“Vanity is ephemeral,” says the 24-year-old multi-instrumentalist, composer and music producer, who is pursuing a career as a music therapist in the United States, rather than as a world-renowned performer.

“I want to serve ‘the last, the lost and the least’,” says Laura Sekarputri, who is an accomplished player of the acoustic guitar, piano, electric bass and the Balinese gamelan.

Her chosen path is a reflection of the “unexpected clinical depression” she battled during her second semester at Berklee College of Music in Boston, which she graduated in 2018 with a major in music therapy and a minor in psychology.

“I hit rock bottom and had to take a gap year and return to Indonesia,” she recalls. “After five months of self-imposed isolation, my days took a turn for the better as I also discovered the benefits of music to regulate and lift my mood.”

Her personal experience has allowed Laura to be better at putting herself in her clients’ shoes.

Meanwhile, her familiarity with different musical genres and epochs – as well as her love for gospel, classical music, jazz and easy listening pop – has made her open and accommodating of her clients’ musical preferences.

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