Exclusive Sandhy Sondoro Spirit Of Welcoming Music Events After The Pandemic

JAKARTA - The COVID-19 pandemic is under control in Indonesia. The government opens the faucet for people to move freely while still paying attention to health protocols. One of the things that music fans look forward to the most is permission to hold a concert, Sandhy Sondoro is enthusiastically looking forward to it.

"I'm very enthusiastic, not only me, but I think every musician misses the moment to be able to meet face-to-face with a real person, every time we interact with real people, there's a voice, "Woi" the sound is like that from there, even though there are many people, the virtual is different. Not only in virtual yes, in cyberspace, yes, this is the real world. After two and a half years, maybe we can do this again, thank God we are still together. It's amazing. I'm really grateful to be together," said Sandhy Sondoro during a visit to the VOI office, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, Monday, April 25.

The singer of the song Malam Biru admitted that he was really looking forward to the opportunity to appear again on stage. As a warm-up, Sandhy was the guest of a limited concert with a unique concept 1.2 km underground in Tembagapura, Mimika, Papua some time ago.

"As musicians, not only me, all my friends, especially those who are Freeport, it's PT Freeport Indonesia's birthday, we are given the opportunity to entertain Freeport Indonesia staff workers. We also performed at 1.2 km, we actually entered the mountain. So what we know about the very famous, we are under it," he recalled.

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For him, the experience became a source of inspiration as well as preparation for returning to perform at a live concert. "It was one of the healing experiences in my career and to be able to go in there, we had to have a health check up beforehand and there was one from our team who couldn't enter because when he was checked up his blood pressure was high. I'm okay, thank God healthy," he said.

Apparently to get to the bottom of the soil must go through a strict medical examination. "As soon as we entered the location I said I was waiting for what would happen, what's wrong with shortness of breath, but oh my God, I'm okay, I'm okay, I don't have a problem. If you have high blood pressure, you can have nosebleeds and blood comes out of your ears. and ears," he said.

Sandhy was not just an ordinary concert, the concert was recorded as a concert with the most basic underground location in the MURI record. "I am very grateful to be able to perform there," he explained.

Sandhy said he was satisfied with his current life achievements. He wants to enjoy the old dreams that have now been achieved.

"I believe that I have lived my life as a musician whose English is 'I am live in my dream'. It means that I live in my dream and become like this and because I follow my heart," he explained.

Sandhy explained that it was not easy at first to follow his heart to become a musician. As an architect, he was against his basic abilities. Choosing to be a street singer in Germany, now Sandhy is reaping the fruit of his determination.

"At first I was so cool. If I want to be a musician, I have to be brave. Oh, if I don't have money, what about musicians who don't have money, but I follow my heart and I believe that if I follow my heart in life, there will be rewards. There are a lot of magical things," he said.

What prizes has Sandhy achieved? "I can sing with David Foster, I can go to Moscow, I can go to Kazakhstan, I can go to Los Angeles, I can go to Hollywood, I can play with Dianne Warren and be covered on Jazz TV shows in America and in Russia I can get a Grammy and the Kremlin. We knew that when I was little, America was at war with Russia and the secret agent was AGP from the Kremlin. We were there," he said proudly.

"So yes, at first it was miserable, but the success without the sacrifices that we used to suffer was true success," he added.

As a slanted-eyed Asian descendant, Sandhy's presence as a busker in Germany clearly looks foreign. But he didn't want to give up. He believes he can achieve his dream of becoming a successful musician.

"The thing that saddens me the most is that I'm a foreigner, my eyes are slanted, East Asians are very different from people today. I sing while I chase my dreams, I also play in cafes, sometimes play at music events where there are all kinds of stages but mainly that's me. I played a lot on the MRT or on the city bus. I used to be a street busker on a city bus," he recalled.

Like buskers in Indonesia, Sandhy Sondoro has also experienced the sensation of being chased by officers while singing. "There you can play on the bus, you can't just play on the MRT, it's okay, but according to the regulations it's not allowed, it's just me and the security there," he explained.

In Germany, he continued, not many cafes provided a stage for live music at that time. But Sandhy tried to survive even though the event to show off was very rare.

"At that time they weren't too into live music, so they only had events like that once a month, once a week and played twice a month. And I was singing there, just like you see Caucasians singing here, right? Caucasians there, I'm very different, I feel like you guys are pushing Caucasians from America. Caucasians are suddenly playing on the MRT. What are Caucasians doing, you don't go home, I'm like that," he recalled.

12 years of singing has made Sandhy steady in music. His soul did not shake no matter what conditions he faced. Hard work will not betray the results, that's what Sandhy said if there are young musicians who want to pursue a music career.

"If someone says, "Mas Sandhy, I want to be like Mas Sandhy," I will explain 12 years of singing on the German MRT. You have to stand the appeal, be ready to be cool, that's right. If you don't want it to be difficult, don't ask, that's my way," he explained.

For him, Germany is a second home. Sandhy also continued his career there as his career in Indonesia accelerated. Life experience made him unable to leave Germany just like that.

"I study in Germany, people think that studying in Germany is rich, my parents are like all of them. No, we, my father, are middle class people, but because of my will, where there is a will there is a way," he explained.

He feels lucky because the German government provides a large subsidy for education. Sandhy was finally able to finish college as an architect in addition to pursuing a music career.

Even so, Sandhy feels that his musical ability dominates over his ability as an architect. "In architecture, I have not been able to create works like an architect who already has his own color. Frank Gehry, let's say. He has a work, yes, this is Frank Gehry. It's not that I feel like a pioneer either, right or not," he explained.

Throughout his career, Sandhy Sondoro admits that he has had many memorable opportunities that cannot be mentioned one by one. However, there was one song that impressed him the most.

"The most memorable? There's a lot. There's a song where people don't listen too much, first it's in English and the type is not the music people like here. Even in Germany, women like that song. It's called Down on the Streets because of my story I live on the streets from the streets. I realized I was from the street from the street performers of the MRT especially in Hamburg," he said.

In the future, he still has dreams of a duet with his favorite musician. "A duet with Lenny Kravitz, Stevie Wonder and Rod Stewart. From here, Indonesian people who may have never had it, Iwan Fals. Oh, we are planning to release a single with Mas Dwiki Dharmawan. Mas Indra Lesmana later in September I will join and it's easy I hope I can join Indra Lesmana's concert in Jakarta or Bali," he hoped.

Most recently, Sandhy's career journey, which she is grateful for, is being one of the juti at the All Tohether Now event in England. "There are 6 episodes, if I'm not mistaken, the show is a franchise from the United Kingdom and is held in several countries, if I'm not mistaken there is also Malaysia. Indonesia doesn't exist yet," he explained.

"There are 100 judges, but the game has to be like this, 1 episode of 12 participants ends, there is a winner who gets 10 thousand Euros. The next episode there is another winner. There are 6 winners and here we are closing, it has to be like this. Are you good or not," said Sandhy Sondoro .

Shandy Sondoro reminisced about the days of singing because he was the most different judge compared to other judges. "I am the only judge from Asia who has slanted eyes. So there is pride to be able to join this event," he explained.