Jan. 30 was a big day for Rayen Pono as it was not only his 40th birthday and also the 20th anniversary of his professional debut in the music industry but, perhaps most importantly, it marked the release of his debut full-length album as a soloist, appropriately titled Empat Puluh (Forty).

Some might regard the record as long overdue, but, from the 40-year-old artist's perspective, Empat Puluh is primarily about him as a musician. Sometimes, to make the best record possible, an artist must be whole with himself as a human being first and foremost.

"I feel more liberated in my fourth decade, and what I’ve derived from this liberation is a new beginning," Rayen told The Jakarta Post four days before the album's official release. "I feel like [now] I am filled with more solemnity in making music. The confusion and the 'partitions' that I faced in the past five years are gone. And, entering this fourth decade, I get to know more about what I desire and what I want to make."

Did it take, perhaps literally, 20 years in the music industry for Rayen to come up with Empat Puluh?

"Seems like it," he answered. "It means that it was the journey that 'fed' me, as it turned out. I have just realized that now, in this very moment!"

A decade of 'idealism'

To call Rayen a veteran of the music industry would not be an overstatement. He first had his big break as a musician 20 years ago to be precise, when he served as one half of pop duo Pasto. The twosome made waves in the 2000s with mainstream hits such as "Tanya Hati" (A Heart's Question) and "Aku Pasti Kembali" (I Shall Return) before Rayen started pursuing a solo career in the early 2010s.

Throughout the last decade, Rayen had been active as a soloist, live performer, songwriter, producer and vocal director for other musicians. Entering the present decade, however, Rayen decided to join Semesta Records: a music label founded by the frontman of the pop band D'MASIV, Rian Ekky Pradipta.

Rayen had released several standalone tracks before the year 2023, but he never got to the point of manifesting a proper album for himself. According to the artist, such a vacuum was not due to a lack of opportunity, but simply "the universe had yet to give me its blessing," he observed.

"The effort was there, but [making an album] is not a one-man show, it's a collective work," explained Rayen. "At that time, I had yet to meet the right label that could accommodate all the aspects of this process. It felt that [back then] everything was colliding left and right, to the point where I thought, 'Does this mean making an album is not on the cards for me?'"

Life's journey: The cover artwork of R&B artist Rayen Pono's debut album 'Empat Puluh', which was released under Semesta Records on Jan. 30 (Courtesy of Semesta Records) (Archive/Courtesy of Semesta Records)

Nonetheless, he refused to compromise with his creative idealism, even if that meant being patient for an extra few years or so. One thing was certain: Rayen had always been insistent on making an R&B album.

"Whenever I met people who couldn't get on the same frequency with this particular idealism of mine, I couldn't help but keep on looking. I wouldn't force myself because I was certain the output would not have made me happy," he said.

No 'artificial' R&B

Rayen started working on the material for Empat Puluh in the year 2018. As always, he was keen on putting together an R&B record, but not an "artificial" one.

"R&B is not just about the technique or the music arrangement or the vocal riffs and runs," he insisted. "It's about the character and the DNA within you."

Rayen decided to look back on the R&B music he grew up with, most especially, the R&B music by African-American artists such as Babyface, Tevin Campbell and Boyz II Men. Such muses taught him that authentic R&B music "was born from lifestyle, from culture. If we're talking about R&B and soul music, the ones who represent them are the African-Americans," he observed.

Furthermore, as a "dark-skinned" artist of Ambon and East Nusa Tenggara descent, Rayen felt that he was "blessed with that DNA".

"And I grew up in a church," he added, "so my gospel DNA is [also] strong. We can't talk about R&B music without its connection to gospel."

Rayen also learned another important lesson from his R&B idols: That it requires maturity to make the best R&B music. "Babyface's songs became huge once he entered his thirties," he gave as an example.

The presence of Rayen's R&B muses was most apparent in the artist's duet with Olivia Pardede, dubbed "Kita Juara" (We're the Champions). The choice of Olivia as his duet partner, as opposed to the better-known pop upstarts, was singularly driven by her capability of "keeping up" with Rayen's R&B sensibilities.

"Something that is outside the norm will turn into a new picture, and that surely will make heads turn," he said.

Nusa Hitam Soul

Empat Puluh was deemed by Rayen as a proper manifestation of a vision he called "Nusa Hitam Soul". The album was not only inspired by African-American artists that he loved, but also heavily featured his fellow East Indonesian artists such as vocal group Renewal in "Jodoh Tak Pernah Salah" (Soulmate is Never Wrong), Matthew Sayersz in "Gadis Bermata Cokelat" (Brown-Eyed Girl) and Ivan Nestorman in a remake of late Ambonese artist Utha Likumahuwa's 1988 hit "Puncak Asmara" (Peak of Romance).

Rayen sighed over how, compared with artists who hail from Java and Sumatra, there is still very little talent of East Indonesian origin managing to make it big in the music industry.

"That's the phenomenon to which, until this day, I still have no answer," he said. "Is it because of a 'phase'? Because in the 1980s and the 1990s, you name it, we got Christ Kayhatu, Harvey Malaihollo, Yopie Latul, Broery Marantika, Bob Tutupoly, Melky Goeslaw."

Entering the new millennium, Rayen considered the late Glenn Fredly (who was of Moluccan descent) as the artist Eastern Indonesians were looking up to. Unfortunately, from Rayen's perspective, Glenn's success indirectly applied "too high of a standard" for fellow talent from the same region.

"As a result, everyone else who existed beside him seemed like a ripple," he said.

Rayen's vision of "Nusa Hitam Soul" in Empat Puluh, correspondingly, argues that there is music variety among the East Indonesian talent as well.

"Whenever someone shows up with style akin to black music, or they happen to be East Indonesians, the narrative that usually sticks is, 'Oh, they want to be the next Glenn Fredly', including me," continued Rayen. "Meanwhile, if I got scared of being labeled as the next Glen Fredly, that would mean running away from my identity [as a musician]. That's why Indonesian people need that education. Not all of us [East Indonesian artists] want to be the next Glenn Fredly."

Last but not least, besides releasing a debut solo album and showcasing the variety of East Indonesian talent, there is another resolution Rayen wishes to achieve in 2023.

"I really want to assemble a mob of Nusa Hitam talents so that we can 'blacken' the Indonesian music industry," he asserted.

Matthew Sayersz, a soloist of Ambonese descent who features on Empat Puluh, is all in on Rayen's "Nusa Hitam Soul" and labels the latter's vision a "celebration".

"I hope this album can inspire the future generations, especially those in East Indonesia. As we all know, the pandemic made it very difficult to move and make an album. Rayen's spirit of 'Nusa Hitam Soul' should be appreciated, supported and passed around. It's a very clear vision and mission, Rayen sums up and represents the East Indonesians, with their cool potential and resources," said Matthew.

Rayen Pono's debut solo album Empat Puluh is available to stream.