Candy is an all-female Malaysian rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band

Band (music)

In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...

 formed in 1996. They were entered into the Malaysian Book of Records

Malaysian Book of Records

The Malaysian Book of Records is a Malaysian project to publish records set or broken by Malaysians. The project complements former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad's 'Malaysia Boleh!' campaign...

 as the first all-women band

All-women band

An all-female band is a musical group composed of female musicians exclusively. A distinction is made here with a girl group, in which the members are solely vocalists, though this terminology is not universally followed.-1920s-1940s:In the Jazz Age and during the 1930s, "all-girl" bands such as...

 in Malaysia.

Candy found fame with their first album “Candy”, which went Platinum

Music recording sales certification

Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...

, when the hit single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 “Akan Ku Tunggu” was released in 1997.

Candy is made up of Patricia Robert (lead vocals

Singing

Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

 and guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

), Mary David (lead guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

 and vocals), Connie David (drum

Drum

The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...

s, percussion and vocals

Percussion instrument

A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...

) and Nancy Gregory (bass guitar

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

 and vocals).

Pre-Candy years (1988-1996)

In 1988, in her hometown of Kuching, band founder Mary David persuaded her younger sister, Connie, to bring together a group of friends to form a band. The original lineup consisted of Mary David (guitars and vocals), Connie David (drums), Magdalene Julita Thomas (bass guitar), Veronica Ng (vocals) and Marilyn Ryne (vocals). They called themselves Sapphire

Sapphire

Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...

 Gals.

Though essentially they were an all-girl band they were joined by keyboardist Rodney Hughes who was the only male member of the band. Rodney left in 1989 and for a while the band was without a keyboardist. Marilyn Ryne and Veronica also left the band around this time and Meggry Gregory took over the vocal duties.

In 1990 keyboardist

Keyboardist

A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...

 Yolanda Entika from the band D’Rozza joined Sapphire

Sapphire

Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...

 Gals. In 1991 Yolanda’s younger sister Melinda took over the keyboard

Electronic keyboard

An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...

 duty but did not stay until the end of the year. Around the same time Magdalene Julita also left and was replaced by Nancy Gregory who is the younger sister of Meggry. Connie David split her time between playing drum

Drum

The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...

s in Sapphire Gals and recording a solo

Solo album

A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...

 Iban

Iban language

The Iban language is spoken by the Iban, a branch of the Dayak ethnic group formerly known as "Sea Dayak" who live in Sarawak, the Indonesian province of Kalimantan Barat and in Brunei. It belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family, and is related to Malay, more...

 album.

In 1992 Casaphia Studio

Recording studio

A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...

 took Sapphire

Sapphire

Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...

 Gals under its wing and the band changed its name to G-Saphia. The “G” stood for “Girls”. Keyboardist

Keyboardist

A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...

 Danita Ng joined the band for a short stint. Within the same year her younger sister Janice took over from her but even Janice did not stay long and left before the year was over. Around this time Meggry Gregory also left the band and was replaced by Patricia Robert who was an Iban

Iban language

The Iban language is spoken by the Iban, a branch of the Dayak ethnic group formerly known as "Sea Dayak" who live in Sarawak, the Indonesian province of Kalimantan Barat and in Brunei. It belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family, and is related to Malay, more...

 recording artist

Artist

An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...

 and a singer in the Sarawak

Sarawak

Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...

 State Ministry of Social Development and Urbanization.

In 1994 keyboardist

Keyboardist

A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...

 Ophelia June joined G-Saphia. Ophelia is the younger sister of Rodney Hughes.

The band, under the names of Sapphire Gals and G-Saphia, performed in private and public functions around Kuching, and also in other towns in Sarawak

Sarawak

Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...

. The functions included events such as the Malaysia National Day celebration and Malaysia Police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

 Day.

Candy (1996-present)

In 1996 Ophelia June left the band, and the 4 remaining members left their hometown of Kuching

Kuching

Kuching , officially the City of Kuching, and formerly the City of Sarawak, is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is the largest city on the island of Borneo, and the fourth largest city in Malaysia....

 and moved to Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

 to record their first album. The band also changed their name to Candy.

Candy (now made up of Mary David, Connie David, Nancy Gregory and Patricia Robert) relocated to Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

 in 1996. Patricia Robert took up the second guitarist role and continues to be the lead singer. Under the guidance of producer Edrie Hashim Candy spent 1996 recording their first album "Candy", and released it in 1997. The single “Akan Ku Tunggu” became a hit.

In 1998 Candy recorded their second album "Hot" with producer Mat Noh Hendrix at the helm. Mat Noh was chosen for his experience in performing, recording and producing in a heavy metal

Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 band - he was a member of the heavy metal band Rusty Blade. Unlike in the first album Patricia Robert did not do all the lead vocals. Nancy Gregory sang lead vocals in the tracks "Warisan", "Emansipasi", "Puas Hatiku" and "Taufan Yang Kecewa", while "Resah" had Connie David singing the lead vocals. Singer Royce Sa'yan sang the backing vocals in the song "Emansipasi"

Emancipation

Emancipation means the act of setting an individual or social group free or making equal to citizens in a political society.Emancipation may also refer to:* Emancipation , a champion Australian thoroughbred racehorse foaled in 1979...

. The album also contained a cover

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of the Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...

 instrumental piece "Transylvania".

Nancy Gregory left Candy in 1999, citing personal reasons. Jacqueline Chong was roped in to do the bass duties. Jacqueline played bass during Candy's live shows from 1999 to 2004 but never recorded an album with them.

In 2004 Jacqueline Chong left Candy to pursue her studies and Nancy Gregory rejoined the band.

Current projects

In October 2008 Candy completed the recording of their third studio album called Candy:Absolute. The release date has not been announced yet.

Albums

• Candy (1997) Platinum
  Music recording sales certification
  Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
  
  

1. "Akan Ku Tunggu"
2. "Persada Harapan"
3. "Jaringan"
4. "Suara Hatiku"
5. "Bebas Semula"
6. "Dunia Baru"
7. "Bagaikan Permata"
8. "Akukah Yang Bersalah"
9. "Osmosis
   Osmosis
   Osmosis is the movement of solvent molecules through a selectively permeable membrane into a region of higher solute concentration, aiming to equalize the solute concentrations on the two sides...
   
   "
10. "Abadi"
    • Hot (1999)
11. "Warisan"
12. "Racun Pujangga"
13. "Emansipasi"
14. "Inikah Keadilan"
15. "Ikrar Perwira"
16. "Puas Hatiku"
17. "Transylvania" (instrumental
    Instrumental
    An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
    
    , Copyright
    Copyright
    Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
    
     Controlled - Steve Harris
    Steve Harris (musician)
    Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he founded in 1975...
    
    )
18. "Taufan Yang Kecewa"
19. "Biasalah Beb"
20. "Nyanyian Zaman Buaian"
21. "Tong Kosong"
22. "Resah"

• Absolute (2008)

1. "Kerana Dia"
2. "Creep"
3. "Terasing"
4. "Still In My Life"
5. "Takkan Pernah"
6. "Leave Me Alone"
7. "I Still Want You"
8. "The Chase (On-On)"
9. "Let Go"
10. "Nyanyian Alam"