Determined duo pursue debut album
JOHOR BAHRU, MALAYSIA—Many musicians talk about the things they have sacrificed for their art, but not all of them are willing to go to the lengths that Konrad Chan and Bena Ting did to record their debut CD.
The husband and wife pop duo, who perform under the name One Talent, were living in Vancouver when they decided to record Take Me Where You Lead Me, which they put out at the beginning of July. But their lifestyle in the city was so busy, they had no time to do it. So, they quit their jobs, sold their car and moved across the Pacific to live with Ting's parents in Johor Bahru, the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia.
Ting worked during the day to support the couple, while Chan stayed at home to record the CD.
But Chan, who is originally from Winnipeg, says the CD almost didn't happen. Although both he and Ting have been musical their entire lives, they didn't think they were good enough to pursue music.
Chan says God prodded the couple to think about it more, and they re-read the Parable of the Talents from the Book of Matthew.
"What stood out was that it doesn't matter how much God gives us," Chan says. "Some are given five talents, some two, some one. That's not the point. The point is that God has given us one talent, and we have a duty to do the best we can with it. So, that's what we set off to do."
Chan hopes the duo's music connects with both Christian and non-Christian listeners.
"If only Christians listen to our songs, then that's not a very effective outreach," he says. "Our goal is to connect with the world through music and cause [people] to rethink their attitudes toward life and toward God."
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