Be3 members are (left to right) Cynthia, Nola and Widi. (Courtesy of Jelly)

Americans once had Destiny's Child. Indonesians have Be3, a vocals trio that has been around for 20 years.

'I'm asking you guys, is there any other girls trio in Indonesia that has survived for 20 years?' Be3 member Widi Mulia Sunarya, 34, rhetorically asked the press during the group's recent press conference in Jakarta ahead of their upcoming concert, Dream of My Heart, on Nov. 3 at Teater Jakarta in Taman Ismail Marzuki art center.

It was a simple, yet meaningful question from Widi ' who is fit and petite with a powerful alto voice ' and one that placed her group in the history of the Indonesian music industry.

Be3, which used to be known as AB Three, is undeniably the most solid girl's trio vocal group that has ever existed in the country ' with the complete package of singing, dancing and public speaking.

AB Three was born in 1993 from the extraordinary talents of Widi, Riafinola 'Nola' Ifani Sari and Lusy Rachmawati ' teenagers who had extraordinary voices. The three were all winners in the singing competition, Asia Bagus, in early 1990s where talent scout Chris Pattikawa, considered one of the founders of the group, discovered them.

Once the three girls had united, they became instant icons in Indonesian entertainment. They became spokespersons for various popular brands, including Lux soap, Casio Baby-G and Delfi chocolate.

As AB Three, Widi, Nola and Lusy worked long and hard to tune up their singing and performing.

As a result, the group won several international singing contests, including the Golden Stage International Song Festival in Romania in 1994, the Midnight Sun Song Festival in Finland (1995), the Makfest International Pop Song Festival in Macedonia (1996) and the International Song Festival in Kazakhstan (1997).

During the nineties, the group released the original albums Cintailah Aku (Love Me, 1995), Kerinduanku (My Longing, 1997) and Nyanyian Cintamu (Your Love Song, 1999), with the title track of each becoming a hit single.

During that time the group even had its own TV show, Catatan AB Three (AB Three's Journal), where the group's members showcased their singing, dancing and hosting abilities.

A significant change occurred in 2000 when Lusy decided to quit the group to pursue her solo career. Prilliany Cynthia Lamusu, who is also an Asia Bagus alumnus, officially joined the group in 2001 to fill the gap.

Cynthia, 35, was not a newbie, as she had helped the group as a substitute performer on several occasions.

With the new formation, the group released Auraku (My Aura, 2002) and Selamat Datang Cinta (Welcome, Love, 2006).

In 2009, the group broke from its management firm, Antero Bagus, and changed its name to Be3. Since, the trio has released two singles: 'Cinta Sampai Mati' (Love until Death, 2010) and 'Andaikan Bisa' (If I Could, 2011).

Soprano Nola, 35, said that since breaking off from Antero Bagus, the group has had to deal with every aspect of the music business on its own.

Be3 in a press conference for upcoming concert that will features other artists including past member Lusy Rachmawati (second from right). (Courtesy of RHD Prod.)
'We didn't join a new management company. We started from scratch, and there were times when we couldn't perform together as a trio, we had to sing on stage alone,' said Nola, who is married to Baldy Mulia Putra and has three children. The group is now under its own management company, Be3 Management.

Nola said that the Indonesian music industry favors young singers, who can quickly pop out instant hits.

Meanwhile, Be3 is a professional singing group that has a strong focus on quality. On any stage, Be3 delivers equally laudable performances ' a standard that comes from intense training sessions in both vocals and choreography.

Be3 has gone through joyous moments in Indonesian music over the years. 'It has been 20 years full of tears and laughs,' said Widi, who is married to actor Dwi Sasono and has two children.

'We experienced a transformation from being a teenage vocal group, which was solely the product of talent and will, to reaching a place where we can contribute significantly to the development of the quality of Indonesian music,' she said.

However, for Be3 business hadn't been booming until the plan for the 20th anniversary concert took shape.

Be3 has had a hard time gaining traction in the industry as of late, and it hasn't been in the studio or appeared in an on-air show for several years.

'As for off-air shows, we do them quite often. Those who are familiar with more artistic performances will likely know us better,' said Widi.

'At this moment, maybe we will only have the chance to do this concert. Hopefully, after the show, more people will feel the love, and we will be able to produce another album,' she added.

Mezzo-soprano Cynthia said that, ideally, the group would have launched a new album before the concert.

'But along the way, we encountered so many challenges. So we thought, why don't we do one thing at one time? Concert first, new album later on,' she said.

Baldy, who is producing the anniversary concert, said that the group had been working on a new album over the past two years, including collaborating with young talented musicians.

The group, however, would wait for the right time to finish up the album before releasing it, he said.

Organizing the concert has been a true group effort, requiring each group member to wear many hats and help with off-stage matters.

'It isn't an easy job to hold a concert. We have to seek sponsors, and that's quite tricky. So, we're really grateful to all those who have shown their support for the show, where we're going to sing all of our songs,' said Widi.

During the band's recent lull, some members of Be3 have ventured out into different areas of the entertainment industry.

Widi, for example, has acted in several movies, including Lantai 13 (The 13th Floor, 2007) and Jakarta Maghrib (Jakarta Sunset, 2011) as well as in the TV series Sayekti and Hanafi.

Meanwhile, Cynthia and her husband appeared in Gita Cinta, the Musical (2010), a musical.