The contemporary music of Indonesia is diverse and vibrant. Throughout its history, Indonesian musicians were open to foreign influences of various music genres of the world. American jazz was heavily marketed in Asia, and foxtrots, tangos, rumbas, blues and Hawaiian guitar styles were all imitated by Indonesian musicians. As the result, various genres were developed within Indonesian music frame: Indonesian pop, rock, gospel, jazz, R&B, and hip hop. Indonesian music also plays a vital role in the Indonesian creative pop culture, especially as the
soundtracks or theme songs of
Indonesian cinema and
sinetrons (Indonesian TV drama). For example, Indonesian film
Badai Pasti Berlalu (1977) a produced successful soundtrack hit of the same name. In 1999, the soundtrack was remade with
Chrisye as the main singer and rendered by
Erwin Gutawa in orchestra style, and in 2007, the film was remade again with a new soundtrack featuring the same songs performed by new artists. Another popular Indonesian coming of age teen movie,
Ada Apa Dengan Cinta (2002) also produced hits from its soundtrack, with most songs written and performed by
Melly Goeslaw. In the late 1990s, within Indonesian
popular music, contemporary Islamic songs emerged, with performers making music as a tool for preaching. The main genres are
nasheed (
Aa Gym), Islamic rock (
Ahmad Dhani and
Dewa 19), and fusion style (
Cak Nun and
Kiai Kanjeng). Today, the Indonesian music industry enjoys nationwide popularity. Thanks to common culture and mutually intelligible languages between
Indonesian and
Malay, Indonesian music also enjoys regional popularity in neighbouring countries such as
Malaysia,
Singapore and
Brunei. However, the overwhelming popularity of Indonesian music in Malaysia has alarmed the Malaysian music industry. In 2008 Malaysian music industry demanded the restriction of Indonesian songs on Malaysian radio broadcasts.
Orchestra and classical music Western
classical music reached Indonesia in the era of
Dutch East Indies as early as the 18th century, but it was enjoyed only by a handful of wealthy Dutch plantation owners and officers in elite social clubs and ballrooms such as
Societeit Harmonie in
Batavia and
Societeit Concordia in
Bandung. De Schouwburg van Batavia (today Gedung Kesenian Jakarta) was designed as a concert hall in the 19th century. Classical music had been restricted to the refined, wealthy and educated high-class citizen, and never penetrated the rest of the population during the East Indies colonial era. The type of western-derived music that transcended the social barrier at that time was Kroncong, known as lower-class music. An amateur group called
Bataviasche Philharmonic Orchestra was established in Dutch colonial times. It became the
NIROM orchestra when the radio broadcasting station Nederlandsch-Indische Radio Omroep Maatschappij was born in 1912. Today it is known as Jakarta Symphony Orchestra, which has existed in the country's musical world for almost a century through its changing formats to suit prevailing trends and needs. In 1950, a merger of the Cosmopolitan Orchestra under Joel Cleber, and the Jakarta Studio Orchestra under Sutedjo and Iskandar appeared as the Djakarta Radio Orchestra under Henkie Strake for classical repertoires, and the Jakarta Studio Orchestra led by Syaiful Bachri specialised in Indonesian pieces. In 2010 Jakarta Symphony Orchestra staged a comeback after a fairly long absence.
The Jakarta Symphony was emerged in '70s. From the 1960s to the 1980s, classical music in Indonesia aired on the national radio broadcasting service, Radio Republik Indonesia (
RRI), and the national TV station Televisi Republik Indonesia (
TVRI). During these decades, classical orchestra mainly developed in universities as an extracurricular activity for students which included
choir. In the 1990s, professional symphony orchestras started to take form, such as the Twilite Orchestra led by
Addie MS, founded in June 1991. Initially an ensemble with 20 musicians, the ensemble has since developed into a full symphonic orchestra with 70 musicians, a 63-member Twilite Chorus, and a repertoire that ranges from
Beethoven to
The Beatles. The orchestra has played a role in promoting Indonesian music, especially in the preservation of national songs by Indonesian composers, and traditional songs. Aided by the
Victorian Philharmonic Orchestra with the Twilite Chorus,
Addie MS re-recorded the Indonesian national anthem,
Indonesia Raya, by
WR Supratman in its original orchestral arrangement by
Jos Cleber, as well as other Indonesian popular national songs in the album
Simfoni Negeriku. An Indonesian composer who is well known in contemporary classical music is
Ananda Sukarlan (born 1968), with many orchestral works, chamber and instrumental. His most celebrated works are a series of virtuosic Rapsodia Nusantara for piano solo, with musical motifs based on Indonesian folktunes. He has written works for musicians such as from the
Boston Symphony Orchestra, violinist
Midori Goto etc., and his works are widely performed worldwide. Today, major cities like
Jakarta,
Bandung,
Yogyakarta,
Surabaya,
Medan and
Batam are no strangers to orchestral music, with their own symphony groups. Jakarta, for instance, has its Nusantara Symphony Orchestra, the Twilite Orchestra and the Jakarta Chamber Orchestra. Among contemporary Indonesian musicians who associated with classical music are: the composers
Ananda Sukarlan and
Sinta Wullur; the pianists
Hendry Wijaya,
Eduardus Halim,
Esther Budiardjo, and
Victoria Audrey Sarasvathi; the flautist
Embong Rahardjo; the
soprano singers
Pranawengrum Katamsi,
Aning Katamsi, and
Isyana Sarasvati (she is also successful pop
sentimental ballad vocalist).
Pop Indonesian pop music today, known simply as I-pop or
Indo pop ("pop Indonesia") sometimes influenced by trends and recordings from West music,. Although influences ranging from
American pop,
British pop, and also Asian
J-pop are obvious, the Indonesian pop phenomenon is not completely derivative; it expresses the sentiments and styles of contemporary Indonesian life. Koes Bersaudara later formed as
Koes Plus is considered one of the pioneers of Indonesian pop and rock and roll music in the 1960s and 1970s. The American and British music influences were obvious in the music of Koes Bersaudara,
The Beatles were known to be the main influences of this band. Several Indonesian musician were survived through decades and become Indonesian music legends, such as pop and ballad singers
Iwan Fals and
Chrisye, as well as pop and
dangdut maestro
Rhoma Irama. One of the most influential Indonesian singers in pop music scene, especially during early 2000, is Agnes Monica, who had later known as
Agnez Mo. In late 90s through 2000s, the popular pop/poprock bands include
Slank,
Dewa 19,
Peterpan,
Gigi,
Sheila on 7,
Jamrud,
Padi,
Ungu,
Radja,
Letto,
D'Masiv and
Nidji, all of which tour regularly in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia and was featured on
MTV Asia. Indonesian pop or Indo pop music emerged from the 1980s until the 90s', known as
Pop kreatif, are commonly referred to as "Indonesian
city pop", due to their perceived similarities to the Japanese genre. The Japanese city pop and
Pop Kreatif genre themselves gained popularity among youngsters and amateur musicians in the late 2010s via the
Internet. The most recent foreign influences on Indonesian pop music are influenced from
J-pop and
K-pop. Several bands such as
J-Rocks emulate Japanese pop culture.
Girl groups are also spreading among boy bands, such as
7icons and
Cherrybelle, as well as
JKT48 which is an offshoot of the Japanese
AKB48.
Rock performing in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2008 Just like pop music, Indonesian rock scene also was heavily influenced by the development of rock music in America. The most influential Indonesian rock bands were probably
Panbers,
God Bless and
D'Lloyd that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. In the late 1980s to mid-1990s several female rock singers popularly known as "Lady Rockers" were famous in Indonesia, such as
Nicky Astria,
Poppy Mercury,
Nike Ardilla, and
Anggun who started her career in as a
poprock singer in Indonesia before moving to France and pursue her international career. Other notable
hard and poprock bands include
Slank,
Jamrud,
Dewa 19, and
Peterpan. Some of Indonesian poprock bands are rekindled with their
Malay roots and revived a genre called "
Pop melayu" (Malay pop) and popular in the late 2000s. The pop Malay bands include
Kangen Band,
Wali,
Hijau Daun,
Armada,
Angkasa, and
ST 12. Metal bands also exist, such as the
metalcore band
Killing Me Inside,
Death Metal /
Grindcore band
Jasad and the
Groove Metal /
Metalcore band
Burgerkill. Punk music scene also had steady underground success, with band like
Pee Wee Gaskins,
Superman Is Dead, and
Netral rose to mainstream. Notable act from ska music is
Tipe-X.
Dangdut performance
Dangdut is a popular semitraditional music genre of Indonesia which is partly derived of Indian, Arabic, and Malay music in the late 1960s in Jakarta city. It consists of melodious and harmonical music with the main
tabla as the percussion beat especially in the classical dangdut versions. It was originally an Indonesian dance music that has spread throughout Southeast Asia, became the dominant pop style in the mid-1970s. Famous for its throbbing beat and the slightly moralistic lyrics that appeal to youth, dangdut stars dominate the modern pop scene. However dangdut—especially performed by female singers—also often featuring suggestive dance movements and naughty lyrics to appeal the larger audience. This development was strongly opposed by the conservative older generation dangdut artist. Dangdut is based around the singers, and stars include
Rhoma Irama and
Elvy Sukaesih (the King and Queen of Dangdut),
Mansyur S.,
A. Rafiq,
Camelia Malik and
Fahmy Shahab; along with
Cici Paramida,
Evie Tamala,
Inul Daratista,
Julia Perez and
Dewi Perssik from younger generation.
Campursari A musical fusion style of traditional Javanese music and
dangdut that prevalent in
Javanese cultural sphere, mainly
Central Java,
Yogyakarta and
East Java, Perhaps its greatest current artist is
Didi Kempot. In the western part of Java, the
Sundanese Dangdut or Campursari version of the Sundanese was born and developed from traditional
Jaipong music with a distinctive
drum beat.
Experimental music A significant
experimental music scene has developed in Indonesia, with many acts combining traditional Indonesian vocal techniques and instrumentation with
metal and
electronic genres such as
gabber and
ambient. The experimental band
Senyawa has achieved international success with these fusions. Labels such as Yes No Wave in
Yogyakarta have been at the forefront of promoting the Indonesian experimental scene.
Gospel Gospel music also has a big influence in Indonesia. Gospel music began to enter Indonesia in the 1980s when it was brought in by American
Evangelical figures. Gospel music itself experienced its peak of popularity in Indonesia in the 1990s, at which time
Franky Sihombing created many
Christian spiritual songs. The entry of gospel music into Indonesia was not much sought after by music lovers in Indonesia, but it brought many changes to
church music. Currently, many churches in Indonesia use gospel music as a means of their worship. Apart from that, there are also many famous Indonesian gospel musicians who release songs for Indonesian congregations as a means of
evangelism and discipleship. Apart from that, there are also many well-known Indonesian gospel musicians such as
Joy Tobing,
Sidney Mohede,
Sari Simorangkir and
Franky Sihombing as well as church praise and worship team musicians such as
JPCC Worship. Gospel music in Indonesia has now expanded into a whole genre of Christian spiritual music. In recent years, gospel music has also become increasingly popular among Indonesian people, especially Christians. Gospel music concerts held in Indonesia are always packed with gospel music fans from various circles, especially
Christian revival meetings. Apart from that, Indonesian gospel music is also popular in churches in neighboring countries, such as
Malaysia, which is common because
Malaysian is used in that country as an official language and as a language of instruction for worship, which has similar languages such as
Indonesian so it is closely related and in part mutually understandable.
Jazz fusion Some Indonesian musicians and bands have explored
jazz music. Notable Indonesian jazz musicians include Jack Lesmana, Benny Likumahuwa, Benny Mustafa, Maryono, Bubi Chen
Maliq & D'Essentials. Various other groups fuse contemporary westernised
jazz fusion music with the traditional
ethnic music traditions of their hometown. In the case of Krakatau and
SambaSunda, bands from West Java, the traditional Sundanese kacapi suling and gamelan orchestra is performed alongside drums, keyboard and guitars. The
Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival is representative of the latest development of
Jazz in Indonesia, with many Jazz Festivals being held every year.
Reggae Since the 1970s,
reggae has been one of the most influential styles of music in Indonesia, including the phenomena of its fusion with
dangdut, regional pop and other popular genres. This involves bands such as Steven & Coconut Treez, Shaggydog, and Souljah, and singers
Mbah Surip, Amtenar, Dhyo Haw, Imanez, Nonk'Q Nongkray, and Tony Q Rastafara.
R&B Currently,
contemporary R&B is one of the most popular music genres developed by musicians in Indonesia. Both musicians who already have big reputations and newcomers present their own musical styles, which help to spread R&B and encourage its acceptance within various groups of Indonesian society.
Hip hop In Indonesia, hip-hop music was generally first introduced by
Benyamin Sueb and
Farid Hardja. Then, other hip-hop musicians also introduced hip-hop music to the public, such as Iwa-K and other hip-hop musicians. In the 80s, when young people still loved rock music, Iwa-K started to get involved with rap music, a music genre that places more emphasis on chattering techniques than using musical instruments.
Funkot Funkot is an
electronic dance music genre of Indonesian origin that emerged in the 1990s.
Indie scene By the end of the 2000s, indie bands such as
Mocca,
Float,
White Shoes & the Couples Company, and
Efek Rumah Kaca emerged into the mainstream, providing soundtracks for films, and subsequently toured in overseas territories. Entering the 2010s, indie music further broke into mainstream culture with its appeal amongst adolescents, due to its minimalist, melancholic sounds and age-appropriate lyrics. This commercial breakthrough for the genre was led by
Payung Teduh,
Fourtwenty,
Stars and Rabbit,
Sore,
Danilla,
Reality Club,
Banda Neira,
Barasuara, and
Fiersa Besari.
Notable contemporary artists •
Agnez Mo •
Benyamin Sueb •
Bing Slamet •
Brian Immanuel (Rich Brian) •
Chrisye •
Ebiet G. Ade •
Fariz RM •
Gesang •
Gombloh •
Guruh Sukarnoputra •
Harry Roesli (1950s–1970s) •
Iwan Fals •
Nicole Zefanya (Niki) •
Titi DJ •
Titiek Puspa •
The Tielman Brothers, Eurasians originally from Indonesia who gained popularity in
Europe. Their style is called
Indorock, after the colonial term used for Eurasians:
Indo-European, shortened to
Indo. •
Rainych •
Stephanie Poetri == See also ==