PUBLISHED ONJune 04, 2021 12:37 PMByMohammed Zakaria
Viral Video Stars is a biweekly series where we hunt down viral icons. What's it like to be famous? What have they been up to? We catch up with them to find out all about life after viral fame.
Bancho the Matrep has racked up more than a million views on YouTube, and yet no one has really seen his full face online.
Type his name into Google search and the second result suggests "bancho the matrep real face", adding to this mystery.
In all his entertaining yet sometimes controversial videos, where he acts out his matrep character in English and a smattering of colloquial Malay, he is seen in his trademark snazzy, white-rimmed Kanye West-esque sunglasses.
There are even rumours spread by his detractors suggesting that he is cross-eyed or has only one eye.
Meeting the 29-year-old, who declines to reveal his full name and asks us to just call him Bil, we see that his eyes are pretty much like anyone else's. And of course, he has his sunglasses (in black this time) on standby.
Sporting a neat goatee, pearl white sandals and a body-hugging black T-shirt, he had this writer mistaking him for film crew as he unassumingly helped us move our video equipment to another location. But that's Bancho The Matrep for you: friendly, with no airs and open to all questions.
At the height of his popularity a decade ago, going to town in his trademark sunglasses would result in many strangers asking for his signature or photograph, which left him tired.
"That's the reason why I wear shades [in my videos], so when I don't wear shades, I can have my life," he says.
Interestingly now, even without his shades, strangers still recognise Bancho, who works as an IT project manager. His watch, his jawline, and even his face shape give him away, according to his followers, he says.
Almost always, the first question they would ask is, "Are you Bancho the Matrep?"
And the second, "When are you making another video?"
Going viral
His videos, mainly comedic explainers such as How to Dance Like a Matrep and How to Speak Like a Matrep, went viral a decade ago at a time when there were few YouTube creators or vloggers in Singapore except MunahHirzi and Dee Kosh, he claims.
"I was the only one doing it, so it was luck," he says. "And I was at the right place at the right time."
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1YotuhSS84&t=129s[/embed]
But he also feels that the energy he brings to his videos – or what he calls the 'feel' – and the Bancho the Matrep persona also contributed to the virality of his content.
Most who follow Bancho the Matrep would fondly remember the opening lines in almost all his videos: "Maciam bro? Maciam!" or "How are you, bro? How are you!"
According to Bancho, this 'feel' of the video is more important than the idea, scripts or the setting.
"Maciam bro," he demonstrates in a flat tone of voice.
"Maciam bro! Maciaaaaaaaaammm!" He demonstrates again, stretching that last syllable to an enthusiastic melodic falsetto, eliciting giggles from the production crew and proving his point.
In any case, his videos gained so much traction that he even attracted the attention of veteran television personality Najip Ali, who invited him to be a judge at Mediacorp Suria's 2012 variety programme Kita Gerek, which translates to "We are cool".
His title on national television? Bancho The Matrep, Vlogger and YouTube personality.
"Everybody took it as something funny," he says, looking back at a time when he rubbed shoulders with celebrities like Nurul Aini and Fiza O.
Till today, he is surprised at this unexpected outcome – from posting an ordinary video, to seeing it go viral on YouTube, to becoming a judge on national television.
Why the name Bancho the Matrep?
The word bancho is a Japanese term which refers to the leader of juvenile delinquents, Bancho explains. He ended up choosing it for his online persona as he and his friends would add Japanese words or phrases to their names at the time for fun.
For most Singaporeans, the term matrep probably needs no introduction. But for the uninitiated, a matrep is a stereotyped representation of a young Malay-Muslim male who is usually from a less-privileged background, according to one academic paper.
Though he recognised that some would view this word negatively, Bancho the Matrep was simply a fun YouTube persona he created to make people laugh, he says.
When asked how he was so familiar with matreps, he tells us he has friends who were "genuinely matreps" and that they could be found almost everywhere, especially the now-demolished steps at Marina Square. He also clarifies that at no point in making these videos did he intend to make fun of this group.
Back then, it was "a time where looking and acting like a delinquent was somewhat cool", with coloured skinny jeans, floating hats and jade necklaces, he adds.
To him, a matrep is that friendly Malay guy you notice at the void deck, just chilling with his guitar but who looks after the block and keeps a watch on strangers who may be up to no good, says Bancho.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2Qy5pNf12o[/embed]
Moving forward stronger in life
"Why is this guy wasting his life making these videos? Why is this matrep so famous?"
Bancho tells us that when he was faced with negative comments like these, he would simply sit back, have tea and tell himself, 'Hey, let's just make another video!"
"Words are just words," he says. "It can be bullets, but it is how you approach it."
He's wise beyond his years, but it's not surprising considering what he's had to deal with in his difficult educational journey
"My mum didn't cry because I didn't do well [in PSLE]," he tells us. "My mum cried because I got 151 and I could still go to secondary school."
Even after moving to the Normal (Academic) stream from the Normal (Technical) route, he remembers his teacher telling him: "You are going to fail."
But all these negative experiences helped him move forward stronger in life, says Bancho.
He forged his own path by completing his diploma in IT and working as an IT teacher for primary school children before becoming an IT engineer at the National University Hospital and working his way up as a team lead.
This may also explain why he has been producing fewer videos than what his followers might expect after his viral fame in 2010 and 2011
[[nid:523426]]
Despite his erratic posting schedule, some of his subscribers have continued to support him till now, he says. In fact, he still has 20,000 subscribers on YouTube.
It's a modest number — the YouTube scene in Singapore has changed tremendously in the last decade with the emergence of many new players, with some reaching close to five million subscribers.
But if given the chance to start over, Bancho says he would not change anything.
"The best thing you can do is bring happiness and laughter to them," he says.
"You can create history that becomes your own story – and take [this] throughout your own life. It's an experience that only comes once in a lifetime."
zakaria@asiaone.com