Andien shows talent beyond her years

Andien shows talent beyond her years

By Tuti Gintini

JAKARTA (JP): Three years ago, a 12-year-old girl came here to
learn singing with musician Elfa Seciora. Elfa trained Andien and
treated her as he did his other students. But during the three
years under his training, Elfa became aware of a rare potential.

The little girl is not only talented, but Elfa sees a new
magma for the jazz music world.

Andien's fondness for jazz music startled Elfa because it is a
rare interest for a child her age. She has mastered the vocal
technique and has the ability to instantly master new songs.

"I have liked jazz music from my childhood," Andien told The
Jakarta Post in a seafood restaurant at Pasar Raya Blok M.

At the beginning, according to Andien, her mother bought her
an Astrud Gilberto cassette, the first recorded album she owned.
She was only in the 6th grade of elementary school. After the
Astrud Gilberto album, Andien was hooked and added other jazz
albums, such as those of Sarah Vaughan and Sergio Mendez.

In fact, Elfa had sensed that the kid was "different" when she
performed her first vocal test. Elfa inquired whether she was
unwell because her voice was very hoarse. Andien shook her head.

After months of studying Andien still had a throaty voice and
Elfa finally believed that this was her natural timbre.

"Since Elfa was convinced that my voice is indeed hoarse, I
have been geared towards jazz," said Andien.

Meanwhile, her vocal mentor, Elfa, has seriously followed
Andien's development. Practice frequency for sharpening her vocal
talent and musicology increased. To accommodate her talents and
swift development, Elfa prepared Andien for her first recording.

The Elfa-Andien jazz project comprises jazz and fusions with
lyrical themes varying from romantic love to specific, cheerful
songs specifically composed for the young. Two of the songs are
jazz standards -- The Boy From Ipanema by Antonio Carlos
Jobim/Norman Gimbel and My Funny Valentine by Richard Rodgers and
Lorenz Hart. The recording was processed by Edi Monteiro in New
Jersey, America.

The Indonesian songs are compositions by Elfa and Wieke Gur
entitled Meniti Pelangi (Passing Over the Rainbow) which was once
sung by Harvey Malaiholo in 1986 and Detik Tak Bertepi (Second
Without Edge), created by Elfa and Ferina. Andien's ensemble
completed the 48-track recording last August in Singapore at the
Form Recording Studio.

The first album was released to the market along with a single
hit My Valentine Day. The video clip for promotion was processed
by Riri Reza, a movie director recently successful with the kid
movie Petualangan Sherina (Sherina's Adventures). Another song in
that album was Detik Tak Bertepi, taken by the Japan Airlines as
a tour song theme in 2000.

"The song is for me considerably hard to sing, as one must
sing with an ever climbing modulation," said Andien.

The song loved by Andien in that album is Hujan Deras
(Heavy Rain), a work by Elfa and Jana Julio. "I like it because
it's cheerful, funny, and the lyrics are quite suitable to me, a
youngster," she said with a smile.

Elfa feels it appropriate to call Andien's first album a
teenage girl's travel along in jazz music style and melancholic
fusion. "Perhaps it's not necessary to call it genuine jazz, I'm
afraid the connotation is wrong," said Elfa.

After her recording was released in late 1999, Andien's
penchant for jazz intensified. "I feel satisfied singing jazz,
especially since my voice is of the throaty type. The result
would be bad if I insisted on singing songs of other music
genres," she said.

She has received many invitations to perform, not only in
Jakarta, but also in other regions. And it is important to
schedule her appearances so as not to clash with her schooling.
She tries to go to school everyday.

If she is very tired after a show, she does not just skip
class. Instead, she asks for permission to leave early for a
rest.

"Thank God I am still in the top three or at worst in the top
five in my class," she added.

During the school holiday last July, Andien, along with her
parents and siblings, Digo, 13, and Dias, 12, toured Java island.
Andien spent the entire holiday making a promotional tour for her
maiden album. She said she got warm welcomes from youngsters in
each town visited.

"I'm glad I could entertain my peers there," she said.

Andien, whose full name is Andini Aisyah Hariadi, was born in
Jakarta on Aug. 25, 1985. She started her career conventionally,
taking part in children song festivals, attending a vocal course
and learning piano. In 1999 she was the winner of Asia Bagus
prestigious vocal competitions.

She likes to compose songs herself and now she's in the 3rd
grade of Al-Ikhlas Junior High School and is active in students
organizations.

Last month she celebrated her 15th birthday at Cafe Salsa in
Kemang, South Jakarta, with friends and people to whom she was
indebted for catapulting her name as a singer. She sang a number
of songs - jazz repertoires, of course.