WORLD'S MOST DIVERSE AND MUSICAL NATION: INDONESIA

Imagine a country where almost everyone plays an instrument… Just for fun and because they absolutely love music. It isn’t uncommon to see people playing the guitar for their chidren on their lunch break or just singing along to a friends guitar. “Better than nothing” said a man to me once when I was waiting for the boat to cross from Gili Air to Lombok and I smiled when he suddenly took a bamboo flute out of his backpack and started playing. How beautiful is that?

When we think about why we have been listening to music in English as the non-native english nations, I don’t really see an aswer other than the effects of colonialism on our choices of music. Sad. So I want to introduce you all to the wonderful World of Indonesian music, sang in indonesian language with the most poetic lyrics you will ever find.

Last year, Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo opened a Megadeth concert in Jogjakarta with a speech because he is a big metal music fan! He listed some songs he wishes them to play and resumed his speech with wassalamunaleikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. How cool is that? What is really cool is that the non-native English third-world has its own cultural and musical heritage but… on top they also follow up on Western origin music sang in English language. On the other side, native English speakers know zero songs in indonesian, turkish or tamasheq. I think they should.

Image: Indonesian President Joko Widodo

When a friend asked me to share my indonesian spotify list with her, she was atonished about how amazing the music is.  There’s Ary Juliant and Matajiwa and PADI and Superman Is Dead and FourTwnty and Payung Teduh and Banda Neira and SLANK and Ipang and NoStress and Peterpan and Tulus and Steven & Coconuttreez and Kunto Aji and Sisitipsi and Ricky Lionardi and Amtenar and Ivan Falls and many more amazing bands and singers on my list. Each of them have meaningful poetical lyrics about life and love and rock climbing and rain drops and waterfalls and equal rights… Not to mention Indonesia's longstanding musical heritage and the gamelan, oh the gamelan... There's just so much to enjoy in everything musical from Indonesia.

Image: Gamelan orchestra

It is with honor that I, a North Ossetian Turkish/Australian citizen living in Indonesia, introduce you to the wonderful World of indonesian musical tunes. I said to myself, what a wonderful World! I hope you Google and YouTube to find some of these musicians to add musical spice to your lives.

Terima kasih!