Photo by Triwik Kurniasari

The members of pop band Vierra are light-hearted youngsters, with fun, catchy songs reflecting the teen spirit, but their newfound success is thrusting them relentlessly into the adult world.

In a music scene such as Indonesia's, where pop bands are popping up all over the place, it can be somewhat hard to stand out. Although the seemingly endless stream of bright young things "conquering" local radio and TV stations is a positive sign of the local industry's dynamism, it also means there are a lot of bands with the same sound.

The sound tends to be mellow ballads, with a lot of stress on the guitar, and singers with the same nasal voices. Which means that although there are many bands to choose from, it isn't much choice.

Nevertheless, every now and then, a fresh sound catches your ear.

Vierra is one emerging band trying something different. Their music is light, catchy and fun, with the lyrics delivered by a female singer with a distinctive "naive" and childish voice.

Their sound also is distinctive: Unusually, the band uses a keyboard-base in 12 songs on their debut album, My First Love, released by local label Musica Studios.

Already, music lovers - especially teenagers - are raving about their sound.

The story of the band begins with Kevin Aprilio, the son of prominent conductor Addie M. S. and pop singer Memes. A couple of years ago, the keyboardist, now 19, and his best friend, drummer Rediansyah Satrianda Widjanarko, or Trian, now 21, decided to start a band.

They were having trouble putting together an outfit, until they decided to seek out two more band members through social networking website Friendster.

On Friendster, they finally found a guitarist, Raka Cyril Damar, now 20.

"We decided to jam for a bit until we thought that we could get along together. But we still needed to find one more member, a vocalist, who has a really strong character," says Trian.

"Since we thought that our songs really fit a woman's voice, we decided to focus on hunting for a female singer."

Raka recommended his friend Widy Soediro Nichlany, now 19. It all came together - Widy's talent and voice proved to be just right.

Although Widy is the only girl in the band, she is comfortable with the boys.

"I don't feel awkward hanging out with them because we're more or less the same age," Widy says. "We get along just fine. Besides, even before joining Vierra, I was a bit of a tomboy and liked to spend time with boys."

Even though she has long hair and often wears dresses, her boyish style is still apparent.

Her style is, deliberately or not, reflective of the band members' stage in life - on the border of childhood and adulthood. During our recent interview at the Musica Studios office in Pancoran, South Jakarta, the tall, tanned teen looked cute in a white mini dress and gray jacket with pink stripes on the wrists, with red eye shadow and her hair hanging loose - and an Elmo (from kids' show Sesame Street) pendant hanging around her neck.

The boys, meanwhile, were boys, in their T-shirts, jeans and sneakers.

From when the group first got together, they played around with different sounds, setting out to offer listeners something fresh and distinctive.

"The four of us have different musical backgrounds," says Trian, who lists John Mayer and Yovie Widianto among his influences.

"Kevin is more into classical music, which he got from his father. He has played piano since he was a kid. Raka and Widy prefer indie music, while I tend to go for jazzy sounds."

Despite these different leanings, they have something in common: watching Disney movies and listening to the original motion picture soundtracks.

"We thought it would be great if we played Disney-like pop songs like the Jonas Brothers' creations," Trian says. "Besides, Widy's voice is like a naive teenage girl, so it really matches with songs like that."

"We want to be different," Kevin adds. "We want people to be really aware of us once they hear one of our songs. We want to make something catchy."

Their first gig was just one year ago, in front of about 100 students of Pelita Harapan University, but it wasn't long after that that they signed a record deal with Musica, the biggest local record company. Other artists on the Musica label are Iwan Fals, Chrisye, Vina Panduwinata, Project Pop, Peterpan, Nidji and Letto.

They launched their debut album in March this year. Their first single "Dengarkan Curhatku" (Listen to My Feelings) is fun with memorable lyrics, and keyboard clinks that really dominate the song.

The single quickly shot to the top of the local charts, a hit among teenagers and adults alike.

The success of their first single was followed by the second and third singles, "Bersamamu" (To be with You) and "Perih" (Pain), which have a slower tempo than the first hit.

Also on the album are two English-language songs, "No!" and "Tears".

"It's not that we want to show off that we can create English songs. It all depends on the vocalist, and Widy can sing English songs very well," Kevin says.

He is also quick to point out that the band's success is due purely to their hard work and has nothing to do with his father's influence.

"I admit that my parents have influenced me a lot. I have learned so much from them. But we have different styles and vision," says Kevin, who as a child dreamed of becoming a conductor like his dad.

"Surely my father has a lot of contacts, but we got this record deal by ourselves, through our hard work."

After the release of their album, the band appeared in two commercials, one for a drink and another for a telecommunications provider.

They soon learned, though, how success changes life and hard work never stops: They now have tight packed schedules for music shows and events to promote the album.

"Our lives are completely different now," Trian says. "We used to be a bunch of teenagers who were free to play here and there, while now we're in this adult world. We now have big responsibilities to our band, label and many people."

And sometimes, Raka adds, having such a packed schedule can be tough. "It isn't easy for us to spend time with our families and friends," he says.

They have also had to take a break from their studies. Trian is a politics student at the University of Indonesia. Kevin and Raka are both at Pelita Harapan University, Kevin studying music and Raka architecture. Widy has just graduated from high school.

But pop stars or not, they all want to finish their studies. Widy still hopes to go to university and earn a degree.

"I want my children to be proud of me. I'd be very ashamed if they found out that their mother was just a high school graduate," she says, adding that she plans to enroll in university next year.

But for Trian, at least, Vierra indicates a shift in career.

"I used to want to be president, you know. That's why I chose to study politics. My father used to tell me great stories about Sukarno when I was a little boy," he says.

"But now, I've changed my mind. I've decided to stick to music instead of politics because there are so many uncertainties in today's political situation."

Celebrity status aside, the members of Vierra are still just teenagers with needs, hopes and dreams just like anyone else.

They have been also trying to "steal" time from their hectic schedules. When they do have spare time, they like to give themselves a break.

Trian likes to play games, puzzles and drums, and going out to find great places to eat.

"I like to find something that is totally different from my daily routine," he says. "When boredom hits, I sometimes ask Raka to go to Bandung *West Java*."

Kevin uses his free time to swim in a bid to shape up, while Raka likes to draw and hang out with his beloved family. Widy chooses to stay home, listening to music and finding peace in a little solitude in her bedroom.

But however their lives turn out, they all insist they will never regret their decision to become musicians. They promise to stick by their band no matter what and try to keep their distinctive musical flavor - even though they know their music, like them, will grow up.

"We want to keep the Disney pop character because it differentiates Vierra from other bands," Trian says.

"However, as we grow older, our music will keep on developing with a lot of influences. We might make or put something else in our next album so people will not get bored. We want to be creative."

For now, they're not thinking too much about what their upcoming album will be like, saying they are still focusing on promoting the singles from the first album.

"There will be more singles *from My First Love* coming out," says Kevin. "We don't want to be in too much of a hurry to make the second album because we don't want the songs on this album to be wasted. It can all just come and go too fast."

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