They started this Indie scene. If there is one guy or group that indie bands today should pay homage to is OAG, Malaysia’s first true indie rock group. It is safe to say that we would not have Hujan, Bunkface, Sevencollar T-Shirt, Pop Shuvit and Meet Uncle Hussain, if OAG did not pave the way. Those were the days when Positive Tone created one of the most spectacular line-ups ever to be assembled by a local label, with Poetic Ammo, Innuendo, Intoxicated, Ferhad and many others.

When Positive Tone recognized and signed OAG to their label that was the beginning of a whole generation of indie bands Malaysia has today. The front man of OAG was of course Mohd Radhi Bin Razali a.k.a Radhi OAG, who was a talented and colourful persona. Any band would be lucky to have such a gifted and strong front man like Radhi to represent them as a band.

With a career spanning almost 20 years, it is amazing to see Radhi, especially, still in the music scene. This longevity however was not a stroll in a park. Just as soon as we saw Radhi with his ex-wife in “Sehati Berdansa” and a full-length sci-fi film, “Antoo Fighter”, the mainstream news reported that Radhi had self-admitted himself into Persatuan Pengasih Malaysia, a rehabilitation centre based in KL. That was a blow to his beloved fan base and a shock to others.

Much respect to Radhi however, for recognizing in the first place, that he needed help. That decision was a brave one as any A&R would advise otherwise from a PR point of view. Radhi could have seek help independently and kept it on the down low. But that was not Radhi. This man was a brilliant singer-songwriter and you could tell he had the bravery to admit his mistakes and seek help even if it meant losing his dignity, which in actual fact, only increased public admiration towards him.

We hear reports of stars and superstars falling overnight because of their vices. The temptation surrounding the music scene and bad influences from peers, are both potential factors of an artiste’s downfall. For Radhi’s 10 year addiction, he admitted that his addiction started from his peers. From cigarettes during his teenage years, he slowly upgraded to other forms of substance abuse. One thing which he felt thankful for until today was his decision not go into needles.

In Pengasih, Radhi finally found the peace of mind he was searching for. With the NGO’s spiritual and emotional empowerment approach, Radhi was able to transform himself not only to a drug free person, but also renewed his faith in Islam. If anyone from the days of 60’s TV were to see him now, they would be amazed with how far Radhi has grown into the mature and spiritual man he is today. But one thing never changed about Radhi, and that is his passion for music.

Through Pengasih, Radhi realized that he can use his gifts and experience for good. Drug cases amongst youth are on the rise day by day in Malaysia. We know of those reported cases, but those that are not reported, only God knows. After leaving rehab, Radhi decided to perform and give a talk at a school in Selangor. Needless to say, the kids listened attentive to Radhi’s advice and sang with him when Radhi took out his guitar.

Radhi was so thankful to Pengasih that he decided to write a special song from his experience. The title of the song is “Si Pengasih Muda”. MT.com is sure that this is just the beginning. The former IKON (a music programme in Astro) is set to make an awesome comeback. Today’s indie bands should not only pay attention to his musical skills, but also learn from his past mistakes and gain from Radhi’s experience.