Danilla, Dipha Barus, White Shoes & The Couples Company, Kunto Aji and more tell us what they are excited about this year.

The bright stage lights have been turned off for a while now, but the Indonesian music scene continues to be an exciting place. From upcoming releases by established musicians and young blood alike, to the possibility of returning to stages, we ask some of the country’s finest musicians what they are looking forward to this year.

Saleh Husein

Guitar player and co-vocalist for White Shoes & The Couples Company and The Adams.

I’m excited about live music festivals, concerts flourishing and the emergence of new albums from various scenes across Indonesia. We can see their local contexts expressed through their artistic ideas and how they present their work to the public.

I’m rooting for more collective changes in the music industry, though. Over the past two years, boredom has set in and it has pushed people to think more creatively and work harder to stay in music. We’ll see small and big, visible and invisible changes. I’m excited to see how the networks and ecosystem we have now will develop through collective musical works. It’s something worth looking at.

Albums to look out for: Wait, people are still putting out albums! That’s great. I hope artists like Ali, Senyawa, Grrrl Gang, Scaller, Seringai and Burgerkill release albums this year.

Creativity: Composer Tesla Manaf wants to see more musicians engaging in serious research before putting out new music to push themselves and their creativity. (Personal Collection/Courtesy of Tesla Manaf)

Tesla Manaf

Better known as Kuntari. His album, Last Boy Picked, was The Jakarta Post’s album of the year in 2021.

It would be great if more major music festivals have the daring to have a varied lineup for their headlining acts. The genre gap that persisted seven to eight years ago has faded in the past few years, and the Indonesian music scene is starting to develop closer bonds and cooperation between the artist and their public. The platforms are also easier to reach.

Young musicians are carving their own market with their unique style and charisma, musicians step over genre boundaries and create fresh fusions. It has all happened within the past two to three years. Hopefully this year and the next decade, too. 

I’d love to see ambitious musical works that are the culmination of years of research that push the artist’s creativity to a new level. And of course, I’m hoping for a proliferation of women composers.

Albums to look out for: Anything released by the label YES NO WAVE. I’m excited for Morgue Vanguard’s next solo album. But also the upcoming album by Logic Lost, Kadapat, Sigmun, Tulus, and Darksovls.

Kunto Aji

Soloist. Double AMI Award Winner for his 2018 sophomore album, Mantra Mantra.

I’m waiting for a lot of friends who are going to release their albums this year. There are a lot of them on my waiting list! Some are trying their hand at tours. We want to jump into the game again, and I hope everything can move again.

Royalties remain a basic issue that’s yet to be resolved. I hope this mess is untangled soon and musicians can get the rights they deserve. The industry itself is in a pretty good place now, with new talents emerging and productive old heads. Musicians these days have full control over their music, their genre because there’s no real difference between how a soloist or a band should sound.

I appreciate that freedom. But I hope, on a systemic level, our royalties and rights can be guaranteed.

Albums to look out for: I’m curious about my own upcoming album! [laughs] I’m still writing it, it’s flowing and I have no idea what’s going to come out at the end of it. Gosh, I feel narcissistic.

Apart from myself, I’m looking forward to my friends’ next works: Sal Priadi, Pamungkas, Tulus, and Barasuara.

Sheryl Sheinafia

Singer, actress and three-time AMI Awards winner.

I’ll be waiting for music to take over Web 3.0, and for musicians to be brave enough to create in the NFT space. My prayers for the past two years remain the same, though: I hope there are more gigs this year and musicians are in a space where they feel supported. 

Be comfortable in your own skin and never settle for less.

Albums to look out for: King Princess and myself! [laughs]

Old friends and new: Songstress Danilla Riyadi is excited about new albums, new musicians, and new stories (Courtesy of Danilla Riyadi/ Photo by Yuka Aditya Wibawa (Personal Collection/Courtesy of Yuka Ditya Wibawa)

Danilla Riyadi

Singer and actor. Her third full-length album, Pop Seblay, will be released this year.

A lot of old and new friends are going to release their albums this year. That excites me. I hope this is reciprocated by the existence of a lot of offline gigs. Personally, I hope there’s a change for us financially, too! [laughs] At least until it’s a bit similar to how it was pre-COVID.

I miss that balance between musicians, because we see each other a lot on stages, and people get something to entertain them on weekends. I hope concerts and festivals come back soon.

Albums to look out for: My own album! Every artist has an exciting story to tell when they’re working on their albums. I can’t wait to share what we’ve been tinkering with since 2020. 

Herry Sutresna

Activist, legendary rapper and producer better known as Morgue Vanguard. Owner of label Grimloc Records.

I’m hoping for something that will surprise me in Indonesian hip hop again, like back in 2017, and I hope the trend of metal emo disappears soon. I’m excited too for a new generation of hardcore and punk bands. I hope they’re wilder than their predecessors because the old guard stinks.

Albums to look out for: I can’t wait to release the new album by Lose It All – it’s so damn good! There are also good releases I’m looking forward to from Amerta, Masakre and Iron Voltage.

Can hardly wait: Electronic musician and producer Dipha Barus is “excited for the return of live music”, and is also on the lookout for new albums by Kendrick Lamar, J.Cole and Vampire Weekend. (Courtesy of Dipha Barus) (Dipha Barus/-)

Dipha Barus

Multiple award-winning producer and electronic musician.

I’m excited for the return of live music and musician-driven stages, personal tours or personal stages organized by the musician. We miss performing, and these days musicians have the opportunity to perform and meet their fans directly.

I’m also curious to see how our music industry integrates and innovates the latest technology, like music in Web 3.0, and uses it to make sustainable collaborations and innovations. It’s a new world, and it can create spaces for musicians to create something we’ve perhaps never seen before.

Albums to look out for: Charlotte Adigery & Bolis Pupul, Spiritualized, Kendrick Lamar, J.Cole, 100 gecs, alt-j, Blood Incantation, Vampire Weekend, Arctic Monkeys and Kanye West. I can’t wait to hear their stories and sounds this year.