Photo by Monique Schoenfeld, Town Crier
Ryan, top, and Rius Chua are the singing and dancing duo called Admit 2. The Mountain View brothers recently released their first CD single, "Make a Wish."
Town Crier Staff Writer
Student Profile
Rius and Ryan Chua know breaking into the music industry is probably more difficult than picking the winning numbers in the state Lotto. But the two teen-age brothers keep forging ahead - and if things continue the way they've been going, chances are the recent Mountain View High School graduates will find their name on the music charts.
Performing under the name Admit 2, the singing and dancing duo have been featured on radio station Z95.7 FM and their song, "Make A Wish," was selected as the theme song for the nonprofit Make-A-Wish Foundation. They released their first CD single last month at Tower Records. The CD sold out within the first two days it hit the shelves.
"This is our dream. We can't have any doubts, that only leads to failure," said Ryan, who is 16. "I think we have a great potential of making it. It's how they sell you. We're different from anybody. We're Filipino, young ... two guys."
Rius, 18, said they don't want music to be just a hobby.
With that in mind, the two have worked hard to improve their singing and better their chances of making it in the industry. That path hasn't been easy.
Ryan crammed his high school studies into two years in order to graduate with Rius last month and work on their musical career. The two have songwriters, a producer, a manager and rehearsal space in San Francisco and Sacramento. They rehearse a minimum of two hours each weekday and up to three on weekends.
The two said they have had to give up a few activities along the way, but they don't mind.
"We know what we have to do," Rius said. "Sometimes we have to sacrifice and we don't really want to practice, but we still do."
Ryan added, "We've learned to manage our time more wisely, so we have time to do everything and still clean the house and sing."
Performing isn't something new for the two siblings. Ryan said their interest in music started in kindergarten when he performed at a school show.
"My mom thought I was kinda cute when I would sing. That's how it started," Ryan said. The two became quick favorites at family and friends' events.
They later joined the Young Filipino Entertainers Club, a group of 50 singers, and performed from the Cow Palace to the Pacific Auditorium.
They first connected with the music industry after Shirley Gee, vice principal at Castro School in Mountain View at the time, saw them singing at a school event in 1990.
Although she had never dabbled in the music industry, a gut feeling told her, "They've got talent. They're going to make it," she said.
She introduced them to a music teacher and began promoting them. Today, she manages them gratis.
Gee said record producers didn't expect Rius and Ryan to reach a mature vocal level until they were in their early 20s. But they pushed themselves so hard over the past year, their producers told them they were ready to record a demo.
Gee said getting signed to a record label is difficult, so she started her own record company, Rush Records, and put Admit 2 on it. A local radio station is now pushing to have the teens, who have been compared to BoyzIIMen, play at local venues, she said.
"We want people to have a good time when they listen to our music," Rius said. "We portray positive stuff."
Rius and Ryan are currently enrolled at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, working on degrees. When their music career takes off, however, they said they will follow their father's advice:
"If opportunity knocks, take it."