By now you may have heard thousands of songs. From one genre to another, some of them may become your favorites. However, there's no harm in adding a new list. Because now there are several "hidden gems" musicians from Indonesia who create music that is fresh and pleasant to listen to.
They may not be widely known because they are relatively new or have chosen an independent path. However, their unique musical concept, courage to blend with local culture, and many other factors, make their work worth listening to.
So, here are five profiles of "hidden gems" musicians who who knows, might become your favorites.
Lorjhu' at first glance sounds like the name of a typical Madurese shellfish which is often processed into several dishes. However, what is being discussed this time is Lorjhu' aka Badrus Zeman, a musician from Madura. If previously he had a solo career, now Lorjhu' has developed into a band under the indie music label, Demajors.
Lorjhu' comes with songs in Madurese that may not have been widely heard in the Indonesian music market. Almost all the songs he creates are based on his personal experiences while living on Madura Island, such as going home there or just sitting on the beach at night. For him, Madura is not only inspiring, but also a place to return to that is always calming.
Lorjhu' has now released one album and 9 songs. There are nuances of traditional music rhythms and touches of modern rock music in some of the songs. The influence of African and Middle Eastern music has also influenced Lhorju's musical style to some extent. Now for the favorites, Malam Pengghir Sereng, Nemor, and Kembang Koning, are three of Lorjhu's songs that are most often heard on the music streaming platform, Spotify.
You can also enjoy Lhorju' songs on existing music streaming services and slowly start to get to know the beauty of life in the land of Madura.
For those of you who like RnB music, RL Klav's songs could be an alternative for you to listen to. RL Klav is an RnB duo consisting of Keshia Aita as instrumentalist and Rizkia Larasati as vocalist which was formed in 2016. Both of them are also songwriters for RL Klav's songs. 2000s RnB music serves as their source of inspiration.
Under the auspices of Double Deer Music, RL KLAV in mid-2022 successfully released their first album entitled POV. The album presents a series of Keshia and Rizkia's perspectives on their journey in life, for example maturation, social and psychological issues.
Several songs that had previously been released as singles were also included in the POV album, such as Rainbow, Another, Crayon Eyes, and Thankful. So, for the newest songs themselves, some also involve other musicians, such as Pamungkas, Andre Adriaan Rugebregt, and Luise Najib.
The nuances of African music are clearly visible in Soulfood's songs. Likewise, the singles Ain't No Money It's Okay and Mi Say both carry the Afrobeat concept.
So who is Soulfood?
Soulfood itself is a Soul/R&B trio from Bali consisting of Bam George (guitar), Lyta Lautner (vocals), and Palel Atmoko (drums). They started their career in 2016 as musicians at cafes, bars, weddings and various other events. At that time Soulfood was still singing songs by other musicians. As time went by, they started to get bored and the feeling arose to create their own songs. From there, the first mini album was born in 2020, entitled It Won't Over. This album marks Soulfood's journey to make their works heard by local and international song lovers.
From one of his earliest songs, It Does Make Alright, Lyta Lautner was inspired by 90s Soul/R&B music. Through this song, Lyta expresses her personal experience in which she feels pessimistic about being unsure about making choices or not being sure that there is good in life. Then in 2021, Soulfood also released a song with the Somali title, Pondafine, which means not okay. Through Pondafine Soulfood, it conveys the issues that occur in the country, such as corruption, environmental destruction, and so on.
Ringgo 5 is a pop rock band from Jakarta which was formed in 2015. There are Nara Pawaka (Nabil) as vocalist, Rishad Marciano (Icad) as guitar, Robert Matthew (Obet) as bass, Gege Adita (Gege) as drums, and Rhein Michael ( Rhein) as Guitar. The five of them were school friends who previously competed with each other in music but in the end joined together to form a band.
If you listen to Ringgo Five's songs, such as those entitled Best Heartbreak or Promise, they seem reminiscent of the band from Australia, 5 Seconds of Summer. Indeed, it seems that Ringgo 5's music is influenced by world bands, such as 5 Seconds of Summer, All Time Low, One Ok Rock, Muse, The 1975, and others.
In 2017 Ringgo 5 released their first mini album entitled "Tell Me". This album contains 13 songs with full English lyrics, starting from Emotion, Best Heartbreak, Fool 4 You, Promise, to Valeria. Thanks to their first album, Ringgo 5 had the opportunity to do a European tour in England and the Netherlands, Emotion Tour UK and European, in May 2018.
Up to eight years old now, Ringgo 5 continues to exist in music. Most recently they released the single 'She's Everything (But She's Not You)'. This song was inspired by a quote uploaded by the American band COIN on their social media, "I Look For You In Everyone I Meet". This single essentially conveys a message about the bad habits of people who compare their current relationship with the previous one.
Lastly, Indonesia's hidden gem musician whose songs you can't miss is Laura Pradipta. Coming up with the concept of Jazz, Laura's love for music has grown since she was three years old. In 2015 he made his professional debut as a Jazz singer.
One of Laura's songs which is quite popular and pleasant to listen to is Masa Muda. This song even has a Japanese version, namely "Wakai Koro". Through the song Masa Muda, Laura invites listeners to dive into the stories of young people who often only care about happiness without thinking about the future. But as time goes by, they realize that it is the future that must be pursued even though it is okay to occasionally talk about the past.
Youth is Laura's second single throughout her career. This song has a touch of city pop which was popular in the 80s. Laura also invited listeners to reminisce about that time, of course with unique improvisation.
Those are five Indonesian hidden gem musicians whose work you can enjoy. Come on, continue to support the nation's best musicians by getting their works officially either through physical albums or digital streaming services.