This was clearly and well displayed in last night’s Olympians’ show at Olympus Theatre. Frankly, I have never been to an Olympians Show in the 1970s. But I have witnessed several shows in the 80s and 90s like the Star-nights, Galaxy and the Happening, all of which have catered full house audiences.

However, I’ve never ever seen such an awesome audience like last night’s in my life. It is my assumption that this show was also celebrating the continuation of such shows like the Galaxy, in every respect, after being dumped for more than a decade. Unfortunately, during this decade, show organizers have promoted free shows in the expense of artists’ possible income.

Worst impact of this was on the rock bands that emerged in the early 2000. It is also noteworthy that unlike the currently adolescent audience of rock genres, the audience of Olympians, who then juvenile and grew up with the first popular culture of Maldives in the early 1960s, today, posses greater buying power. Further, this audience is also active and simple rather than passive and diffused with the evolving technological impact in the early 1990s.

In popular music, the success is measured commercially and not musically. Hence developing audiences is vital for the artists to achieve a successful career. I would presume that the local media and the Ministry of Education can play in important role in this development. I wish the Olympians band and others, all the very best.

Considering the real development, we should not undermine the support and encouragement from the tourism industry. And we should as well credit hotel chains like the Universal Resorts.

Even so, in my opinion, the father of Maldivian popular music and its development is late president Ibrahim Nasir. I say this for two reasons.
1. He encouraged new-comers (presented instruments to Majeediyya School).
2. He is the only person who ever understood the importance of proper training even within popular music. As the article says, since 1965 till this day NO ONE has ever been given the opportunity to attain proper training within the field. But we (at least most elderly musicians today) know the influence as well as the contribution of the four musicians trained in India.

Its rather disappointing to know that none of these happenings in the 1970s, the decade that brought enormous development to the local popular music scene, or later was never documented. Surely, the most important decade (the 1970s) in the history of popular music in Maldives.

Notably, then, the years that followed, nor today are there any kind of chemistry among the band members. This is a secret everyone knows and has existed even from the very early days of Olympians. I doubt any further success (as in popular music). Unless of course with a farther figure like Ibrahim Naeem (Saikura).