“Tell these Asian kids they could do what they want.”

The lyrics from Indonesian rapper Rich Brian’s song “Kids” hit home at 2019 Spotify on Stage Jakarta. The music festival held at JIEXPO Hall 3 in Kemayoran, North Jakarta, on Friday provided a place for young and rising Asian artists to meet their fans in Indonesia.

After presenting "The Sailor Experience" exhibition in Jakarta in August, Rich Brian finally gave the much-awaited performance of his debut album, The Sailor, for the first time in Indonesia. The crowd was chanting "Brian! Brian! Brian!” before the show.

The song “Rapapapa” opened Brian's one-hour set. The audience sang along to the album’s most streamed songs in Spotify, including “100 degrees”, “Kids” and “Drive Safe”.

Rich Brian performs at 2019 Spotify on Stage in Jakarta on Friday. (Spotify Indonesia/File)

To promote his album, Brian is scheduled to go a solo tour of America starting in New York on Monday. “So, tonight is my last night in Indonesia,” he said. The rapper has lived in the US since 2017 to pursue his music career.

The show then continued with Brian performing his previous releases, such as the hit “Dat Stick”, “Glow Like Dat” and “History”.

Unlike his performance at music festival We The Fest in the capital in 2016, Brian flew in from the US with a full band for Spotify on Stage 2019. During the media session, Brian said the idea to perform with a band had been formed for this year's Head in the Clouds Festival in Los Angeles in August. “At first, I wanted to have an orchestra with me, because I had [the song] ‘Yellow’. But I think I just wanna have a band,” he added.

The performance marks a homecoming for the rapper, who lives and works in the United States since 2017. (Spotify Indonesia/File)

Read also: Jokowi meets Jakarta-born rapper Rich Brian at Bogor Palace

On stage, the 20-year-old rapper struck a chord with the audience even without any orchestra. Before performing “Yellow”, a song he acknowledged as one he was very proud of, he took off his jacket and rapped in only a white sleeveless shirt until his last song. “Terima kasih banyak (Thank you very much),” Brian said in Indonesian before leaving the stage.

Singers Arsy Widianto, Brisia Jodie, Marion Jola and Rizky Febian perform Indonesian band SamsonS' hit 'Kenangan Terindah' (The Best Memory) at 2019 Spotify on Stage. (Spotify Indonesia/File)

This year's Spotify on Stage also included Indonesian singers, such as Arsy Widianto, Brisia Jodie, Marion Jola and Rizky Febian, who gained popularity through the platform. They performed their most streamed songs on Spotify, such as Marion Jola with “Jangan” and a duet of Brisia-Arsy with “Dengan Caraku”. The four singers then joined forces for “Kenangan Terindah”, a 2005 hit by Indonesian band SamsonS.

Aside from Indonesian artists, K-pop groups (G)I-DLE and ATEEZ also received a warm welcome. Most fans had lined up early and brought along signs to support their idols. ATEEZ performed five songs perfectly, despite the absence of member Mingi due to health issues.

K-pop group (G)I-DLE performs for the first time in Indonesia at 2019 Spotify on Stage in Jakarta on Friday. (Spotify Indonesia/File)

Also with a set of five songs, (G)I-DLE performed to an audience who loyally sang the Korean lyrics – proof of the group's popularity on Spotify with 250 million streams.  

“We hope to come to Indonesia again soon,” said both groups at the end of their performances. (wng)