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ST12 to have female vocalist, move toward 'Britpop' sound
The pop band announced it would be releasing a new single soon with a female vocalist and "Britpop" sound.
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ST12 bassist Indra Gunawan (left) and drummer Pepep pose together in a photo posted on the band's Instagram account. They will soon return with a female vocalist for their band. (Instagram/Courtesy of ST12's Instagram)
Indonesian pop band ST12 announced it would be releasing a new single soon with a female vocalist.
The Bandung-based band, which popularized the Malay pop wave in Indonesia during the 2000s is most well-known with its former frontman Charly Van Houten, now the singer in Setia Band, alongside former ST12 guitarist Pepeng.
After Houten’s exit in 2011, the band has since enlisted four new vocalists throughout the years, the latest being Indonesian Idol alumnus Firman Siagian.
Now with only Pepep (drummer) and Indra Gunawan (bassist) left from the original lineup, the band has been hinting at a new vocalist and a different genre for the new single on their Instagram account.
The band shared teasers of the new song and uploaded art covers titled “Unbelievable”, which is the presumed title of the new song. It also shared the vocalist’s back profile and a large ‘T’ as a hint for her name. The song has a distinctly Britpop feel.
“ST12 will be releasing a new single soon with a female vocalist,” Pepep said on June 27 in an ST12 YouTube video. “She’s a composer, too, with a very unique vocal tone,” he said.
Asked about the decision to hire a female vocalist, Pepep said he wanted to “give a surprise [to fans] during this pandemic” and return with a fresh look. “The single will be very different from [ST12]’s previous genres,” he said.
There are no longer hints of the old ST12 music in the song preview on the band’s Instagram. The band has also shared that it will lean toward the Britpop genre.
Formed in Bandung in 2004, the band was founded by Ilham "Pepep" Febry (drummer), Dedy "Pepeng" Sudrajat (guitarist), Muhammad Charly van Houten (vocalist) and the late Iman Rush (guitarist). With hit singles such as “Cari Pacar Lagi” and “P.U.S.P.A”, they are known widely across the country for their Malay pop sound.
