A day with deejay Meita Kasim

A day with deejay Meita Kasim

Jakartan Meita Kasim, 25, owes her looks and velvety voice to
Lombok and Padang parentage. The popular deejay and music
director at Hard Rock FM Jakarta also fronts the all-girl group
Wondergel, an underground rock sensation that launched its first
album, Wondergel, last year. Currently working on a follow-up
album, Meita lives with her parents on Jl. Proklomasi, Central
Jakarta. In conversation with The Jakarta Post's William Furney.

JAKARTA (JP): I wake up at about 7 a.m. or 8 a.m., thinking
"oh dear, if only I had more time to sleep; or oh s___, it's the
morning again". But I get up and take a shower. I'm Muslim but I
don't often pray as it's not always possible. I either drive to
work or take a bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicle). When I
arrive, I send the office boy out to get breakfast, usually bubur
ayam (chicken porridge) or some kind of mie (noodles).

The first thing I do is check my e-mail. There's usually about
eight to 10, from friends and my recording company. The Internet
has changed my life; I don't think I can live without it. I love
to surf.

The morning and afternoons are taken up with compiling the
weekly playlist for Hard Rock FM. The list has over 100 songs --
the ones our listeners want to hear. I think it's good to have a
playlist, but sometimes the other deejays don't like the songs.
They say things like, 'this song sucks, man'. Our listeners are
between 20 and 30 years old, so we can't play boy bands or heavy
metal. Right now, Two Steps music from the U.K. is hot. It's
dance, but the beat is just two steps.

Being a deejay is like being someone else, like being an
actor. When you open the mike, no matter how bad your day has
been, you have to sound cheerful. But working with Hard Rock FM
is great as I get to travel. I've just come back from Taiwan,
where I was reporting on a Corrs concert.

Three months ago, I became the music director, so my
broadcasting schedule is not as full as it used to be -- just two
or three times a week. Every Monday, I present the 80s list and I
talk about what was hip and cool back then, and, of course, play
the songs. I also present Hard Rock FM's Top 41, our chart show,
on Saturdays. And I also have a regular show when I play music
and say hi to the listeners, which rotates.

The studio is a single-operation setup, which I like because
I'm fully in control. I remember the first broadcast I made from
another radio station, and that was scary. I had butterflies in
my stomach. But I've been doing this since 1993, so it's no big
deal now.

I break for lunch at 12 p.m. I love all Indonesian food, as
well as Japanese and other Asian food. I'm not such a fan of
Western food -- it's heavier and makes you full so fast. But
sometimes, I'll have McDonald's.

After I left high school, I went to Jayabaya University to
study international relations and it was there that I started to
go to a lot of gigs with friends. When we went to see a really
great all-girl band in Blok M (South Jakarta), I thought, "If
they can do it, so can I." So we set up Wondergel. But none of us
could play an instrument. We decided what we wanted to play and
for three months we studies hard. We've performed over 100 times
now. Our biggest gig was when we opened for Dewa 19 in Bandung.
But we all have full-time jobs now and it's getting more
difficult to get together. I'm writing songs, though, for the
next album.

I write mostly about love. But right now I'm not going out
with anyone. I'm more focussed on my career. I have lots of
things I want to do and it's better if I'm not in an intense
relationship at the moment.

I'm so concerned about the political situation in this
country, because it directly affects the economy. I feel very
frustrated about it and wonder when it will end. I really hate it
when other countries see us as one of the most bankrupt and
corrupt nations in the world, and I do feel ashamed. I ask
myself, "What the f___ is going on?"

When I get home in the evenings, I like to write and play
PlayStation. I write in my journal, and also compose poems and
short stories. I have to write every day about my feelings. I'm
an introverted person, and I write about what I don't say to
other people. It's not that I don't want to express my feelings,
it's just that I don't know how. That's probably why I became a
musician.

Sometimes, I like to go out to cafes. I like to drink
cranberry vodka. The last time I was drunk was at a Levis party
two or three weeks ago. When I got home, I had to sneak in
because I didn't want my parents to know the state I was in. I
see a lot of people when I'm out, actors and singers, and lots of
them are involved in drugs. Fortunately, I've never touched them
-- the only drugs I take are for colds. I hate drugs and I think
it's damn stupid to take them. I think famous people take them
because of the people they hang out with, and their lifestyle. I
don't think it's easy to be a celebrity.

I don't go to bed at any specific time. Sometimes it's early,
about 10 p.m., but mostly it's about 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. When I'm
lying in bed, I like to fantasize -- that's what keeps me awake.
I imagine what my life would be like if I were living in another
country, like the U.K. I've been to the U.S. and Australia, but I
didn't like the States. Maybe if I went to Europe, I could work
for the BBC or MTV. But I wouldn't care, just as long as I was
there; I'd even be a waitress.