March 8 is International Women's Day, and the celebration this year feels timelier than ever. Women across the globe have blossomed into becoming a monumental force to be reckoned with, decrying patriarchal values that have undermined humanity for centuries while fighting for a global-scope equality without gender borders. 

In that spirit, The Jakarta Post assembled some of Indonesia's top artists to share their go-to girl power anthem, the difficult realities of being a woman, the issues they are most passionate about, a fantasy brunch with their role models and the power they would choose should they be destined to be the Earth's mightiest superheroines. 

AGATHA CHELSEA (20), singer, songwriter, actress

Which song is your favorite girl-power anthem?

Probably anything by [American singer and rapper] Lizzo. I don't know why, but I find all of her songs very empowering. She encourages us women to love ourselves and to feel comfortable in our own skin. To be honest, I used to struggle with it because growing up in the face of the media was not particularly easy. So, I think her songs symbolize my journey of accepting and becoming proud of who I am.

Can you tell us the moment you realized that being a woman comes with its unique challenges?

That moment didn't occur just once or twice — it happens all the time, really. When I was a kid, people would say that I was pretty bossy and quite feisty. I don't think that was fair, though, because when my male peers emulated that kind of attitude, people would have regarded them to have the qualities of good leaders whereas in my case, they would be, like, "Why be so bossy and domineering considering you're just a girl?" That has been going on since as far back as my elementary school years!

Another example was when I participated in [the 2012-2013 season of children's talent show] Idola Cilik. When the boys delivered a cheerful and spirited performance, the audience responded, "Wow, what a commanding stage act!" However, when the girls and I did the same thing, the audience became, like, "Wow, you're desperate for attention, aren't you?"

Inspiring icons: Agatha Chelsea's dream brunch would be sitting on the same table with Queen Elizabeth II and the late Audrey Hepburn. (Courtesy of Agatha Chelsea) (Agatha Chelsea/Courtesy of Agatha Chelsea)

In your opinion, which women's issue still needs to be discussed this year?

I believe that one of the biggest issues right now is public perception of women and how misogyny is still happening. The public still sees women as the subordinate gender. Take the household environment as an example. When someone engages me in conversation, their questions are never far from "At what age are you going to get married?" and "How many kids do you want?" even though they could ask any other question. I mean, I am also a student and I have a career and other goals for my future. On top of that, I observe that my male friends and my little brother do not get asked those questions.

If you could have brunch with a renowned female icon — dead or alive — who would it be and why?

There are a lot of women who have inspired me, but I would love to have brunch with Audrey Hepburn. I think she was just phenomenal. I love how she carried herself and I admire her so much. Also, I would love to have a cup of tea with Queen Elizabeth II. She is one of the longest-serving queens in history, so I would love to just chat with her and ask her questions about how she navigates her life.

If you could choose a superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?

I guess I would love to have the power to heal myself and others. I think that would be really cool; being somebody who can be useful for society.

DIAN SASTROWARDOYO (39), actress, producer, philanthropist

Which song is your favorite girl-power anthem?

On top of my head right now is "Run the World (Girls)" by Beyoncé. That's the "power song" I listen to when I work out and when I run tracks. That has been my power song for several years now; ever since the song first came out. That song gives me a boost of energy whenever I'm on the verge of giving up — for instance, when I run a marathon and I am this close to throwing in the towel.

Can you tell us the moment you realized that being a woman comes with its unique challenges?

There were certain expectations that our grandmother demanded from us, the granddaughters, but not from the grandsons. The boys could get away with anything — being messy and ignorant and stuff — as long as they could grow a sense of responsibility to take care of their female siblings in the future, including financially. That's why the female cousins and I ended up being overachievers in our careers. It's not necessary to set a different standard to begin with, that financial responsibilities should be solely given to the male members of the family. At the end of the day, in this modern world, we should help each other out and take care of any financial problem that may persist in our family. A tiny example: when our grandmother fell ill, the women pitched in as well. In fact, our contribution exceeded the men's. [chuckles]

In your opinion, which women's issue still needs to be discussed this year?

The women's issue that still needs to be discussed is how people define their roles based on gender because it has been proven that such role assignment is pretty outdated. The question here is how we train ourselves to start seeing women not as the "female citizens", but instead, as simply the "citizens" of this country. If we succeed in doing so, we wouldn't need to differentiate the contributions given by the men and the women. 

For instance, the contributions at their job. We could inspire a greater pull in the workforce if companies would just stop marking off work contributions and productivity based on gender. At the same time, though, we should consider things like maternity leave and the female employee's responsibilities to be present for their families. Sometimes they might need the flexibility to work from their homes and perhaps big corporations should reconsider how they measure their work performance: is it based on the employee's presence in their office or the results?

If you could have brunch with a renowned female icon — dead or alive — who would it be and why?

Michelle Obama. I don't think it's easy being her because she has to be a backbone for someone as great as Barack Obama. I believe that 80 percent of what Barack has — his intelligence and his ability to stay sane no matter what storm he has to go through — is actually thanks to Michelle. [laughs] I'm just curious about where Michelle learned how to do all those things. I mean, where did she get her wisdom? And how does she stay grounded and never lose herself?

If you could choose a superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?

I would wish for telepathy. If this were X-Men, I would want to be someone like Professor X. I imagine that kind of power would come with a heavy burden, but if I could influence — even for just a teeny tiny bit — how people think and feel about their reality and themselves, perhaps this world would become a better place.

MAHALINI (22), singer, songwriter, actress

Which song is your favorite girl-power anthem?

The songs that I find very powerful are actually my own songs: "Melawan Restu" (Against Blessing) and "Sisa Rasa" (The Feelings That Remain). Why? Because those songs are based on my life stories. Those songs reveal that despite my 22 years of age, I have faced so many trials and tribulations in my life. Despite everything, I am still standing here. In fact, because of all of that pain and sorrow, I get to arrive at where I am today."

Can you tell us the moment you realized that being a woman comes with its unique challenges?

Just the opposite, actually. You see, my mom always taught me how to be independent. She once told me that no matter what my circumstances may be and whoever may be standing by my side, I should always stand on my own two feet without relying on anyone because, at the end of the day, the only one I can rely on is myself. That's why when I was a kid, I used to be quite boyish and I was never scared of the boys. Even though I have my dad and my brothers, I feel like I have grown into a self-sufficient woman.

Anonymous: Mahalini chooses invisibility as her desired superpower. (Courtesy of Mahalini/Andre Tangkudung) (Courtesy of Mahalini/Andre Tangkudung)

In your opinion, which women's issue still needs to be discussed this year?

"The sad thing here is how it's the women themselves who would often cast the public judgment — how women become both the victim and also, the perpetrator. For instance, when a news item regarding infidelity pops up. They often judge based on hearsay on social media alone and do not consider the facts."

If you could have brunch with a renowned female icon — dead or alive — who would it be and why?

It would be Isyana Sarasvati. I watched her perform live on Indonesian Idol once and then, she burst into tears as she told the story of how she closed herself off social media. I totally felt for her and I could relate to her story as well. Sometimes I feel intimidated by social media and even though I understand that social media is a part of my job and everybody is entitled to their opinion, at the end of the day, we are still human beings. On top of that, Isyana fights for her artistry as a musician and I find that totally inspiring. Perhaps I can follow her example someday; to show off my true artistry and my true colors.

If you could choose a superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?

I would wish for the ability to be invisible. If I could be invisible, then I would be able to focus on myself without other people being nosy about it. It's a weird answer, isn't it? [laughs] Also, I want to help others without them knowing it's Mahalini. No matter what I do, there are always people out there who would want to take advantage of it, you know? And I don't like making things complicated!" [laughs]

RAISA (31), singer, songwriter

Which song is your favorite girl-power anthem?

I think the song that suits best for this occasion is my song called "Teduhnya Wanita" (The Calmness of a Woman). To quote the chorus of the song: "Can you live without the calmness of a woman? / As she whispers your name in her every prayer / As she becomes the reflection of your best self / So protect her, even when you're in anger".

The way I see it, a woman's strength comes in many forms. It can take the form of a superhero-like power, but it can also take the form of a woman's serenity and gentleness. I think the latter is the truest form of a woman's strength, though. That and also, a woman's ability to build a beautiful home. Having said that, if we're talking about an empowering anthem, my choice would be "Respect" by Aretha Franklin. The song is sassy, carefree and packs a whole lotta girl power. [laughs]

Can you tell us the moment you realized that being a woman comes with its unique challenges?

It's a common practice at this point. Whenever a woman is being firm at her job, she would be labeled either a diva or hormonal. However, when a man does the same thing, he would be regarded as a good leader and such. Sometimes the difficulty that women face can be as simple as our leg hair [laughs]. I mean, like, what is wrong about me not waxing my legs for just one day? But people would just be outraged about it. I understand if a man might prefer a woman with hairless legs, but it doesn't mean that having leg hair is a sin! [laughs]

Free of judgement: Raisa feels there needs to be more discussions on the issues of victim-blaming. (Courtesy of JUNI Records) (JUNI Records/Courtesy of JUNI Records)

In your opinion, which women's issue still needs to be discussed this year?

Lately we have been hearing a lot about the issues of victim-blaming. Now that the issue has a name, we have become more aware of it. It's not just men, though — even now the women have started realizing that they often blame the women themselves. It's as if we were all programmed to put the responsibilities on the victim, even though what we should have really paid attention to is the perpetrator's action and why.

If you could have brunch with a renowned female icon — dead or alive — who would it be and why?

The "unrealistic" one would be Diana, Princess of Wales. Why? Because I think she had to face all of the challenges that a woman could ever face and, to boot, she had to face them in the public eye. I mean, how did she live through all of those things while breaking barriers at the same time? She shook hands with AIDS patients and visited landmines — it used to be impossible for a member of a royal family to do something like that. And, at that time, that was considered a rebellious act of feminism. She was so ahead of her time and, if she were still alive now, she would have become as iconic as Michelle Obama and Oprah. The "realistic" one, however, would be Adele. Being her fan aside, I love how she's raising awareness about therapy, the healing power of music and how she communicates with her son and the world through her songs.

If you could choose a superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?

I would like to have the power to make all the pain visible. There are people out there who keep their pain a secret because either society doesn't recognize it as pain or they just feel guilty about it. It's so difficult for me to describe that pain myself, so if we could see — literally, with our very eyes — that pain, the whole victim-blaming thing would cease to exist. Right?"