MUMBAI: Fresh off their sold-out Southeast Asia tour in November last year, PREP are back with a brand new single “One Day at a Time”. With their signature blend of sounds from contemporary R&B, electronica, and 70s to 80s inspired synth-pop, the London-based four-piece are sharing their first release of 2023. Fans can stream “One Day at a Time” here: ffm.to/odaat
Vocalist Tom Havelock explains, “‘One Day at a Time’ is a song about trying to move on from a situation you’re not sure you really want to leave behind.”
“We wanted to do a song with a different sounding chorus, more like a cool walking through the city feel than a big sing along,” continues drummer Guillaume Jambel. “As soon as we had that vibe we knew it was good, then it was a process of finding everything else to fit around. It ended up being a real summer jam.”
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Last November, PREP played a string of sold out shows in Asia, starting with Jakarta’s Joyland Festival, and headline shows in Manila and Bangkok, selling over 15,000 tickets. Bringing on stage local favourites including Phum Viphurit and HYBS as guest performers, PREP has a long history in Southeast Asia and with their fans in the region. Since their 2018 Asia Tour that included stops in Singapore and Bali, the band has also played at Jakarta’s Java Jazz Festival in 2020 right before the pandemic hit.
The band hallmarks their time building their fanbase in Asia as an important pivot where PREP’s sense of sonic possibility expanded. “At one point we thought PREP would just be a studio project,” keyboardist Llywelyn ap Myrddin elaborates. “But we played gigs that went really well, and we spent some amazing time in Asia.”
Indonesia remains the band’s top country based on streams worldwide, followed closely by the Philippines at #2, Malaysia at #5, and Thailand at #6.
With such a strong vision for the sound and aesthetic, PREP is as much a concept as a band, meaning collaboration is welcome. Sought-after talent like rising electro-pop star Anna of the North, South Korean R&B crooner DEAN, and Paul Jackson Jr, who played guitar on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”, have all stepped into the world of PREP.
PREP is vocalist-lyricist Tom Havelock, keyboardist Llywelyn ap Myrddin, drummer Guillaume Jambel, and producer Dan Radclyffe. With Steely Dan and Bobby Caldwell as lodestars, PREP is pop music that feels tip-of-the-tongue familiar even though you’ve never heard it before.
