Frau, the Yogyakarta-based duo, recently played two spectacular shows '€” dubbed Konser Tentang Rasa (Concert about Senses) '€” enchanting hundreds of audience members at the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta playhouse.

The performance was the third time the respected singer-songwriter Leilani Hermiasih, who is better known as Lani, has played a show under that title. The first and the second took place in Bandung and in her hometown of Yogyakarta last year.

The word '€œduo'€ might sound misleading '€” as you don'€™t usually call a piano a member of a duo. For one thing, it'€™s not even a person. It'€™s a Roland RD700SX piano that Lani calls Oskar.

Based in Yogyakarta, Frau had been actively making theatrical pop music when there was basically no demand for it; Frau'€™s records, Starlit Carousel (2010) and Happy Coda (2013) were both released for free on the netlabel yesnowave.com.

Here'€™s the thing about characters: We all play them. We play them in family reunions, we play them in schools, campuses, malls and even in the privacy of our rooms.

At a cursory glance, Lani'€™s journey from 2008 has always been that of the detached persona the artist would like to conjure up to invoke boundaries.

Taking a deeper look, however, as evidenced by the Jakarta iteration of her Konser Tentang Rasa, one could see how game Lani is at convincing us that the person on stage is no more a character than Lani in real life is; Frau is too earnest to be an alter-ego.

As a bedroom project, Lani was baffled as to why she would play a sold-out show at the playhouse and if you'€™ve been with her this whole time, why would she not? This is the musician capable of this lyric: Mata beningnya biaskan, segenap hari lalu/Semua yang telah dan yang takkan (Her clear eyes reflected, days ago/of the will and won'€™t).

You can'€™t tell whether a Frau song is a demo or a full-fledged song; all of them are bare, but not at all simplistic. Her piano playing, reminiscent of George Gershwin, is challenging but playful, as if the person behind it constantly finds ways to one-up herself.

The concert had no other business but to showcase Frau at her most basic, although it wasn'€™t really packaged so weakly. Rasa is the Indonesian word for senses and in the concert, Frau and its tight-knit crew sought to evoke all five of them '€” quite strange for a medium best known for prickling only the auditory one.

Midsong, you could smell the scent of the instant noodle Indomie, various flowers and perfumes. The lights went out every time Lani began her songs and she danced gorgeously while she was singing them. The crew handed you drinks (coffee, tea and else) during the break after the first act.

And it worked: Konser Tentang Rasa was captivating because none of the antics interfered with Lani and Oskar doing what they know best.

'€œMusical experiences are supposed to be holistic,'€ Lani explained, when asked how she came up with this idea.

'€œOfttimes we pigeonhole things into categories: Okay, music is for the ears, art is for the eyes, even though one could always enhance the experience of the other.'€

Later, at some point in her show, she told a story about how she would come home from campus '€” she went to Gadjah Mada University '€” on her motorcycle, feeling the wind on her face and singing the song from the Les Miserables musical: '€œBring Him Home'€. Some of the inspiration of that concert came from that experience as well.

Frau - Courtesy of Eric Wirjanata

Musicians such as the harmonious folk duo Ari Reda '€” who opened the concert '€” Alexandria Deni from the band The Monophones and trumpeter Erson Padapiran proved to be a very welcome addition to Konser Tentang Rasa.

Alexandria sang a duet with Lani on the latter'€™s new song '€œDetik-detik Anu'€ (Seconds'€¦What) and Erson added a humorous, comical sound to Frau'€™s song '€œI'€™m a Sir'€ and then a string section elevated the song '€œSuspense'€ to a thrilling, operatic dirge.

Lani'€™s voice was warm and clear, expertly (though she said that she didn'€™t take any singing lessons) leaping into sighs and yelps when her songs required her to. Surely, having a custom-made sound system and playing in one of the most respected concert halls in Jakarta helped a great deal.

Playing a 16-song set that included her new ones, '€œVietnamese Coffee Trip'€, '€œSembunyi'€ (Hide), '€œLayang-layang'€ (Kites) and '€œThe Butcher/Tukang Jagal'€, along with the older ones like '€œArah'€ (Directions) and '€œMesin Penenun Hujan'€ (Rain Weaving Machine), Lani never displayed signs of weariness. She awkwardly laughed herself out of her stage banters and solemnly came back to her piano.

Hardly anybody took selfies during the show '€” a considerable feat at music concerts in 2016. Perhaps a lot of us held our coughs. Much to my surprise, nobody sang along to her signature song: a cover of the music project Melancholic Bitch'€™s '€œSepasang Kekasih Yang Bercinta di Luar Angkasa'€ (A Couple Making Love in Space).

All sat through the performance, unaware of our stillness until the lights came back on each time the singer finished a song.

I think it'€™s important to remember whenever you'€™re lucky enough to see Frau in concert that you don'€™t make a celebrity out of the duo. Other than the fact that Lani has said in many interviews that she'€™s no fan of fame, there'€™s something desensitizing about making a fandom for Frau.

At the end of the day when the lights are dimmed, there'€™s only a woman and her piano, beginning and ending the night with stories you'€™d love to hear.