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Looking for 'feel': Tulus becomes labelhead
With his brother Riri Muktamar, Tulus enters his next decade in the music industry by launching TigaDuaSatu: A home for the next generation of promising talents.
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Brothers in arms: TigaDuaSatu was founded by Tulus (right) and his brother Riri Muktamar (left). It's the second label they established after TulusCompany in 2010.
(TigaDuaSatu/Courtesy of TigaDuaSatu)
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fter shaping a decade-long career that has spanned more than a dozen AMI Awards, three studio albums, sold-out tours, and a self-made label TulusCompany, it might seem impossible to imagine what Tulus’s next chapter would be. However, the 33-year-old singer-songwriter quietly made his move back in October 2020 by launching TigaDuaSatu – an independent label and talent management company alongside his brother, Riri Muktamar, who serves as its cofounder and CEO.
Tulus and Riri Muktamar told The Jakarta Post on June 4 that the launching of TigaDuaSatu was a part of their celebration after a decade in the Indonesian music industry. “This is our attempt to spread our wings,” said Tulus. “We hope that TigaDuaSatu can be a home for new talents who wish to grow in the field of arts. Even though right now we’re still focusing on music, there’s a possibility that we’ll reach more in the future.”
According to Riri, the conception of TigaDuaSatu was born out of a “collective idea” in 2015. “Back then we were thinking of signing this particular talent [whose identity cannot be made public yet], but I guess we just weren’t confident enough. It just wasn’t meant to be,” shared Riri. “But, after a decade, we feel like we have enough experience to pull this off. We are also equipped with skilled professionals to translate our long-term vision into reality.”
Just like TulusCompany, they chose Bandung as the location for TigaDuaSatu’s headquarters. However, Riri teased that for future operations, they could expand to “Jakarta and its surrounding area, especially Bintaro.”
The dynamics between TulusCompany and the new label might prove to be unusual yet fascinating. “The way I see it, TulusCompany is a ‘boutique’ for Tulus, meaning that this label is custom-made for him,” Riri elaborated. “Whereas TigaDuaSatu is meant to be an open business platform. We may explore a lot of new varieties, both in terms of business and creativity. There’s also a possibility to establish a partnership with a third party. But, at the end of the day, I hope both labels can mutually benefit each other.”
As the cofounder of TigaDuaSatu, Tulus is fervent in focusing on the talents as opposed to the genre. “Genre is simply the medium for the talents to express their ideas and vision,” he explained. “I wanted to get involved in a creative process that cultivates the talents, the persons. We don’t want to put them into a singular [genre] box. “
When it comes to signing new talents for TigaDuaSatu, Tulus has his own set of criteria. “This might sound abstract, but I’m looking for the ‘feel’. If the talent who is gifted with a golden voice can imbue a ‘feel’ into their singing, the music will be more alive. If the talent who is gifted with songwriting skills can imbue a ‘feel’ into their writing, the songs will flourish. No matter what kind of work the talents are creating, having that ‘feel’ is absolutely necessary.”
