“Akulah para pencarimu ya Allah / Akulah yang merindukanmu ya rabbi / Hanya di jalanmu ya Allah / Tempat ‘ku pasrahkan hidupku.” (I am your seeker, o Allah / I am the one who misses you, o rabbi / Only in your path, o Allah / The place where I surrender my life.)

Long before he became a politician and served as deputy mayor of Palu, Sigit Purnomo Syamsuddin Said sang these lyrics. But who is he? His full name sounds unfamiliar, but his nickname Pasha is much more familiar to the ears of Indonesian music lovers. He sings in the song Para PencariMu (Your seekers) with his boyband Ungu.

Released in 2007, Para PencariMu is one of many religious-themed songs that are marketed every time the holy month of Ramadan arrives. Ungu and his religious albums are part of what we can call the “Ramadan bubble”.

In business, a bubble occurs when a certain commodity explodes in the market, its price soars until it becomes unreasonable and finally, the bubble bursts and disappears.

The Ramadan bubble follows the same logic, it is a seasonal bubble that appears once a year, especially in predominantly Muslim Indonesia. When the holy month arrives, people or businesses suddenly compete to brand themselves as religious figures. All products must be polished with the Ramadan narrative as a marketing gimmick. The TV soap opera Para Pencari Tuhan (Seekers of God), for example, is screened only every Ramadan and has survived for up to 15 seasons now.

Like other bubbles, this Ramadan bubble will eventually burst and stop being discussed or traded when Idul Fitri arrives. After the post-Ramadan celebration, everything returns to normal.

Likewise, with Ungu, post-Ramadan, the band takes off the Muslim attire of baju koko (neckless shirts) and turbans they wore for a month — Ungu returns to its nature as a pop band with music and lyrics about romance.