When Style and Glamour Met in Singapore

28 October 2009

A Double Feature by Sonia Jessop and Will Buxton

What happens when LG plays a key part in the bringing together of the worlds of motorsport and music? The 2009 Singapore Grand Prix and the inaugural ‘F1 ROCKS with LG’ concerts were the perfect fusion of lifestyle and racing, reinventing the very concept of hosting concerts at Formula 1 events.

To celebrate this, LG took two journalists, one from motorsport and one from culture journalism, and gave them the unique opportunity of experiencing life in each other's shoes for the weekend. For one, it was their first time behind the scenes at a music event, and for the other it was a debut in the inner sanctum of the world of motor racing's most exclusive championship. The following two articles in our ‘F1 and LG - When Style and Glamour Met in Singapore’ feature detail their findings of an occasion that neither will forget for a very long time.....

A Double Feature by Sonia Jessop and Will Buxton What happens when LG plays a key part in the bringing together of the worlds of motorsport and music?

The “F1 ROCKS™ with LG” set of concerts at the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix was the perfect fusion of lifestyle and racing, reinventing the very concept of hosting concerts at Formula 1 events. To celebrate this, LG took two journalists, one from motorsport and one from culture journalism, and gave them the unique opportunity of experiencing life in each other's shoes for the weekend. For one, it was their first time behind the scenes at a music event, and for the other it was a debut in the inner sanctum of the world of motor racing's most exclusive championship. The following two articles detail their findings of an occasion that neither will forget for a very long time.....

Sonia Jessop - Based in Singapore for the last 8 years, Sonia has been regularly writing about the ins and outs of the Singapore entertainment and lifestyle scene for major international magazines and newspapers. Over the years, she's attended her fair share of glamorous parties, all in the name of work. Fashion shows, restaurant and art gallery openings, backstage concert interviews, someone has to do it, and she readily admits, she's the lucky one!

“In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the famed novel by Roald Dahl, five lucky children each get a Golden Ticket, which gives them access to Willie Wonka‟s fantastical chocolate factory – a dream come true for children Recently, I was given the adult equivalent at the Sintel Formula One Grand Prix of Singapore – a VIP green pass giving access to the highly exclusive paddock area, a setting as unconnected to everyday life as the chocolate waterfall and taffy trees with their green jelly apples Charlie was amazed by.

With the highest density of millionaires in the world, Singapore is a small but prosperous nation which is used to regularly host premiere events. Last year, I had the opportunity to attend the inaugural Singapore F1 night race in the comfort of a VIP corporate suite, offering a view of the starting grid and first turn. I watched the sleek machines zooming by for a few laps in the open air, before quickly retreating like many others inside the blissfully air-conditioned suite where everybody was tucking in to the oyster and seafood bar and quaffing champagne while watching all the action on a large, flat screen TV. It was all very civilized.

This year, with my prized access pass, I experienced a glimpse into a very different side of the race; a highly charged and exciting atmosphere that is a mix of high-society lifestyle and hi-tech workplace. It’s a beguiling experience to be able to strut behind the scene and step inside the garages as drivers and mechanics discuss the tiniest change to the set up that could give them a tenth-of-a-second edge over their rivals. It would be a dream come true for many fashionistas and petrolheads alike and it’s all mine thanks to an innovative experiment by LG Electronics. I was teamed with Will Buxton, the editor of the virtual weekly publication, GPWeek, to see Formula One as he does throughout the season, while I would help Will navigate his way through the multi-million dollar tie ups with the lifestyle and entertainment side of the business.

LG Electronics has been a Global Partner of Formula One beginning this year and had also given its backing to the inaugural “F1 ROCKS™ with LG”, a three-night musical extravaganza bringing together some of the biggest names in pop and rock music, including Asian diva A-Mei and canto-pop king Jacky Cheung on the first night, ZZ Top, Simple Minds and No Doubt on the second, and culminating with a sold out, hot-ticket event that included the Black Eyed Peas and Beyoncé.

“The show is the opportunity to capture a different audience from F1™. With F1 ROCKS™ we can capture the attention of a younger demographic, as well as a female one,” Andrew Barrett, Vice-President of Global Sponsorship at LG explained while giving me a behind-the-scenes private tour of the event’s facilities; from the stars” dressing rooms to the exclusive lounge where they could relax while catching the live action on stage via a large flat screen TV - LG, naturally - perched on top of a pile of tyres (a nice reminder of the F1 link between the two events).

Singapore’s long held reputation as an orderly, clean, but rather soporific country is slowly changing and with good reasons. Today it is a sophisticated metropolis, with top designers’boutiques, Michelin-starred chefs and cluster of chic night-life spots that bring excitement and vibrancy to the city. Only in its second year, the Singapore F1 Grand Prix is already a jewel in the season’s crown and the addition this year of the inaugural “F1 ROCKS™ with LG” concert certainly cemented its status as a circuit that sets new standards.

With the many stars of “F1 ROCKS™ with LG” in town, there was plenty of glamour in the streets and on the F1™ circuit. Gwen Stefani from No Doubt, looking uber-cool in designer ripped jeans, a black singlet and simple chiffon scarf, brought her cute 1-year old toddler to the paddock, while Beyoncé in hot pants and open-necked team shirt was given a guided tour of the McLaren garage by last year’s champion, British driver Lewis Hamilton.

Like being backstage at a fashion show, the paddock is a highly restricted area that only a few VVIPs and the accredited media can access during the race. It is the working hub of the F1 teams but it’s also where you will find everyone who is anyone on the circuit. This is where I saw in the space of 10 minutes, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, three-times world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, billionaire Vijay Mallya, owner of the Force India F1 Team, and of course, the drivers, rock gods of the motorsports world.

The garages, the inner sanctum of the F1 circuit, are right below the Paddock Club™, where VIP guests watch the race from a great vantage point overlooking the pit lane, and facing them are the team’s private quarters. In Europe, each team brings giant motor homes along with them, but in Singapore, they have to make do with much smaller buildings. Still, even these don’t lack in style and amenities: such as massage rooms for the drivers’ physiotherapy before getting on the track, healthy buffets and well-stocked refreshment bars. This is a place where drivers can relax with the rest of their team. Upping the style ante was Red Bull, which has developed a reputation on the F1 circuit as the epitome of cool, and which had recreated a chic nightclub ambiance in its “home”, complete with neon lights. “This is nothing compared to what they do in Europe, where their motor home is three stories high and in Monaco they put it on a floating platform on the water in the marina,” quipped Will.

Next door, the McLaren home was all about restrained elegance, with fresh white roses on every table and large standing bouquets of calla lilies.

Back at the garages, which are a bit more basic and utilitarian, Will shows me to a small VVVIP viewing area where 6 to 8 people could squeeze (usually the team’s owner and sponsor CEO‟s) behind a glass panel where they can discreetly keep an eye on what’s going on in the garage throughout the race. A world away from the luxury of the luxury viewing areas provided above them, these cramped galleries are perhaps the most exclusive spots on the circuit.

In the Brawn GP team garage, I got a chance to examine up close the championship’s leading car driven by Jenson Button. The elegant white car with narrow yellow stripes and its design-leading rear split-level diffuser offered a few surprises to a F1 novice like myself for example, the cockpit is even smaller than I’d imagined, the carbon fibre body is made up of several pieces, designed to separate easily in the event of an impact and the steering wheel looks more like a game console, with fancy multicolour buttons for easy visual recognition.

The mechanics were getting ready to fit the wheels on the car and I noticed each one was individually wrapped in its own colour-coded blanket to differentiate between the type of tyre compound and wheels for each of the team’s two cars. The blanket is actually a heating pouch that keeps the tyre at a very specific temperature so that when the wheels go on the car at the last minute they are just at the right temperature for maximum grip on the track. After listening to Will and the Brawn GP team’s PR talking excitingly about the finest detail of the highly technical mechanical points of the car, I started to get really excited about the race ahead and brushing (literally) shoulders with Jenson Button as he was getting ready to get in the car was just the cherry on the cake. I could now fully appreciate how much more there is to Formula One than you see from a corporate box but I could also understand why so many companies vie with each other to be associated with the sport where each race is typically watched by billions of people worldwide.

Later in the more mundane world of the media room rows of LG TVs were installed in groups of four, each with a very specific function to help the journalists monitor the race. On one screen would be the track images being broadcast live around the world, while on the next would be the lap times, colour coded to provide a quick-to-see crib sheet of potentially interesting details commentators may wish to add (Yellow or white, nothing special to report; green, the driver’s personal best, and purple, the best anybody’s done). The third screen is reserved for messages from race control, with indicators for wind speed, track temperature, humidity and pressure, while the last screen is another world feed TV screen.

As my tour was finished I had to reluctantly say goodbye to my precious green pass. But I still had one more VIP pass in my pocket: for the “F1 ROCKS™ with LG”concert that night in the nearby greenery of Fort Canning Park.

Once a military base for the British colonial troops, the hill known as Fort Canning is still dominated by a beautiful, white colonial-era building, which provided a classical setting for the event’s VIP suites with views over a giant concert stage, five-stories high that had been imported from Australia. Trying to replicate Paddock Club™ hospitality, various companies had created elegant, night-clubby suites to host their guests.

LG had gone to town, creating an urban décor replete with zebra- and snake-print patterned chairs, a four-poster bed and transparent coffee-table displaying jewellery. The Singapore designer tasked with the project had constructed new flooring with beaded red rope lighting in the shape of the race track embedded in it, while on the walls, the artists‟ lyrics were spray painted graffiti like and juxtaposed against images of women’s bodies painted by a Singapore artist in a scene that brought to mind an homage to James Bond. A more unusual rock-and-roll touch was added with mannequin legs covered in black stockings coming out of the walls.

Aside from its focus on developing new technology, LG has always had a flair for style and innovative designs. It has also teamed with other high-end companies to work together to improve what may have previously been dismissed as purely utilitarian goods for example, it has had an association with Prada on mobile phones for four years and has also worked with Swarovski, utilising the famed crystals to decorate fridges and phones.

But I discovered talking to Andrew Barrett that the company’s commitment to stylish design goes much deeper. “We have our own design centres working on what we call C.F.M., Colour, Finish and Material. We do a lot of research with fashion houses and trend organizations to help us. We’re already looking at what are going to be the colours that will be „in‟ in people’s wardrobes in two or three year’s time. What materials will be trendy; metallic, vinyl, suede, plastic? Will it be smooth, polished finishes and textured backgrounds with dimensions in them with feeling like Braille. Carbon fibre is what F1 cars are made of, and we now have a phone made of that material, and carbon glass, and we are looking for more,” Andrew explained.

For LG, the synergy with F1 ROCKS™ goes much further than the three-day concerts as the event had been primarily devised to provide footage for separate music and lifestyle shows to be broadcast around the world around the timing of the Singapore Grand Prix. This provided a great opportunity to show a more down to earth side of the sport, showing celebrities and drivers relaxing and having fun together. “The TV music show is a great platform for the global music industry, because there hasn’t been one for quite a while now,” said Becky Morgan, the COO of All The Worlds, which was organizing the F1 ROCKS™ event.

LG is now planning to include some exclusive footage on its website, while embedding some content on a microSD card that customers will get when they purchase an LG mobile phone and HD content will be shown on LG flat screen TVs in hundreds of shops around the world. “We were looking for ways to give customers a different experience when they bought our products. Instead of the traditional high-air balloon and swimming pool you see on TVs up for sale, you’ll see Black Eyed Peas, Beyoncé, the F1 drivers. This will make our products come much more to life and show our viewers what they want to watch at home in our stores,” Andrew said.

Personally, I can’t wait until the circus comes back to Singapore in 2010.”

Will Buxton - Editor of the highly acclaimed weekly motorsport e-magazine GPWeek.com, Will’s reputation as an enlightened, entertaining and informed journalist has seen him quickly cement his place in motorsport over the past decade. His break came whilst still at University, writing articles for grandprix.com, before being handed his first shot at print journalism with a gig as staff writer at Formula 1 Magazine. Will then headed up the Press Office at the newly formed GP2 Series until 2008, when a return to full-time journalism beckoned. This season Will continues at the helm of GPWeek and made his full-time debut behind the microphone as international commentator for FOM’s GP2 Series broadcast.

“The music rose along with the applause in a crescendo of jubilation and gratitude. The world’s most famous popstar walked gracefully to the top of the set of clear Perspex steps which formed the centerpiece of the stage-set for her incredible show.

“Thank you Singapore,” she enthused. “I am yours.”

For that one moment she really was, and a full house of 10,000 adoring spectators got extremely excited. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

The Singapore Grand Prix is a race like no other. Its 2009 running may only have been the second time that we, the assembled motorsport press, had visited the country on F1 duty, but Singapore had already etched itself into our hearts and minds as a truly individual place and host of a unique race.

Never before had Formula 1 raced at night. Never before had the colours of the cars looked so vibrant and stirring, with the photographs sent around the world and the images seen on television, illuminated by the artificial street lights, appearing to have been shot in a studio or on a Hollywood film set. In a true 24-hour city, Formula 1 had found a new home and one which reflected its sense of style, its relentless push to use technology to do bigger and better things - the accentuated glamour and excitement that the sport has at its very foundations.

But by far the biggest event of the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix was the “F1 ROCKS™ with LG” concerts. Now I’m a big music fan, almost to the same extent that I am a big F1 fan, so when LG offered me the chance to go backstage and learn more about this world-first event, I had not the slightest reservation in agreeing. It was an opportunity to see a different world, and to experience something I believed to be a million miles away from the life that I have come to know as an F1 journalist, but as I learned one with great symmetry to F1 and largely due in part to LG.

The “F1 ROCKS™ with LG” set of concerts were in the very heart of Singapore itself. Formula 1 is no stranger to concerts put on during race weekends, but “F1 ROCKS™ with LG” was different for the very concept was a more forward thinking. The concerts, organized by All the Worlds (a joint venture with Universal Music) and LG Electronics, were designed to act as an addition to the F1 weekend, to give Singapore a real feeling that the glamour of F1 was in town.

The acts, ranging from No Doubt to N*E*R*D, the Black Eyed Peas and Beyoncé, were booked with the youth audience in mind. It was aimed at those who had not bought tickets to the F1 or who might have just a casual interest in the sport.

By aligning some of the biggest names in modern chart music with F1, the intention was to create an association between the music and the sport; to say that Beyoncé was in town, but it was all thanks to the fact that the F1 race was happening.

By this association, a new demographic might then look at F1 in a new light and say, “Well if the Black Eyed Peas are interested in F1, then it must be pretty cool!”

It was a novel idea, and one executed in the slick, professional and super-impressive fashion that marks out both Formula 1 and LG, further emphasizing the parallels between the two partners.

The concept behind the weekend’s events had been explained to me at length at an LG-hosted luncheon on our arrival in Singapore. LG‟s top brass had flown in for the event and joined F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone in welcoming a group of journalists. Bernie was in great spirits and explained to us all the perfect symmetry between F1 and LG; both of them global pioneers in design, excellence and technology. It was an association, he confirmed, that he hoped would continue long into the future.

Having spent the last few months immersed in LG technology, Bernie and I ended up talking about LG‟s genius washing machines. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ve got one.” He gave me a knowing wink, as he often does when he knows he’s onto a good thing.

Before telling us about “F1 ROCKS™ with LG”, Andrew Barrett, LG Vice-President of Global Sponsorship, caught our attention by showing off not only LG‟s new Chocolate BL40 phone (which, with its 2001: A Space Odyssey-inspired TV advert in the UK, had already caught my attention) and quite possibly the coolest piece of technology that any of us had seen in some time – and an LG watch... which is also a mobile phone, camera and MP3 music player. It was something straight out of James Bond and was the talk of the F1 paddock and F1 Rocks backstage all weekend.

LG’s association with the project was illuminated by more than just branded balloons placed around the outdoor venue for TV coverage and LG logos on the screens by the stage - it had been far larger than the company’s modesty would allow one to initially believe. The concept had been one of theirs at the earliest stages of their association with Formula 1, and it just so happened that All the Worlds and the Universal music company had initiated a similar discussion with the decision makers at the top of the sport. Thus the company’s joined forces for “F1 ROCKS™ with LG”.

Fort Canning Park was the venue. Set deep in the heart of the cultural district of Singapore, Fort Canning was the first residence of Stamford Raffles, sitting atop a hill from which he could look out over the City he founded. This house would be the VIP area and I along with a number of LG guests were afforded the most wonderful view of the stage from its many balconies. The stage itself sat at the base of the hill, meaning that every single fan who turned up to the concerts was presented with a great view of their musical heroes. In terms of a concert venue, it was pretty much perfect. The stage itself had been shipped in from Australia, specifically for the event. It was the largest stage ever used in South East Asia. And with its slick lights, shiny black surface and technological sophistication it had a lot in common with the new Chocolate phone I had seen earlier in the day.

Tucked away at the back of the house was another, much smaller stage, hosted by Red Bull. The drinks company has, over the past decade, become synonymous with all that is cool about F1. Lavish parties, big name DJs, Red Bull does F1 glam better than anyone. Or at least they did. Until Singapore and LG‟s arrival.

There was a new kid on the F1 stylish block. And LG clearly meant business. This was to be an event like few others seen in the sport. To paraphrase the classic rock movie “This is Spinal Tap”, LG had cranked the glamour usually associated with an F1 race event up to 11! (out of 10).

Earlier in the weekend I’d been joined in the F1 paddock by Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop, a lifestyle journalist who has made Singapore her home. We’d met at the LG luncheon, and I had the great pleasure of giving her a bit of an insight into the workings of the F1 paddock and to explain how we go about our work as F1 journalists. We toured the paddock, meeting drivers and team personnel. I showed her my working hub in the media centre and took her on a tour of the championship-leading Brawn GP team. But at Fort Canning Park it was Sonia who was in her element and I who found myself in a whole new zone.

The backstage area was, in many ways, remarkably similar to the F1 paddock itself. It was the core hub of the behind-the-scenes action. There were dressing rooms for the acts, just as in the F1 paddock the teams and drivers have their hospitality units and garages to prepare for the race. There were media facilities for the international press, and a media run in which to conduct interviews just like the press conference rooms we have at F1 races, or the post-press conference TV interview run in the paddock itself. There was also lots of LG technology including a giant wall of LG LCD TVs that made the traditional Red Carpet backdrop come alive in a technological fashion that only LG can do. They even had a glamorous designer refrigerator in the Artists‟ Green Room.

The one striking difference, however, was in the length of time that one gets with the artists. Sonia had been amazed with the relative freedom that we have in the F1 paddock to simply walk up to the team VIPs and grab a quote, to sit with team bosses or drivers and enjoy a coffee and a chat. At the concert, backstage, you are afforded only the most fleeting moment with the stars of the show. Two questions perhaps, three if you’re lucky. Beyoncé took the biscuit however. Ninety seconds of media time. That’s it. And not for each journalist. Ninety seconds. Total.

And I thought getting a lengthy interview with a top F1 Team driver was tough!

But the reality of the world of music is that while the „F1 ROCKS™ with LG‟ concerts were themselves a very big deal, the artists themselves were part of an even bigger circus. Their performances played as part of their global touring schedule, which make an F1 season of 17 races look like a cake walk. When Beyonce’s 2009 tour dates were first announced, the list hit close to 80 concerts. With such a relentless and punishing schedule, it’s perhaps little wonder that these global superstars chose to limit their media time... I mean there’s only so many questions and only so many answers to give.

The „F1 ROCKS™ with LG‟ concerts themselves were astonishing productions. With huge LED screens backlighting the shows each act owned the stage, turning it into their own personal playground. From the raw rocking edge of No Doubt and their seemingly age-defying singer Gwen Stefani, to the glitz, glamour and bling of Beyoncé, each stage show had its own uniqueness.

For me, the stand out performance of the entire event was the Black Eyed Peas. I’d already had a highlight of my year in getting to meet them before their show. LG had a „meet & greet area set up backstage exclusively for their hosted guests, adding a „money can’t buy experience to their already VIP experience. It made us feel incredibly special, particularly as apparently this kind of thing is not the norm backstage at concerts. It is, however, something that LG ensures it has in place... once again, it’s the company’s knowledge of how to make people feel special. Fergie was stunning in real life and utterly charming, Taboo and I discussed the merits of living in London, and Will.I.Am even complemented me on my choice of jacket! How cool did I feel! Thank you LG!

And their show? Wow. Electrifying doesn’t quite sum it up. They dominated the stage, drawing the crowd in, getting everyone in the 10,000 strong audience dancing, jumping, going completely crazy. Stood on a balcony in the VIP area, I couldn’t help but start jumping around and dancing myself. Their energy was infectious.

And the amazing thing about it was that, until that night, I probably would have paid NOT to see the Black Eyed Peas in concert. I’m more of a Beatles fan than an RnB / Hip Hop sort of person. Right now, if somebody asked me if I wanted to go and see the “Peas” in concert, I would jump at the chance. They were just that good.

Which, conversely, brings us back to the whole purpose of the shows? In between acts there was the constant presence of Formula 1. As the cars screamed around the City’s streets, the audience at the concerts was shown clips of the F1 drivers and the musicians sharing each others‟ worlds.

Hollywood “A” Lister Lindsay Lohan had been called up to host the event for the LG produced TV shows, and she, along with the musicians and F1 drivers, were seen utilizing LG‟s newest products – the funky new chocolate phone and über cool watch we’d been shown earlier at the luncheon.

It wasn’t blatant product placement, though. With LG it never is. There’s a sophistication to it all. A demure feeling of cool that permeates all of LG‟s activities. It’s slick, professional and brilliantly thought through. And that’s why LG had been the perfect team to bring the “F1 ROCKS™ with LG‟ concept to life, associating people with a feeling that they’re in on something special. Just like Bernie Ecclestone and his LG washing machine, it’s that impression that you’re in on a secret that truly makes your Life Good.

If I could be turned into a Black Eyed Peas fan from watching the show, I wondered how many of those 10,000 concert-goers who before that night didn’t really care too much for Formula 1, might have been turned into F1 fans via that very same association? I bet a lot of them were. I also bet a lot more people globally we turned on to F1 through the “F1 ROCKS™ with LG” event as it was turned into two TV shows that have gone on to air in over 172 countries worldwide, and a host of internet and in-store experiences being executed throughout the activities of LG.

“F1 ROCKS™ with LG‟ is a clever concept and F1 really did Rock in Singapore as two vibrant worlds, which I have learned are really not so different at all, came crashing together in jubilant, riotous fun. And LG was at the heart of it all.”