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USA DUA: Indonesian jazz singer Dira Sugandi kicked off the Indonesian Music Expo (IMEX) 2011 on Monday night at Peninsula Island, Nusa Dua. Her renditions of six songs, taken from her debut album Something About the Girl, mesmerized the audience that had flocked to the event.

“I am 100 percent Indonesian. I am lucky to have an opportunity to create an album that was launched internationally. I am convinced that other Indonesian musicians will have similar opportunities,” she said, adding that IMEX would play a major role in the development of Indonesian music.

The weeklong event, from Nov. 7-14, features 40 artists. According to its initiator Franky Raden, the annual event is aimed at promoting Indonesian musicians on the global stage. Influential US record producer Quincy Jones is slated to speak at a seminar during the event.

IMEX 2011 was officially opened by Tourism and Creative Industry Minister Mari Elka Pangestu. She stressed that music represented tremendous cultural capital that should be developed further to penetrate the global market.