Afgan rose to prominence with mellow ballad songs, such as “Terima Kasih Cinta” (Thank You Love), “Sadis” (Sadist) and “Jodoh Pasti Bertemu” (Soul Mates Will Certainly Meet).

The new single from his latest album Sides, however, shows another side of his music.

The single, simply dubbed “X,” comes with an urban hip-hop style, for which Afgan collaborated with Malaysian rapper and singer SonaOne.

“SonaOne and I know each other well. I have listened to his music and I really like it. I approached him for a collaboration and he agreed,” Afgan said recently at a press conference for the single’s official video release.

The title of the single comes from the spelling of “ex,” which suggests that the song is about a past heartbreak.

Afgan said the song was intended to make everyone look at their past without regret and move on.

He also promoted the single through a campaign on Instagram. Using the hashtag #XCERITAMU (#YourExStory), Afgan asked all of his followers to share their past experience with their exes and then posted some on Instagram.

The campaign itself encouraged thousands of his followers to be involved. From there, Afgan received a lot of story submissions that inspired him in writing the single.

“I wanted to invite my listeners to participate in this single because I believe everyone has their different past, be it good or bad, that we need to embrace,” he said.

Afgan also plans to hold #Xmarket, a garage sale of goods donated from his followers, as part of the promotion for the single. The goods consist of items that his followers received from their exes.

At first, Afgan did not feel very confident with the single because it was a totally different style for him.

“Until now, I’m still learning to adjust when I sing the single at live shows,” he said.

However, he was delighted after seeing the result of the music video, which got positive feedback from his fans. Just a few weeks after the video release, the single topped the charts at many radio stations in Indonesia.

The official video, which was released on Nov. 1, highlights the futuristic and urban vibe of metropolis Seoul in South Korea.

The five-minute music video also has characteristic colors and moods of the city, which emphasized the urban feel of the single.

Europe was initially supposed to be the choice location for filming music video. However, due to technical issues, production house Trinity Optima opted for South Korea as the alternative.

Regarding the inconsistency that people will bring up regarding his music after the video and single release, Afgan said it did not bother him at all.

“I think singers or musicians will always evolve,” he said.

As for the future, Afgan plans to have a solo concert next year to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his career in the music industry.

According to Afgan, the concert will take place around March 2018 and is going to be a grand concert because he wants to give it his best.

“The upcoming concert will be presented for my fans, family, friends and all the people who have supported me throughout the years. Ten years in the music industry is a great moment,” he said.

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The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.