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Hijabi 'indie mothers' embraced by young Indonesian music fans
Initially a Koran group, all-female band Nasida Ria is riding the wave of Indonesia's playful music scene with humorous Islamic pop songs about unconventional themes.
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This picture taken on January 6, 2023 shows members of the all-female hijab-clad Nasida Ria band performing on stage in front of an audience at a festival in Jakarta. (AFP/Agnes Anya)
A
t a packed festival in central Jakarta, hijab-clad sexagenarian singer Rien Djamain bursts into an upbeat track about nuclear destruction to a crowd of thousands, mostly young Indonesians.
Behind the frontwoman of the all-female Nasida Ria band are her fellow musicians, dressed in silver and black sequined dresses, backing up her velvety vocals with bongos, violins, mandolins, bamboo flutes and tambourines.
"O cursed creator of the nuclear bomb, why do you invite the day of judgement?" she sang on the track "Bom Nuklir".
Young concert-goers swung from side to side during the macabre ditty, shouting "mother!" at their favourite band members.
Originally formed 47 years ago as a Koran recital group, the band now numbers a dozen performers, fusing Arabic and traditional Indonesian dangdut music, which was once thought tacky and dated in cosmopolitan circles.
Their humorous Islamic pop tunes about serious themes, such as justice and human rights, have caught on with social media-obsessed young people looking for some levity in their playlists.
Riding the wave of Indonesia's increasingly vibrant music scene, the band's droll lyrics have gained them a certain notoriety.
