JP/Triwik Kurniasari

It was almost a decade ago, when a 15-year-old no-name singer burst out of nowhere and surprised music fans with her powerful voice in her debut album entitled Bisikan Hati (Whispers from the Heart).

The album was special because the 15 year old, whose name is Andini Aisyah Hariadi, sang jazz-inflected tunes, the type of music that would not easily strike a chord with the masses. And it was also a rarity to have a teenager singing music of this genre.

But for Andien, jazz has been part of her life. She  grew up listening to old jazz records from her grandfather. She honed her singing talent early by joining  Elfa Music Studio, the music school founded by impressario Elfa Secioria.

 As she was confident with her singing, she joined one of the most prestigious singing contests in Asia — the pre-reality talent show — Asia Bagus.

She failed to make a breakthrough until she made her debut album, produced by Secioria in 2000.

Soon after the album was released, some thought the album was too “mature” for her and that she would fade quickly afterwards. She proved her detractors were wrong.

Andien had the talent and star quality to maintain her presence in the ever-changing landscape of the music industry.

She released her sophomore album Kinanti in 2002 and her third record Gemintang three years later. She received the seal approval from the Jazz music establishment when a number of big names in the industry including jazz prodigy Indra Lesmana and guitarist Tohpati performed with her on her albums.
Along the way, Andien proved that jazz music should not always be about difficult and complex composition but that the music could be fun to listen to.   

And unlike a number of child stars who found it difficult to make a transition into adulthood, Andien has made a relatively smooth transformation, with no drug abuse or rehab.

“The only transition I made was that once I stepped inside the music business, I no longer thought that 15 was too young. Besides, I did not sing kiddie songs,” she told The Jakarta Post recently.

“I have a passion of singing a genre of music preferred only by adults. So I can say that I sang for adults during the early years of my career.”

It’s been five years since the release of her third album and now Andien is back with her latest record Kirana. She has released her first single Moving On, and this certainly is good news for Andien’s fans.

Andien said that it took her two years to prepare the record. What took her so long in making the new album?

“I left my record label Warner Music to join Platinum Records and that process took quite a long time. I also needed to adapt myself to the new label, synchronizing my vision and mission for my new project,” she said.

Once she was settled with Platinum, she started thinking about the concept of the album, and hand picked a number of songs for the record.

“It was very difficult to select which songs should be included in the album. But we did a good job. It might have taken a long time to produce it, but it was all really worth it.”     

Andien said that for the current album, she had invested in new ideas which made it a better and more sophisticated album.

“I’m not a teen anymore. When I released my debut album, I was still in junior high. Now, I feel like I’m much more mature and have different thoughts and ideas. This is in a way a very mature record,” she said.

Andien said that Kirana is also her most personal record. “I was involved heavily in the process of making this album. I gave my 100 percent. That’s the thing that makes this album very personal to me.

I’m very satisfied with the result,” she said.

For the record, Andien wrote her own lyrics, arranged the music and came up with ideas for music videos as well designing the album’s artwork.

Some senior musicians did take part in the production of their albums, but for the most part Andien decided to hire young and talented session players, saying that she want to give something new to her fans.

“I was thinking about asking senior musicians to join the latest project. I once had Erwin Gutawa and Andi Rianto in my mind. But I later thought that I wanted to do something new after being out of the scene for five years.”

In the end, she turned to her old friends, who were in a band with her in high school, Nikita Dompas and Rifka Rachman.

“They are young and have tons of fresh new ideas. Besides, they’ve known me for years so they’ve already experience of what I really want,” Andien said.

In fact, both Nikita and Rifka, who are her session players, have made their regular presence in Jakarta independent music scene as promising new talent.

“I just thought that it would be a unique collaboration if I worked with them. They were really excited about this project because this is the first record in which I could play together with them. It’s a new a challenge for them and for me as well.”  

The first single Moving On is special for Andien because it was sung on a trip to Phi Phi island, in Thailand.

The idea of shooting the clip on the island came from a friend, a commercial and music video director who asked her to have a vacation on the island.

“He had made a promise about shooting a music video for me, but since we were both very busy, he had not got the time to do it,” she said.

When the new record was ready, she came to the director friend and asked him about the video.

“Last April, I planned to take a vacation to Phi Phi Island in Thailand with my friends, including Sim the director. He came up with the idea making the video from the trip,” she explained.

“I said yes because that was the only free time I had. It was spontaneous. The vacation suddenly turned into a video production. We just used hand-held cameras for taking the footage of me on
the island.”

In the video, Andien is pictured wandering aimlessly on the island, strolling the streets, going in and out the souvenir shops and riding bike.

“It was so much fun. We all dressed like tourists. The idea was simple but it turned out to be a great video.”

As for the album, Andien said she would not throw a big party for its release. She may be just be frugal but a posh party to mark the release of an album is less effective these days, with the music industry at its lowest point. “It would be better if I used the money for something more useful.”

Andien may have been busy preparing her latest album, but that does not mean she was completely cut off from the music scene during the past five years.

She made a regular performance at the Java Jazz Festival. She recently joined four female singers Rieka Roeslan (formerly of the Soul-leaning band The Groove), Nina Tamam (former member of vocal group Warna), Iga Mawarni and Yuni Shara to form girl band 5 Wanita (5 Women).

Andien has worked with two musical styles, both pop and jazz but she never worried about how fans would characterize her. “The music in this album, for instance, is like gado-gado (mixed veggies) as I mix different things together,” she said.  

“Basically I try to sing songs that I like and that really suit me. I don’t want this record to be too jazzy or too pop. Let the music fans decide.” Putting her into just one musical category would do her latest album a disservice given the variety of styles that it showcases.

“I have a passion for singing a genre of music preferred only by adults. So I can say that I sang for adults during the early years of my career.”

But she was quick to add that her passion has always been Swing. “But I can only do that in front of people who also have the same passion as I do. Or maybe for a jazz event, which requires me to perform with a trio or quartet. I cannot perform this kind of music in front of random fans. They won’t get it. In every performance, I always come up with a set list that would suit the taste of all.”

But in spite of her success in the music industry, Andien, just like anybody else her age, still has so many dreams to pursue. “I want to make a big-band album. In the future, I also want to have a solo concert. Not a glamorous gig in an extravagant hall, but more like an outdoor concert with an intimate setting. A kind of Sting or Barbra Streisand concert.”

But Andien considers this a long shot and for the near future she aims no less ambitious goals, such as starting up her international career, although she is non-committal about it.

“Of course I want to be a performer known at the international level. But I don’t have to push too hard for it. I just give it my best shot and will be consistent in what I am doing now,”

She said that the opportunity will knock when she has what it takes. “I, for instance, got the chance to do a duet with Bob James [the jazz producer]. The offer came unexpectedly. Maybe he overheard me or saw my performance on YouTube,” said the fan of Billy Holiday, Indra Lesmana and Ruth Sahanaya.

One step at a time, that’s what Andien tries to do with her life. She, for one, has now quit her music classes and is focused on promoting her latest album.

Popular

Purbaya’s thankless task

At least nine killed, two missing in Bali's worst flooding in years

Lake Toba retains UNESCO Global Geopark status after warning