Locals dominate international song festival

Locals dominate international song festival

By Dini S. Djalal

JAKARTA (JP): After two days of musical spectacle, the first
Indonesia International Song Festival announced that two of their
three Grand Prix winners are Indonesian.

Three teenage songstresses, popularly known as AB-Three,
walked away with both the Best Interpretation of an Indonesian
Song prize and the overall Grand Prix prize, while American Kenny
James won second prize. Established Indonesian artist Trie Utami
also placed prominently, winning the runner-up prize of Best
Interpretation of an Indonesian song as well as third place for
the Grand Prix. Neither Indonesian performer, however, won a
prize for the previous night's category of Best International
Song.

As the audience filed out of the Jakarta Convention Center,
the same mutterings were heard among observers and reporters:
"Was the judgment fair?" The participating contestants, the
organizing committee, and juries of this Rp 1 billion
(US$443,458) extravaganza answered only in the affirmative.

"It was perfect. It was fair," said Garret Wall, the Irish
songwriter who won the Best International Song award. "The (AB-
Three) girls were very professional, and they deserved to win,"
he said.

As for the fresh-faced winners, they greeted their accolade
with pure professionalism. With tears smudging their make-up,
they ecstatically repeated their winning performance of Takkan
Terhenti (translated into I want you), written by Yongki Soewarno
and Maryati. Friends and families stormed the stage afterwards.
Widi, the youngest of AB-Three at 16 years old, breathlessly
expressed gratitude in between handshakes and autograph-signing.

"This is a blessing that we can't pass by. We're going to keep
on improving our performances, so we can prove ourselves
further," Widi said. Widi also sees the prize as recognition of
Indonesia's music industry, and summed up the purpose of the
festival. "This prize is really important not just for AB-Three,
but for the reputation of other Indonesian artists and composers.
Perhaps now Indonesian artists can gain a bigger name overseas,"
said Widi.

Judging by the immense expenditures and arrangements of the
overall events, Indonesia's music industry is indeed determined
to break on to the international stage. The International Song
Festival, overseen by none other than music-enthusiast and part-
time rock-and-roller Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono, follows
the Pacific Music Rainbow songwriters convention in Bali last
week. There, international and Indonesian singers and
songwriters wrote songs together, which they will perform tonight
for the Charity Evening at the Jakarta Convention Center.

Simultaneously occurring with the International Song Festival
was the seminar on copyrights, also headed by Moerdiono. Attended
by international and local recording industry executives, the
seminar called for the end of music piracy so that Indonesia's
music industry can improve its reach and image here and overseas.

The festival is a key promotional tool towards this goal.
Sixteen participants sang both English and Indonesian songs for
the $6,000 Grand Prix prize and numerous other prizes. Chilean
Luis Jara and Australian Jay Maree Smith in particular received
much applause for their flawless but novel renditions of Sunset
Cafe and Maaf (Sorry). That foreign artists learned to sing
effortlessly in Indonesian was a tremendous public-relations
triumph for all parties involved, but particularly for local
artists.

"Indonesian songs are rarely sung outside of the country,"
said popular songwriter and chairman of the copyrights seminar
Candra Darusman. "The opportunities here are extraordinary. This
festival is a channel for our composers to be heard overseas."

Darusman said that already-popular Indonesian songs will now
be translated into English and then marketed abroad.

Local artists may thank Indonesia's 50th Anniversary for these
opportunities. In this jubilee year, home industries have
benefited from the projects of the Committee for the 50th
Anniversary Celebrations, headed by Moerdiono. Having staged fine
arts, fashion, dance, and handicrafts events, the Committee now
gathered sponsorship from the Medco Group of Companies, TPI
television, Garuda Indonesia, and various other companies for
Indonesia's first foray into the music festival circuit.

As the winners confirm, all this effort has obviously not gone
unrewarded. At the very least, the events offer free publicity
for the country's tourism industry. These type of gatherings also
offer great opportunities for recording contracts and production
deals. What goes on backstage is as important as what is shown on
stage.

Business aside, however, song festivals are often tenuous
territory. Many careers may depend on the festival circuit, but,
moving from festival to festival, these performers rarely go
beyond the circuit. Most of the contestants in this year's
festival are alumni of other festivals, such as Rumania's Golden
Stag Festival, Finland's Midnight Sun Song Festival, and the
infamous Eurovision Song Contest. The latter is especially
notorious for garnering publicity, despite the music media's
condemnation of it as a pool of unoriginality. Which may be
interpreted as a compliment by some, as these festivals are
mostly interested in proven formulas.

The winner of the Best International Song, however, is a
relative newcomer to the circuit, which may explain his
refreshingly individual performance. Accompanied only by his
acoustic guitar, Garret Wall's winning song Heart is a plaintive
dirge sung in languid melodies. His clear voice is reminiscent of
an introspective Robert Plant, and his bearded-bard image is a
refreshing alternative to the other glamorous contenders.

His saccharine-free lyrics also set him apart from the usual
simplistic anthems or ballads.

"I am so glad to have won because my song was different from
the others," said Wall.

Festival songs are often as predictable as they are shallow.
They are throwaway tunes, empty of substance, angst or honesty.
The emotions expressed are the sort you pick up on an assembly
line or at the supermarket: generic, formulaic, and ultimately
removed from any truth.

Runner-up Kenny James is a product of the festival circuit,
and it shows. He once won $100,000 from the American show Star
Search, a popular but uninspired variety show. James offers the
standard elevator soul, like a Peabo Bryson without the charisma.
His song, The Magic in You, is like honey covered in plastic:
you know it should be sweet, but you can't actually taste it.
However, with four Americans on the jury, the results are not
surprising.

Which is a shame for the other contestants, which displayed
great pizzazz. Twenty-year old Jay Maree Smith from Australia is
especially impressive. Her operatic voice soars as high as her
electric presence, set off by her waist-length fire-red hair.
She may not have won anything at the festival, but ultimately she
will probably sell the most records.

Ella May & Arthur from the Philippines also had great voices
and rapport, and their jazz-inspired tunes were easier on the
ears than the twangy pop ditties sung by the others. Most of the
other contestants relied so much on routine orchestration, which
further stripped the music of any empathy.

The second night's show was also as overproduced, but the
novelty of hearing foreigners sing in Indonesian spurned the
audience to cheer wildly. Imitation is indeed the best flattery!
The Dutch-Indonesian duo Two Girls, representing the Netherlands,
gave a particularly good rendition of Jadi Rembulan (To Become A
Moon), a sweet medium-tempo ditty.

Their performance, however, was one of the very few which did
not fall into the two categories of Indonesian pop songs:
cengeng (whiny and sad) or overly happy. Recently, younger
artists, such as Gigi, Denada, and Java Jive, have slowly torn
away from these formulas, but many Indonesian pop songs
worryingly sound the same.

Hearing Indonesian songs sung by foreign artists confirms the
suspicion that it is the songs, and not the singers, that hinder
innovation and greatness. Some singers, such as the superb Ruth
Sahanaya, can actually elevate a song beyond its worth. Pop music
may essentially be defined by its lightness and simplicity, but
the best pop music, such as the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper album
and the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, are brilliant because they pushed
the boundaries of the genre towards greater heights.

Grand Prix winners AB-Three, however, are young enough to
eventually venture into these territories. Their voices are
strong and charismatic, their rapport dynamic, and their
choreographed stage presence impeccable. If these girls can write
songs as well as they sing, Indonesia's music industry may yet
achieve its lofty aspirations.