Big Beats Band: Seasoned musicians plus spice

Having performed in several night hang outs around Saipan for over a decade now, seasoned musical group Big Beats Band has added a new member to spice up its undeniably stalwart performances.

The new band member-21-year-old Jennifer Lloyd–is practically new to the profession as she claims to have discovered her talent just a couple of years back while singing in a videoke bar in Guam with friends and her brother.

Ms. Lloyd now provides the kind of music Big Beats Band had not been able to give its audiences in the more than 10 years of its public performances in various music clubs around the island.

Previously confined with a repertoire which was primarily consisted of songs by male music artists, Big Beats Band is now able to perform “girl songs” that include a Selena medley, Jennifer Lopez hits and a variety of other tracks popularized by female singers.

“It is like being able to satisfy our audience’s thirst for songs that are both associated with male and female artists,” says Ms. Lloyd, adding that Big Beats Band’s repertoire includes jazz, rock, hip-hop, ballads and disco songs.

Ms. Lloyd recalls that she never really thought she could sing until she was asked by friends to warble while they were having the usual night out gimmick in a videoke bar in Guam.

“They were like telling me I could pass for a professional singer or at least use the talent to earn. It was my brother who was so persistent in encouraging me to sing professionally in a lounge or something,” she adds.

Ms. Lloyd says she did not believe her brother immediately until she heard other people telling her the same thing. She then found herself doing gigs at the Pacific Islands Club in November last year up until April 2000, when she decided to join Big Beats Band.

Being the only girl and the youngest in a group of five males, Ms. Lloyd says she enjoys performing with the other band members and that the fun during their rehearsals is equally worth the time.

“My parents were initially against my singing but eventually gave in when they saw me perform at the PIC for the first time. I guess they felt I am moving on the right track and that I am making good use of what I have,” she continues.

Ms. Lloyd was noticed by original Big Beats Band members during their back-to-back performance on New Year’s Eve at the PIC. Ms. Lloyd has performed with the group in a series of gigs at the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino.

Big Beats Band members include Floyd Lim, lead guitar; Mark Lim, bass guitar; Cesar Ordona, keyboard, Hermes Guhilde, drums; and Steve Sablan, also on guitar. The group, a combination of five Filipinos and a Chamorro, performs on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at the Hard Rock Cafe.