Thirty Minutes with Melanie Subono

By Mok Cui Yin

Most people I know would attend this year’s SingFest because of big names like Jason Mraz, Panic! At The Disco, and Alicia Keys, and maybe Rick Astley (assuming you are old enough to remember who he is).

Somewhere along the artiste line-up, though, is a name that may not be very familiar with most Singaporeans. Melanie Subono is an Indonesian rock singer with a nomination for Best Solo Performer at the IKON ASEAN Awards 2008, an AMI Award for Best Rock Performance, and two solo albums and a few other collaborations under her belt.

Come 2nd August, she will be making her international debut at SingFest, no less. To find out more about her and her music, Audioreload got in touch with Melanie over the phone a couple of weeks ago for a quick morning chat.

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Why don’t you start by telling me more about yourself and your music?

I’ve been involved in music since I was a kid. My dad was a radio DJ, and I grew up listening to bands like the Sex Pistols, which is where I got my rock roots. I also played the piano for 11 years, and I was a piano teacher for a while, but I played a little bit of everything, especially the guitar.

I’ve already released my second solo studio album, but including collaborations, I’ve got about four albums in total.

My music is a bit different from what people might like to listen to, I think. Sometimes there is this idea that female singers should sing soft, romantic love songs, or stick to the genre of pop and so on, but I don’t fit that idea.

Are there any particular sources of inspiration or influences for your music then?

I think I would say Courtney Love is a source of inspiration for me. I’m not talking so much about her sex-drugs-and-alcohol lifestyle, but more about the way she stays true to herself and the music she likes, regardless of the ways people judge her and criticise who she is.

So, the most important thing in music- making is staying true to oneself?

Well, for me and my music, yes. I see music as a kind of language, to help me say things and voice my own opinions or spread some message or other. Of course there are no fixed rules in music that apply to everyone else, you know?

>For me, I want to be as honest as I can, and people…people will be able to listen to what I have to say. I don’t want to deceive them, I don’t want to deceive anybody or myself. Whether you are singing, or saying something, it has to be something that you believe in.

>But, of course there must be a balance in everything. There has to be a middle ground between realism and idealism, especially in our world today. Music can be a job, a way to earn money, of course, with mass commercialisation and all that, but you still have to stay true to yourself and not change everything just to suit the masses.

What about yourself – how do you feel about being called a “celebrity” or a “rock icon”?

Firstly, I am not a celebrity. That’s what I always tell people when they call me a “celebrity.” I am not a celebrity.

In the English language, the word “artiste” makes a reference to what you do for a living, your work; if you are an “artiste” it means that your work is the creation of your art, whatever it is. But in Indonesia, the word “artiste” is always used to imply that a person is a “public figure”.

What I say is, no, I am a musician, I work on my art, which is my music, and that is all there is. I am not a celebrity. I am not a “public figure”, I don’t live my life in the public eye, and I don’t live for public opinion or approval or anything of that sort. I’m not like a minister who has a job and duty to the public.

What I say in my music is in everyone’s heads already, but the difference is that I’m saying it out and they aren’t. Nobody has to accept my opinion.

Somebody once called me, that person was writing a book, and wanted to list me as one of the 50 most influential women here. The list included ministers, and people like that, people who live their lives to do something for the people. Me, it’s not the same. I’m just being honest with myself in what I do.

Of course, the awards do serve as an indication that my hard work has paid off, it’s just a form of recognition. But that is just like a bonus; I am happy to make my music, no matter what they say. Sometimes, it pays off, but the awards are not the most important thing to me. As long as I am staying true to myself…the rest doesn’t matter as much.

Way before your first album in 2005, you worked in London and Jakarta as a model, a TV host, and more notably, a talent liaison officer working behind the scenes with big names like Foo Fighters and Alanis Morissette! What was it like for you?

Yeah, I worked as a talent liaison officer for nearly 16 years. I got a lot of opportunities to interact with all these musicians and get to know them, learning about them, beyond the first superficial layer that most people get to see. Like when I met Alanis Morissette, it was nice working with her, and I talked to her about music, and asked her about guitar chords. I like it actually, being with these rockstars and seeing that they’re really human and seeing them both onstage and offstage. After talking to some of them you realise that they have had similar experiences to those you have been through before too, we are all human. It’s very interesting.

[Interviewer note: Those interested to find out more about the horror stories and funny experiences coordinating international celebrities can look out for the English translation of her book, “OUCH!!!” which will be available later this year.]

Are you excited about your international debut at SingFest later this year?

Yes! It’s my international debut, and I also got an invitation to play in Japan and Australia after SingFest as well. I’m not really that nervous or anything, actually. I’ve seen how people outside Indonesia are generally more curious about my music, more appreciative too. In Indonesia there isn’t as much support for local music, so I think I will feel more myself on the international stage.

What can we look forward to seeing at your SingFest gig, then?

Just look out for this crazy Indonesian woman doing her own thing! Okay, seriously, I’ll be doing an all-English collection. It’s the first time I’m doing an all-English set, so it is just a bit frightening, but I’m not going to think too much about it and just put myself into the whole thing.

It goes down to the very basic question of why I play music. Why do you play music? If you are doing it for the money, then do it as commercially as possible. But no, I have a message, so I will focus on my message. Whatever you do, just make sure you do it well.

What’s in store for you after SingFest and your performances in Australia and Japan then?

Well, for the next few years, I’ll just go with the flow. Piracy is increasing in Indonesia, so I’ll probably be releasing just a single next. It’s going to be about this woman called Marsilah, who was a female fighter, one of the persons who marked a turning point in Indonesian female rights. It’s going to talk about her spirit, her efforts and her energy. But I’m really just going to go with the flow, I don’t know where this is going to take me. Maybe this song might take me to jail, I don’t know! I might “disappear” the way Marsilah did and someone will write a song about me in the next five years instead.

Okay, let’s hope that doesn’t happen! Any parting words to our readers?

Yup, let’s have fun at SingFest, and remember, don’t judge, just have fun and enjoy the music from the crazy Indonesian woman!