The 27-year-old singer-songwriter forges her own brand of electro-rock to create her most observant and defiant EP yet.

There's an impression that Inis is waging some sort of rebellion on her second solo extended play record (EP) titled TOPSYTURVYDOM, which was released on Feb. 11. She defiantly refused to follow the romantic formula heeded by her female contemporaries and instead, dropped a six-track music miscellany on which the singer-songwriter incandescently sings about buskers and sinners. On top of that, she decided to explore electro-rock and alternative rock music — a far cry from her peers who prefer the commonly acceptable pop stylings.

Turns out, Inis' rebellion is less about the current state of the Indonesian music industry and more about the current state of the world.

"If you sense that rebellion, that means my message is successfully received," said the 27-year-old singer-songwriter to The Jakarta Post. "This album — the title of which means 'chaos' — is a big picture of my account of what almost all of humanity is facing. We have to fight in a world that is pretty much a mess right now."

The public might regard TOPSYTURVYDOM as a call for defiance against the mainstream, however, at the end of the day, Inis decided to simply focus on how she personally regards her latest EP: a redemptive healing.

"Music has always been my therapy. I have mental illness and music cures me. Music is one of my medicines, so that's why I never sweat about making hit music on [mainstream] scale or making music in accordance with what is popular. I think music is so much more than that. I think music is a vessel. Music is a gift from God."

Chaos: The cover artwork for Inis' new EP titled 'TOPSYTURVYDOM'. (Courtesy of Inis) (Inis/Courtesy of Inis)

Lucid dreams

Born on July 7, 1994 in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Inis moved to Jakarta in 2013 when she decided to participate in talent competition program X Factor Indonesia and afterward, pursue her Master's degree in the same city. She described her experience competing in a televised talent show as akin to a crash course in music. 

"Before [X Factor], I knew nothing about music. But then, it taught me a lot of lessons about vocal coaching, how to perform, etc.," she reminisced.

It took more time for Inis, however, to firmly choose music as her path in life. Her career contemplation began when, post-X Factor, she was frequently offered to perform gigs in which she was asked to cover other people's songs — a string of episodes that eventually led her to question her life's purpose.

"I felt like, 'Who am I? Will I be someone who only sings other people's songs or will I be a musician?'" she recounted.

When push came to shove, it was a "mental breakdown" that gave Inis the conviction to be an artist in her own right. Around 2016, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. On top of that, she discovered herself repeatedly experiencing lucid dreams: those in which the person in question realizes they are in a dream and subsequently is able to memorize the details of said dream.

"I can control my dreams. And I can think more spaciously or more imaginatively when I'm asleep," she explained. "So my doctor gave me an idea: 'Why don't you make music out of your lucid dreams?' I tried it, and it really helped!"

Inspired by her lucid dreams and her struggle with bipolar disorder, Inis released her debut solo EP Mood Hacks in 2019. A predominantly chamber folk and indie rock record, the release of Mood Hacks coincided with World Bipolar Day. She described her debut EP as the milestone on which she realized that she "was born for this".

"It's a gift I gave to myself," she continued. "I felt so much better when I made that EP. I was no longer dependent on a bunch of medicines and I felt so much more stable, mentally."

The following year, Inis teamed up with DJ and producer F.R.Z. on a joint EP titled 2020. The fun and playful tone of their joint EP served as another balm for her wounded soul. "2020 was a really tough year," she looked back. "My tour was canceled and lots of stuff got delayed and almost all musicians felt the same. Again and again, because music is, for me, to convey positive vibes to its listeners, I tried to be a friend for them."

Cure: Inis defines music as her "cure". (Courtesy of Inis/DIWANALGHAZALY) (Courtesy of Inis/Diwanalghazaly)

Sinful troubles

According to Inis, her second solo EP (her third overall) TOPSYTURVYDOM plants its core in the three early tracks: "Animal", "Buskers!" and the title track. While "Animal" deals with betrayal by using animalistic metaphors, "Buskers!" expresses the singer-songwriter's take on desire and finding a purpose in life. The title track, on the other hand, documents her personal observation that "everyone has their own battles and I think it's normal to have a problem because the truth is, the problem is the humans themselves," she illustrated candidly.

"Buskers!", in particular, holds a personal meaning for Inis as a singer-songwriter.

"I think in Indonesia 'buskers' are equivalent to 'pengamen'. To be a musician is no easy feat. Particularly in Indonesia, people would still underestimate musicians because their future is unclear and stuff like that. Nonetheless, it is my enormous faith that there are people out there who were born to be musicians, but they reject themselves and instead, force themselves to do something else — all for the sake of having a 'realistic' kind of life."

The instrumental "LOUD" also holds a personal meaning in a way that the track serves as Inis' vessel to understand the alpha and omega of life. She was particularly inspired by how, in her own words, "human beings cast troubles the second they were born".

"That's why I think it's okay to have problems: because we are in this world to learn, to grow," she theorized. "It's okay to make mistakes. Everyone must have their sins, but you just need to carry on. What you leave behind at the end of your life — that's the meaning of life itself."

Just like 2019's Mood Hacks, the lyrics and the sonic direction of TOPSYTURVYDOM were also a product of Inis' recurring lucid dreams.

"I literally saw the entire [music] compositions in my sleep. The songs were already there. Afterward, I reached out to anyone who might be suitable to be featured in these songs," said Inis of her creative process. Such a mind-blogging exercise led Inis to electro-rock producer duo Mothern, who was eventually featured on the title track. 

TOPSYTURVYDOM also served as an opportunity for Inis to break a certain barrier: she decided to re-record "Animal" in Japanese and included it on the EP as well. She felt particularly moved by her musician friends of Japanese origin who wished to understand her lyricism.

"They told me, 'Inis, please make the song in Japanese so that we can sing along as well!'" she chuckled.

Dogs: A still image from Inis' music video for "Animal". (Courtesy of Inis) (Inis/Courtesy of Inis)

Body and soul

Looking at the scenery of the current music industry, Inis couldn't help but notice the lack of musicians who are willing to "stay true to themselves".

"Some of them might make music for fame or earnings or for the sake of creating booming hits. The way I see music, though, is different — and I don't necessarily think that those musicians are wrong either. Still, I think that's the reason why there are lots of musicians out there who almost sound just the same. Their formula, their presentation, and their genre might come off as similar because their target is what sells at the moment."

Ultimately, at least for Inis alone, music is not a cash cow — it's her "body and soul".

"Without music, maybe I wouldn't have become a sane person. Maybe I would have ended up becoming a person who is scared all the time or a junkie or a person who cannot do anything. But with music, I can survive and I can inspire friends out there who are probably just like me."

Inis' TOPSYTURVYDOM is available to stream.