Sherina — the icon of a beauty product. JP/Triwik Kurniasari

We sure still remember the cute little Sherina in the musical film Petulangan Sherina (Sherina’s Adventure) premiered about 10 years ago. Sherina Munaf is back. The little girl has grown up as a fair young woman and she is ready to revive her acting career through her upcoming musical film project.

Back in 1999, when digital music had not yet proliferated and the ring back tone had not run rampant, people had to go to the record stores to buy Sherina Munaf’s album Andai Aku Besar Nanti (When I Grow Up).

With her playful voice, the then nine-year-old girl impressed fans  throughout the country.

People – from children, teenagers to adults – name her their idol. They sang along to her songs and collected her debut album, which comprises hit singles such as Balon Udaraku (My Hot-Air Balloon) , Bermain Musik (Playing Music), Dua Balerina (Two Ballerinas) , Kembali Ke Sekolah (Back to School) and Pelangiku (My Rainbow) .

Her leading role in the musical Petualangan Sherina a year later gained her more fame. Movie buffs lined up for the tickets. The 114-minute film, directed by Riri Riza and Mira Lesmana, was like a breath of fresh air for the Indonesian movie industry, which had been dormant for almost a decade.

And indeed the film was surprisingly a big success, drawing more than 1.4 million viewers. Sherina herself also received a special award as the “Most Talented Child Artist” category in the 2001 Asia Pacific Film Festival in Hanoi, Vietnam, for her role in the film.  

After the success, Sherina focused more on her singing career by releasing her second album, Lihatlah Lebih Dekat (Take A Closer Look), followed by her third album, My Life, which is an expression of her life transition from childhood to adolescence.

Then, she took a break from the entertainment industry to concentrate on her study. She was back in 2007 to release her fourth album Primadona (Prima Donna), which reflects her transition to adulthood.
Last year, she released her fifth album Gemini, revealing the other side of her character.     She wrote all the songs in the album, except one catchy song titled Gregetan (Excited), a song written by her father, musician Triawan Munaf.

The transition (from childhood to adolescence) is quite smooth. “I lived myself just like any other kids. I grew up like them,” Sherina told The Jakarta Post recently.

“I’m lucky to have wonderful parents who always support me in every step I take. The biggest ‘homework’ is how to change people’s perception to accept the fact that Sherina has turned 20 and that she didn’t grow up in an instant.”

Born in Bandung on June 11, 1990, Sherina still has her charms in drawing again people’s attention. She’s got talent and the look and she’s ready to take the nation by storm again with her creations.

And even though she has been busy singing and writing songs over the past 10 years, Sherina does not completely forget the movie world. Deep in her heart, she misses working in front of the camera.

The good news is she is now busy working on a musical film of her own.

“I miss the movie industry. I really love movies. This time around I want to create something fun, something that can be enjoyed by a whole family,” she said.

Why a musical? “Because we barely find this kind of film here. I will act, sing and dance in the upcoming project. I will also work behind the scenes, including co-writing the story, co-producing the film and composing the film’s score and soundtrack.”

Sherina, however, admitted that she’s a bit worried about her acting skill since she had not acted in films for years.

“I’ll take it as a challenge. I will train hard. I want to show the best of me in front of the camera,” she said, adding that she’s busy approaching some great names in the movie business to join the production.

She hoped that the movie would follow the success of Petualangan Sherina. “I’m so glad when many people say that my first movie helped resuscitate the Indonesian movie industry. Tante [Aunt] Mira Lesmana is so great,” said Sherina.

“This time, I want to make a fun film. But I don’t want to set any high targets for this project.”
Sherina is a kind of person who wants to completly focus on what she is doing. After graduating from the British International School two years ago, she chose not to go to college soon since she still wanted to advance her career and finish her current projects.  

“I just go with the flow. I’m having fun. The most important thing is I do my best and learn to be better than today.

“I want to make clear track records in my career before  heading to college. I’ve planned to enroll in the film scoring program at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.”

She chose the program because it focused on making music for movies such as soundtracks and scores. “The college has a tight audition process. Please, keep your fingers crossed for me …,” she said, adding that she’s been dreaming of being a film score composer.

“I want to compose music scores for Indonesian films and even international films. That’s one of my dreams. I still have many hopes and dreams, but I’ll keep them to myself until I can make the dreams come true.”

Aside from music and film, Sherina is also known as an entertainer with a personality. Her charm has even attracted a big international cosmetic producer to make her its spokesperson.

She was recently chosen as the First Maybelline New York Icon from Indonesia. She is the first Indonesian ever to hold the title.

“I’m surprised and honored to be chosen as an icon. I once flew to Hong Kong to film the video clip for the brand and had a chance to meet up with other models from other countries. That’s a great experience,” she cited.

Makeup is not a new thing for Sherina. She’s been dealing with makeup since she was in the elementary school.

“For some people, makeup might be something done to impress others. For me, makeup means more than that. I always plan the makeup that I want to put on. I like to experience makeup because it’s like painting on a canvas.”

“I like to play with eyes or lips. It’s a real joy. It’s also a must [to put on makeup] for me because of my job. I can’t just appear in front of people with a greasy face,” she said, adding that she often watched closely how the makeup artists work.

But in daily life, she opts to stay modest by putting on thin makeup to make her fresh.

“For daily activities, I just put on face powder, lip balm and mascara.”
In a recent event, she became a target for many photographers and TV cameramen.

Clad in a black top and black mini skirt along with high heeled shoes, Sherina looked chic, yet mature.
While last year she cut her long hair, this year she regrow her hair again.

“My mood swings easily. I choose hair style based on my mood. When I had short hair, I liked to experiment with colors. I dyed my black hair into brown or purple.”

“Now, I want long hair. I think that long hair is more flexible. I can make it into many styles, depending on the occasion and my character. But maybe someday I want to cut it short again. Who knows?”
Although she likes to use makeup and do regular face treatments, Sherina thinks it’s also important to maintain the beauty from the inside.

“First of all, we have to eat right. Eat a lot of veggies and fruits and drink plenty of water. I regularly consume honey and fruit juices that contain high antioxidant levels such as apples, guava, blueberries, carrots and strawberries.”

Meanwhile, her fame and looks also attract gossip reporters who are trying to dig into her personal life. But Sherina knows how to handle this by playing it cool.

She recently shrugged comments off when some TV reporters asked her about her relationship with local singer Vidi Aldiano. Some tabloids and TV programs reported that she was going out with the 20-year-old singer.

“Vidi is my best friend, I’ve never gone out with him,” she said Sherina may be living the glamorous life in the entertainment business, but in her daily life she’s just like any other young woman who likes to spend her time hanging out with her family and friends.

“The truth is I can’t live far from music. I always listen to music every day and bring a music player with me. But I also like reading books, including history and philosophy books, as well as graphic novels.”

She also likes to log on to networking website in her spare time and regularly updates her status on her Twitter account. She’s recently been dubbed as the “Twitter Princess” as she has more than 300,000 followers.

“Thank God, many people are interested in being my followers although I don’t know exactly their reason.

“One thing for sure, the social networking website allows me to interact with my fans. On the other hand, I can also directly get advice and critique from them.”

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