Music a tie that binds for singer Ubiet<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Singer Nyak Ina Raseuki, better known as Ubiet, left her hometown
\nin Aceh 20 years, and so hardly sees her ethnic identity as a
\ndefining point of who she is today.<\/p>\n
Yet, because of the conflict in the westernmost province,
\nthere are the inevitable if somewhat uncomfortable associations
\nwith the place she grew up in but left as a teenager.<\/p>\n
\"My parents are Acehnese, and I still have relatives who live
\nthere, so people ask questions. Whereas I've been living in
\nJakarta for so long, and I don't like to have anything to do with
\npolitics,\" said Ubiet, 38.<\/p>\n
That is notwithstanding the remaining strong connection with
\nher ancestral homeland that goes beyond sentimental childhood
\nmemories.<\/p>\n
Ubiet earned her master's degree from the University of
\nWisconsin at Madison from her research on seudati traditional
\narts. For her doctorate at the same university, she was studying
\nIslamic music in Aceh when the political situation in the
\nprovince deteriorated and she had to drop the subject.<\/p>\n
\"Acehnese traditional music is my strongest relationship with
\nmy hometown. It was very difficult for me to switch to another
\nsubject. But it is impossible for me to go there and do
\nresearch,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Many genre of traditional music continue to be performed by
\nAcehnese, usually in villages.<\/p>\n
\"But because of the conflict, people can't even go to work,
\nlet alone play and sing music. If this war keeps going on,
\ntraditional music can become extinct.\"<\/p>\n
Friendly yet blunt, Ubiet is a rare breed in the local music
\nscene. She has a distinctive ornamented vocal range, able to go
\nup and down freely, and a music that is an amalgamation of pop
\nand Indonesian traditional music.<\/p>\n
She started in pop back in the 1980s, singing for Splash Band.
\nIt was not until she was studying classical singing at the
\nJakarta Arts Institute (IKJ) that she stumbled onto traditional
\nmusic.<\/p>\n
\"I got so sick of pop music, so I looked for something else,\"
\nUbiet said.<\/p>\n
\"Besides, classical or opera singing only uses resonance in
\nthe head, while I want to do techniques of diaphragm, nasal and
\nhead resonances.\"<\/p>\n
She began to learn to produce voice through unconventional
\nmethods.<\/p>\n
\"I learn, especially from the sinden (traditional Javanese and
\nSundanese singers) and traditional music from Aceh and Bali. I
\nlisten to everything, including animals' voices. I want to
\ndevelop all of the sounds,\" said Ubiet, whose nickname comes from
\nthe Acehnese for small, given her petite figure.<\/p>\n
She even displays her musical talents on her answering
\nmachine.<\/p>\n
After graduating from IKJ, Ubiet received a scholarship from
\nthe University of Wisconsin with a major in ethnomusicology. She
\nis now working on a new doctorate in traditional music in
\nKerinci, Jambi.<\/p>\n
During her study at Madison, she released an album in 2000
\ncalled Archipelagongs. Comprising 10 songs, it is about a journey
\nacross the Indonesian archipelago where pop music blends with
\ntraditional music.<\/p>\n
The album was an effort to introduce the world beat genre, as
\nwell as an attempt to produce songs with good lyrics -- something
\nrarely found in local songs.<\/p>\n
\"The lyrics are so trashy, sorry to say,\" she laughed.<\/p>\n
\"The music isn't distinctive whatsoever, it has no such thing
\nas Indonesian style. If we took out the lyrics, we've got music
\nthat is similar to American or European pop music, only worse..
\nOoh, it's bad. But don't write that down,\" she said, laughing
\nagain.<\/p>\n
Indonesian musicians lack technique as they are reluctant to
\nlearn and gather many references to draw from, she added.<\/p>\n
\"It doesn't have to be in a formal institution like IKJ, but
\nplease get some education. Whether it's through courses, or
\nprivate lessons, but learn music composition. Or just listen to a
\nlot of things, to enrich our references. Just listen, and then
\nfind the influence, the idea..\".<\/p>\n
Indonesian musicians cannot catch up with the trend of pop
\nmusic in the world, but they feel that they have produced some
\ngreat works, even though, of course, these are only known in this
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
\"We're lagging behind Africa, for instance. African musicians,
\nlike Senegal's Youssou Ndour, for instance, plays pop with modern
\ninstruments, but it is still played in an African style,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"No wonder, there are many African musicians who are known all
\nover the world.<\/p>\n
\"We have Indonesian music like keroncong (popular music with
\nPortuguese influences) and dangdut (Arab\/Indian influenced
\nmusic), which can actually be included in the international world
\nbeat music scene. If only we can develop it.\"<\/p>\n
People play dangdut and keroncong in the same time-honored
\nstyle, which many consider outdated and stagnant.<\/p>\n
\"Whereas if it is arranged well, it can become a national
\nasset.\"<\/p>\n
Music like Ubiet sings on Archipelagongs, or when she
\ncollaborated with contemporary musician Tony Prabowo, has yet to
\nfind an avenue into the mainstream in this country.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, she accepts more gigs abroad: Ubiet has sung
\non stages in the United States, Colombia, Morocco, England,
\nAustralia and South Korea.<\/p>\n
Last year, she sang at the grand opening of Esplanades Theater
\non the Bay in Singapore, accompanied by a local Malay orchestra.<\/p>\n
\"I sing on stage here too, but usually at a small event
\nbecause the audience is limited. Getting an audience of 200 to
\n300 is already good,\" said Ubiet, who co-founded the New Jakarta
\nEnsemble which plays contemporary music.<\/p>\n
She is planning to make another album, yet another attempt to
\npush the world beat genre into the mainstream.<\/p>\n
\"Record labels are usually reluctant to distribute such genre,
\nsaying that it's not popular. Well, shouldn't we popularize it?
\nOtherwise we will continue to lag behind other countries,\" said
\nUbiet, who is married to writer Nirwan Dewanto.<\/p>\n
Right now, aside from working on her thesis, teaching world
\nmusic at IKJ and singing, Ubiet is working as a director of Taman
\nMusik Dian Indonesia music school for children.<\/p>\n
Established early this year, it is aimed at sharpening musical
\nsensibility of children aged two years to five years.<\/p>\n
\"My colleagues and I are worried because the music education
\nin this country is not structured. Little kids are directly given
\nmusical instruments to learn, whereas this only works for
\nchildren with high musicality. In most cases, children stop
\nlearning music because they have been forced to do so,\" Ubiet
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
At her school, children are introduced to the most basic
\nmusical elements, like tone and rhythm, through play.<\/p>\n
There are also classes for children with Down's syndrome,
\nproviding them with musical therapy that will help them to be
\nmore independent and increase their motoric balance.<\/p>\n
\"Let's just hope that music education will get better,\" she
\nsmiled.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/music-a-tie-that-binds-for-singer-ubiet-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}