales, the band members are also living happily ever after.

THE END