Indonesia has the most progressive and colourful music scenes in the South East Asia region, comprising a myriad of genres from the catchy tunes of dangdut to smooth jazz. Never short of songbirds, the Indonesian music landscape continues to evolve and captivate audiences worldwide. In this issue, Top 10 of Indonesia takes a look at its list of Indonesia’s most popular vocal powerhouses dominating its music industry today.

Anggun

Ever since her single “Snow On The Sahara” made a massive international breakthrough in the late 90s, Anggun remains a household name when it comes to Indonesian vocal talent. Her success has then led her to a broader international market with the release of her debut international album in 33 countries, which sold over 2 million units worldwide including Triple-Platinum in Italy and Indonesia, Platinum in France and Malaysia, Gold in Switzerland, Finland, Philippines, Singapore and many other countries. In 2014, she received a legendary “World Music Award” in Monaco as World’s Best-Selling Asian artist and in 2016, her wax figure premiered at the prestigious Madame Tussauds museum. Anggun is now one of the panel juges of ‘Asia’s Got Talent’, the biggest talent TV show on earth, with legendary music producer David Foster. Besides her musical achievements, Anggun is known as a humanitarian activist, representing the UN Food and Agriculture Organization as a Goodwill Ambassador.

Afgan

Afgansyah Reza, more fondly known as Afgan, has came a long way from his first self-recorded private album made with a bunch of close friends. His deep soulful voice was quickly noticed by a producer who then opened up the path for him to enter the Indonesian music scene. Afgan released his first album “Confession No 1” in 2008, and within a year he bagged numerous awards for his outstanding and captivating vocal performance. In 2009, Afgan was awarded the Best Best Male Vocalist in the Anugerah Musik Indonesia and Best Male Artist in the Anugerah Planet Muzik. Although he never really had a professional vocal training, his sheer talent has propelled him forward and has made him one of the best male singers in Indonesia today.

 Krisdayanti

Krisdayanti’s singing career began with Asia Bagus in 1992, where her powerful vocals won the hearts of the jury and eventually led her to clinch the grand prize for Asia Bagus film festival in Japan. Five years later, she was honoured The Best of Asia Bagus award by the same franchise, further sealing her status an emerging vocal powerhouse in that era.  As her career progresses, Krisdayanti continued to win numerous awards in Indonesia and Asia, especially for her album “Menghitung Hari” where it won the Best Indonesian Album award in Anugerah Industri Muzik 1999, as well as the International Viewer’s Choice Award in the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. An exotic beauty with pure vocal talent, Krisdayanti was listed 31^st in the 2007 Globe Asia list of 99 influential women in Indonesia.

Sandy Sondhoro

Sandy Sondhoro was born and raised in Indonesia, but his music journey began in Germany while studying architecture. His first gig was with a group of street buskers on the street of Biberach an de Rich and subsequently he started to perform on his own. In 1998, Sandy moved to Berlin and started performing for bars, clubs and famous theatres like the House of World Cultures. Sandy released his first album, Why Don’t We in 2008, the same year he released his first single, Down on the Streets. His music is influenced by American and British rock legends like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. The power of his voice reminds many of Curtis Mayfield, and he is sometimes called the Ben Harper of Jakarta. Throughout his career, Sandy has garnered numerous accolades for his powerful vocals, the most recent being the The Grand Prix Winner of “White Nights of St. Petersburg 2017”, a music festival held in Russia. In August 2008, the Indonesian Embassy in Berlin bestowed him a medal of honour “Satya Lencana Karya Satya” for contributing world achievements to Indonesia.

Rio Febrian

In 1999, Rio Febrian became the Grand Champion of the 8th edition of Asia Bagus through his performance of the soulful song “I Am Your Angel”. His career in music then began to unfold, where at the same year he debuted his first duet “Nada Kasih” with Malaysian singer, Erra Fazira. His first self-named album launched in 2001, which in the subsequent year won the Gold Award from Sony Music Entertainment Indonesia. Rio’s melodious, sultry vocals and beautiful ballads have sent him to win the Best Male Pop Singer category in Anugerah Musik Indonesia in 2005. He recently released a new ballad “Mengerti Perasaanku” in October 2017, showing no signs of slowing down his successful singing career anytime soon.

Judika

Blessed with a high vocal range, Judika is well known as one of the best male singers in Indonesia. Ever since becoming the runner-up for Indonesian Idol 2nd season in 2005, Judika has serenaded and captivated his fans through his powerful vocals both on stage and in recording. He clinched the “Best Male Artist” from Anugerah Planet Muzik Indonesia three years in a row, from 2013 to 2015. Judika’s dedication to the Indonesian music scene is manifested in his latest self-named album released in April 2017, featuring only local Indonesian musicians and producers, including talented composers discovered through a special TV programme that he hosted and produced himself.

Gita Gutawa

Gita Gutawa has learned music ever since she was little, but never did she dream to become a musician like her father, Erwin Gutawa. Gita’s talent was discovered when she was 11 years old by a renowned Indonesian band, ADA Band, who invited her for a duet in a song named “Yang Terbaik Bagimu”. Her career then skyrocketed when her first album “Kembang Perawan (2007)” reached a Quadruple Platinum, garnering her the Best Newcomer Singer and Best Album awards in Anugerah Muzik Indonesia (AMI) 2008. In the same year, she also won the Grand Prix Winner in the International Nile Song Festival in Cairo, Egypt. One of the highlights of her career is her first concert “Kotak Musik”, held when she was only 16 year old with her being the performer and also heavily involved in the creative production of the concert. Gita has also launched “Di Atas Rata-rata” project – an initiative to support the young music talents of Indonesia to pave their way into the industry.

 

Indah Dewi Pertiwi

Born in 1991, Indah Dewi Pertiwi is a multi-talented star in the Indonesian music scene. Her first album, Hipnotis, released in 2010 became a hit in the nation and garnered The Indonesian World Records Museum (MURI) award as the fastest selling CD album in Indonesia, placed at number 5 on the list of Indonesian all-time best-selling albums. Indah Dewi proudly carries her Indonesian identity whenever she performs on stage, captivating her audience through her stellar modern-traditional fusion performance and strong vocals.

Cakra Khan

The highlight of Cakra Khan’s career thus far has to be his most popular single, Harus Terpisah, a song that debuted in his self-named album back in 2013. With his powerful vocals, the song became an instant hit in Indonesia, garnering multiple accolades including Best Pop Song in Anugerah Musik Indonesia and Anugerah Planet Muzik 2013. A graduate of Classical Music Arts from Bandung Music High School, Cakra Khan is serious in his art and has even been invited to become a jury in various singing programmes on Indonesian TV. In 2014, he was also presented with the Best Indonesian Singer award in Anugerah Planet Muzik Indonesia.

Fatin Shidqia

Fatin Shidqia is a young and fresh talent who rose to fame after winning the first season of the Indonesian version of the The X Factor in May 2013. Her strong, peerless voice and her modest image have won many Indonesian hearts and she is now considered to be one of prominent Indonesian singers. Fatin’s first album, For You, released in 2003, debuted at number one on the iTunes Indonesia Album Chart and became one of the most successful albums of that year in the Indonesia. The singles released from the album earned her 8 AMI Awards nominations, in which she won 5 of it including Best of the Best Album, Best of the Best Newcomer, and Best Pop Female Solo Artist. In 2016, Fatin became the first and only Indonesian singer to win the Daf BAMA Music Awards in Germany as Best Asian New Female Act. During the award she serenaded the audiences with her first English-language song “Away”, elevating her higher in the international music scene.