As the director for artists and repertoire at Warner Music Indonesia, one of Barry Maheswara's focuses has always been nurturing talents from different genres – including rhythm and blues (R&B). Growing up listening to the likes of Luther Vandross, Barry understood the tremendous impact an R&B artist could usher into the mainstream, popular landscape.

Nonetheless, Barry was not ignorant of a problem facing the genre. In a conversation with The Jakarta Post late in the afternoon on Feb. 1, he divulged that he would, on a "daily basis", observe the "movements" in the major Indonesian music charts. Local R&B artists rarely showed up on these charts – an absence that continued to mystify him each day.

Barry came to a pretty novel conclusion:

"Indonesia, compared with other countries, is very unique. Why? Because the [music] trend in this country shifts akin to the cryptocurrency market," he quipped. "The shifts can be immensely unpredictable."

'Viral' kicks the blues

Barry found it hard to foresee where the local music trend would head next and whether a local R&B revival was on the horizon. He was certain of one thing, though, the current Indonesian music audience was no longer concerned with genre, but instead, what is "viral" at the moment.

"[Now] people discover music from [social networking platforms] TikTok and Instagram et cetera. Then, they would listen to the full song on digital streaming platforms," he observed.

Stage crisis: The 2022's FLAVS was one of the very few music festivals that specifically celebrated local R&B talents last year. (Courtesy of Felix Martua) (JP/Felix Martua)

Barry had seen how emerging R&B talents could make as effective use of social media as the pop ingenues in the industry ­­– for instance, when Kaleb J broke through with the viral "It's Only Me" in 2021. Nonetheless, he remained cautious.

"Does R&B music have a place? I would say yes," he said. "But, what kind of R&B music? We have no idea. Whether, when or where it'll take flight, it very much depends on what's hot on social media now."

Indonesian pop ballads have dominated the charts in the past couple of years – an observation that was shared by music director of 102.3 Rase FM Bandung, Anggie Gerhana. However, he remarked that the difficulty of making R&B music might contribute to its lack of impact.

"An R&B artist must understand the 'soul' [of the genre]. Also, compared to those in pop, R&B music arrangers and producers in Indonesia are still very lacking," Anggie noted.

Extra 'skills' needed

Yacko, a musician and the program director of last year's R&B and hip hop-focused FLAVS festival, believed that R&B music could still capture the Indonesian music audience. Nonetheless, she could not deny the struggle faced by the homegrown R&B talents today.

The cause, for one, could be the lack of proper coverage by the local media.

"The [media's] focus is no longer the music, but the musicians!" she laughed. "It's hard to counter that. That [coverage] is what sells."

Having said that, Yacko underlined that the media should not be solely to blame.

"The musicians need to strengthen their skills beyond music production and performance. They need proper marketing skills," she added.

The lack of R&B presence could also be observed in award circuits. During last year's Anugerah Musik Indonesia (AMI) Awards, the nominees for Best of the Best Album were dominated by pop-oriented records. To boot, the last R&B record that took home the best album trophy was Agnes Monica's Sacredly Agnezious back in 2010.

R&B singer-songwriter Rahmania Astrini, who had collected two AMI Awards, felt that the genre had been seen "perhaps from only one eye," she remarked.

"I hate to admit it, but even in music festivals in Indonesia, local R&B artists would not be given a slot on the main stage. They would be given their own stage," she explained. "On the other hand, once an R&B act from overseas comes around, they would certainly be given the main stage. That's what I don't understand. It's such a shame because I think our local R&B potential is massive."

Rahmania was also confused by how international R&B acts continued resonating with Indonesians, whereas the same did not apply to the latter's kinfolk.

"Why is it so much easier for Indonesians to enjoy non-pop stuff from overseas? And, when it's our turn to make something similar in terms of genre and BPM and whatever, why is it harder for them to accept that?" she asked.

The pop-ification of R&B

Another issue was how to define the current R&B music itself. Jinan Laetitia, for instance, introduced her brand of R&B music by incorporating elements of electronica. Kaleb J's records could be seen as a blend between R&B and pop music. Rafi Sudirman often drew inspiration from dance, funk and jazz music for his R&B styling.

From Rahmania's perspective, the experimentation of R&B music by the younger talents would do well to "introduce" R&B to the modern audience.

"Let's say the production is pop but the vocal delivery sounds R&B. To me, it's just another way of introducing the beauty of R&B to the local mass [audience] in a way that is easy to listen to," she opined.

Anggie, however, was not thrilled with R&B artists who flirted with pop: "There are two possibilities. If that exploration resulted in a hit song, that would be a success. But if it flopped, that would be a double-edged sword."

Sharing a different sentiment, Yacko believed that further debates about what defines R&B today were no longer fruitful.

"I don't think we should talk about 'old-school' and 'new-school' anymore," she cautioned. "What matters now is how local R&B talents could receive the same coverage and exposure as their predecessors."

Born, die, repeat

Local R&B music might seem grim in the current popular landscape. Nonetheless, Anggie advised the artists to continue sticking to their roots.

"If you were born with a talent for R&B and you love R&B music, you'd better stay on that course. Don't try to explore too far. Why? Because identity and originality are an important 'capital' for an artist's existence," he asserted.

For emerging talents, Yacko underscored the importance of "personal branding" to stay competitive: "You need to have something else; the charisma that makes people be, like, 'Oh, it's you!'"

Finally, time to answer the most important question: is Indonesian R&B music dead?

"I won't say that it's dead or in a coma or unconscious or whatever," answered Barry. "In terms of R&B, I would say that it's simply in the phase of waiting to be born again."