Success is not a direct, straight line -- a life lesson that Ziva Magnolya learned the hard way from her two years of hustling through the Indonesian music industry. Once a pop rookie whose potential was acknowledged by her peers and the music audience alike -- proven by her nomination for Best of the Best Newcomer at the 2020 Anugerah Musik Indonesia (AMI) Awards -- the Jakarta native wove a wobbly trajectory since then, decorated with a crowd-pleasing hit, inferior duds and a team-up that marked a return to form.

"I felt like I lost the faith I once had in myself during the past couple of years," the 21-year-old told The Jakarta Post on April 13. "Until finally, like, I could open up and will myself to contribute and give more effort than before. That, and also, will myself to simply believe and rely on God. That's what I have always remembered. That's what I feel right now."

Ziva's career evolvement might not be as easy as falling off a log, but thanks to her latest single "Peri Cintaku" (“My Fairy of Love”), she may well have reclaimed her place in the pantheon of contemporary pop music. A day after its digital release on April 8, the track rapidly soared to the Spotify Indonesia Top 50 chart, with its music video securing the top spot on the YouTube Indonesia's Music Trending chart. A triumph that tastes both sweet and reassuring, the singer now believes that, regardless of all the ups and downs in the past, she has been on the right path all along. 

"I think success means having found yourself in all kinds of spots. Don't you think so?" she cheekily remarked.

Finding her light

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