Viral 'Handsome Brother Bahlil' Song Draws International Media Attention

The song ‘Mas Bahlil Ganteng’ has gone viral in Indonesia and has now caught the attention of foreign media. The prominent Singaporean outlet, The Straits Times, noted that the AI-generated song about the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, has taken the Indonesian internet by storm.

As reported by detikcom on Saturday (6/6/202 prestige), The Straits Times reviewed the viral track in an article titled ‘Indonesia’s latest AI-generated earworm is an ode to its energy minister’.

‘Since mid-May, Mas Bahlil Ganteng — Indonesian for “Handsome Brother Bahlil” — has spread rapidly across TikTok, Instagram, and WhatsApp groups, generating countless dance videos, cartoon animations, and remixes,’ The Straits Times stated.

‘Users have created English and Mandarin versions, while others have recorded violin covers, ska remixes, and a cappella versions,’ the article continued.

The Straits Times review noted that the viral song was inspired by the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme, a flagship initiative of President Prabowo Subianto. ‘Internet users have playfully transformed MBG into Mas Bahlil Ganteng,’ the publication wrote.

‘It is unclear who originally created the song, but it did not emerge from a political campaign or political advertisement. Instead, it appears to have been compiled from online comments about the minister, accompanied by an AI-generated melody,’ the article noted.

Despite the song being about Indonesia’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, The Straits Times suggested that this phenomenon reflects a unique characteristic of Indonesian political discourse. ‘This phenomenon is about more than just Bahlil; it offers a glimpse into the unique nature of Indonesian political discourse: the tendency to discuss serious political issues through humour, pop culture, and encoded internet language,’ the report concluded.