Surrounded by sound

Katy Perry just called me a music geek.

I was somewhere at the Hilton in Kuala Lumpur, ensconced across the soon-to-be Mrs. Russell Brand and mesmerized by her metallic press-on nails, when a series of questions inadvertently led her to assume that of me.

First, it was about composers she’d like to work with: “Either Guy Sigsworth, who’s one half of Frou Frou, or what’s-his-name who did the last Killers record?”

“Jacques LuCont,” I blurted out of turn, to which the 25-year-old pop phenomenon said, “No, that’s not it,” to which I elucidated, “Stuart Price — Jacques LuCont is one of his aliases.” The British DJ/producer apparently did some of the recent Madonna stuff that Katy loves.

Then there was the matter of my two-pronged query. Part A: Calvin Harris’ remix of Waking Up In Vegas was one of my go-to tracks in 2009, so I had to ask how she picks the names that transform her songs..

“I have a lot of friends who are DJs, and they’re very connected to that remix world,” she reveals. “I got to work with Passion Pit, MSTRKRFT and Interparty System, which are some of my favorite remixes so far on this record, on California Gurls and Teenage Dream.”

Part B: I came across her cover of MGMT’s Electric Feel on my Tumblr dashboard — more on Tumblr in a bit — and I flipped. I’ve always wanted to know how artists pick which songs to cover and this was as golden an opportunity as it got.

“I dunno. I guess I’d like to take a different feel on a song. Uhm, you know how that one band did Toxic, the Britney Spears song?”

I knew exactly which remake she was talking about, but somehow I got all trigger-happy and said, “Travis.” Wrong.

“We’re both stumped on this one, Mr. Music,” the raven-haired singer concluded, calling me by a nickname she made up. Flustered, I would take a full minute to redeem myself and say “Hard Fi,” the correct answer.

By that time, she had already moved on and shared that maybe she’ll “do an acoustic cover of a Drake song or something” and that she’d rather be Justin Bieber’s “adoptive mother” than give his hits the karaoke treatment. She’s quick and witty, this Katy Perry. Then I brought up Tumblr.

“See? He’s such a geek!” and everyone at the table half-giggles. When I joined Tumblr almost three years ago, Katy Perry was one of the first people I followed. Back then, Obama wasn’t president yet and she was still with Travis McCoy. “Time flies” is an understatement.

“You and I both know that our ADD, when it comes to social networking…there is no alliance unfortunately.” So that’s why her posts have been few and far between lately. “Twitter is just so lovely, so quick. I had a great time doing Tumblr, but if you could put all that in 140 characters, why not?”

Rain, Rain Go Away

The afternoon started out fine. Korean moms, European dads, teens on a group hang, VIPS and VVIPS had come from KL and points more exotic for MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia. For two years running, the sprawling Sunway Lagoon has played host to the festivities; for two years running, I was there to witness everything both onstage and off. Somehow I felt I had the home-court advantage. Then it poured — hard.

First up was Bunkface, arguably the most in-demand Malaysian band of 2010, and they were a revelation. The three twentysomethings may have looked unimposing at the press conference earlier, but in front of 15,000 people, they seemed larger than life. Snarling through their set, a mix of English and Malay crowd-pleasers, the skateboard punks sounded like early-period Green Day and Fall Out Boy circa Dance Dance, especially on Prom Queen.

It was still raining when the Wonder Girls came on. Clearly the K-pop cuties had a following, going by the throngs of fans practicing their Nobody moves. It’s both a blessing and a curse to have such a massive first single, as their look has been tied to that iconic video; subtracting the Betty Draper-style dresses and matching retro wigs, it’s pretty hard to distinguish the fivesome from the hordes of other K-Pop girl groups.

Nonetheless, the Wonder Girls did not disappoint. At first, the audience thought their mash-up of Joan Jett’s I Love Rock N’ Roll and their own Nobody was it. But then the group reappeared moments later to give everyone a rendition of the smash in its full, elaborately choreographed glory.

Speaking of elaborate, Tokio Hotel appeared soon after in a cloud of smoke. The German band is a repeat visitor to Malaysia and they’re as popular in the country as singer Bill Kaulitz is pretty. Which is to say, totally.

See, if Brandon Flowers and Marilyn Manson had a baby — I know, but bear with me — it would be the Tokio Hotel frontman. In his case, it obviously isn’t about the pipes but the showmanship. Watching him lead the band on stage was pure Vegas — lights, hydaulic lifts, and costumes that would put Cher to shame. Somewhere, I predict, Adam Lambert is going on yet another Master Cleanse.   

It was already close to midnight when Katy Perry emerged in a stylized tutu and ballet flats, a froth of tulle and energy in one charismatic package. If Mother Nature didn’t perform according to plan, the Santa Barbara native surely did.

California Gurls, this summer’s undisputed anthem, heralded an edited suite of songs from her debut “One of the Boys” and “Teenage Dream,” the follow-up. Peacock, a Stargate-helmed track and one of her favorites from her new album, had the atmosphere of a candyland-themed lapdance and was a somewhat risqué number for conservative Malaysia. That made it even more awesome.  

As the strains of Hot N Cold wafted through the acreage of the resort, and the MTV’s HD cameras captured the last scenes of the revelry, I couldn’t help but get a bit misty-eyed. I had been on my feet for hours — five to be exact — and it was a relief to finally see Katy Perry doin’ her thang. It was so much fun, it was worth the wait and yeah, I didn’t want it to end.

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Catch the broadcast of “MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia 2010” on MTV Southeast Asia on August 21 at 8 p.m.

“MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia 2010” is supported by Sunway Lagoon Resort, Xpax, Hong Leong Bank, and official mobile partner Sony Ericsson.

Special thanks to Ana Pulido.

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