They were given many choices on what they wanted to call themselves. But they chose to kick the Indian Idol tag and create a new identity. Meet F4: the quartet comprising Chang, Abhishek, Suhit and Parleen, Indian Idol 3 contestants who’d rather make music together than go Prashant Tamang’s way. The band landed in Calcutta to launch its first album.

Why F4? “Fun, freaking out... F stands for whatever. It arouses curiosity,” says Chang. Ironically, the four will have to be introduced as the “boys who could not win Indian Idol 3”. The band, though, makes them stand apart from the crowd crooning on reality shows. “We had decided to do shows together even before the contest ended,” says Abhishek. “We got a call from Sony-BMG and here we are with an album.” The strength of the group, Chang explains, is how each member brings a different set of skills to the table. He is a dentist, Abhishek is a would-be computer engineer who repairs everyone’s laptops, while Suhit choreographs the group’s moves.

F4 might be modelled on a boy band, but its members seem to draw inspirations strictly from Bollywood. They have rendered as many as three Kishore classics in their album — Pal pal dil ke paas, Chhoo kar mere man ko and Ek ajnabi haseena. Among the rest, Tu to na aayee is a ballad, Soniya ve is a carnival song , while Ud chale blends Indian classical music with hip-hop.

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