Thousands of audiophiles waded through rush hour traffic to kick start their weekend ' the annual LA Lights Java Soulnation Festival is back, with a wider range of musical offerings.

The festival, which began on Friday and will end on Sunday night at Istora Senayan indoor stadium in Central Jakarta, boasts a total 39 performances and four stages.

Welcoming 13 international artists ' from Macy Gray, Far East Movement, All-4-One, Karmin, Chef's Special to Alphamama, the festival also features local favorites such as Dira Sugandi, Raisa, Tulus, Project Pop, Adhitia Sofyan, Tangga, Jamie Aditya, Payung Teduh, Backalley, Souljah, Rock and Roll Mafia, Neonomora and Neutrotic.

Saturday's festival was opened by rising pop crooner Raisa Andriana, who rose to fame after uploading cover songs on YouTube, which led to an appearance at Java Soulnation 2011.

Hundreds of people sang along with Raisa as she belted out her tunes, including 'Could It Be' and 'Bye Bye' at an outdoor stage around dusk.

One of the most interesting shows was from music project Time Capsule, which showcased the evolution of pop music through a medley of pop hits from the 1950s to present day.

The show was divided into songs by decade ' from international hits such as Elvis Presley's 'Jailhouse Rock', The Beatles' 'Hey Jude', ABBA's 'Dancing Queen', Madonna's 'Material Girl', Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' to Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' as well as Indonesian pop songs such as Ismail Marzuki's 'Payung Fantasi' (Fantasy umbrella) and Koes Plus' 'Bujangan' (Single), performed by a turnstile of Indonesian young singers.

Saturday's headline performers also included VJ-turned-singer Jamie Aditya with his signature reggae-tinged-funk and also rising singer-songwriter Neonomora, known for her blend of electronica and folk rock.

The shows with the largest crowd on Friday evening were Indonesian Voice featuring Shane Filan and pop duo Karmin.

The Indonesian Voice show consisted of singing competition winners Regina and Sean from Indonesian Idol and Billy Simpson and Agseisa from The Voice Indonesia. The singers took turns singing two songs ' one of their singles and a cover song ' before singing pop legend Chrisye's hit 'Cintaku' (My Love) and Maroon 5's 'Daylight'.

The show attracted around 4,000 people who flocked the indoor stadium's main stage, though it was clear most of them were waiting for the show's guest star, Shane Filan, former member of boyband Westlife.

Later that evening, American duo Karmin welcomed around 8,000 eager fans on the same stage.

'I can't believe it. We love you so much,' said singer Amy Heidemann, who with her partner Nick Noonan, wore bright orange outfits for the show.

The festival's Sunday international performers include award-winning American soul singer Macy Gray and All-4-One. Indonesian singers Dira Sugandi and Lala Suwages, indie bands Payung Teduh and Neurotic and pop groups Tangga and Project Pop will also highlight the closing night.

Eki Puradiredja, the festival's program director, said the Java Soulnation Festival was in a process of evolving into a festival with a wider scope and more musical genres. The process started last year.

'Now we not only offer hip hop, R&B and soul music, but also electronica, dance and an assortment of indie musicians such as Payung Teduh and Adhitia Sofyan,' he said.

In the future, festival organizers plan to focus more on the event's atmosphere to create more of an urban feel. 'We want to throw an urban party, one that is located among the skyscrapers and city lights. It's going to be a party but with bands performing live.'

Popular

UN says initial findings show roadside blast killed Indonesian peacekeepers

Indonesia approves 580 million tonne coal production plan, signals output boost

Prabowo pledges 100 GW solar energy target within three years