Exclusive, Lalahuta Wants To Be A Band That Consistently Works

JAKARTA - Lalahuta with its latest formation, namely Kevin Widaya (vocals), Beno Louloulia (guitar), Allain Hizkia (bass), and Boni Eko (drums), has launched a new music project in the form of an extended play (EP) or mini album entitled LSIH (Lalahuta Sings Indonesian Hits).

This EP contains three rearranged songs, namely "Aku Bertahan" which was popularized by Rio Febrian, "Dan" which was popularized by Sheila On 7, and "Status Palsu" which was popularized by Vidi Aldiano.

Through this EP, Lalahuta wants to present a sense of respect to seniors in the Indonesian music industry who have colored the daily lives of music lovers in the country with their works.

For Lalahuta itself, the three songs presented have their own stories. All of them are songs that were often played by the personnel before the band began its journey in the national music industry.

"These songs have indeed intersected with Lalahuta when we played in cafes and played at people's events. We think this is a form of respect for the songs and the artists," said Boni Eko.

As a band, Lalahuta, which has been running for more than ten years, has gone through many phases. Beno, Allain, and Boni, who were previously session players for several national musicians, then formed a band, started performing in cafes, and finally had original works.

Lalahuta's long and winding journey was shared with VOI exclusively. Three Lalahuta personnel, except Beno, visited the VOI office in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta after releasing LSIH to share their stories.

From Session Players to National Band

“Yes, the journey has been very up and down, but we have held on to survive,” said Boni.

Since the end of 2012, Lalahuta has felt fortunate to have survived until now, having gone through so many changes in the music industry itself.

“Now what makes it exciting is that Kevin has joined, so there is a new world again, a new recording again. Now Lalahuta is entering a new phase again. I feel like we are starting to move up another level in the industry,” said Boni.

For the personnel who started playing music as session players, having a band that they manage themselves is clearly more enjoyable. They feel free to express themselves and channel their musical potential.

“Appreciation as a session player is limited. If we have our own band, whatever is on our mind can be expressed as a work. As a session, we have to follow the rules of the artist themselves,” said Allain.

“As a session, we don’t have free space, we have ‘walls’. If the artist wants something, we have to follow it. In a band, we can sit down and chat about what songs we want to perform on stage, but as a session (player) we have to follow the artist,” Boni added.

Meanwhile, for Kevin, even though he is a new member, he said that what Lalahuta did was the right thing. He sees the importance of original work for a musician.

“Playing in a cafe or being a session player might be comfortable, we definitely get a stage. But believe me, when you have your own work, even though you don’t perform as much as other people who play in cafes, believe me that you have more value,” Kevin said.

“That’s what makes you as a musician more appreciated than if you just play in cafes. So, if you want to develop, create work, get out of your comfort zone,” he added.

Becoming a Consistent Band

Struggling as a band, especially nowadays, is not easy. Although not absolute, soloists are far superior in terms of quantity, and perhaps in terms of quality, nowadays. Moreover, the direction of the music industry cannot be equated with the 1980s or 1990s, when bands were the ‘kings’.

Even so, bands have their own charm. That’s what has kept Lalahuta going for more than ten years.

“In my opinion, playing in a band that’s fun is playing music, being able to make this and that,” said Boni.

“Making a band is easy but also difficult, because there are challenges within the band, how to keep going even though we each have different mindsets, different ideas and all sorts of things. How we can keep moving forward, that’s the challenge, that’s what makes it fun,” added Allain.

Kevin, who was previously a soloist, agreed with what his two colleagues said. According to him, many things are better when together in a band.

"When I'm solo, when I'm stressed, I keep it to myself, even though there's a team to share it with. But it's different with a band, we can share the headaches," said Kevin.

"And the energy on stage, our feeling as a band is different than being solo. It feels very different. We know that here we are standing as one body, so we can share the energy on stage together," he continued.

Although admitted by the personnel not as a group with a big name, Lalahuta sees that there is still appreciation for the band.

"If we talk about appreciation, I see it's okay, the industry is very good. Looking at the views on YouTube and streams on Spotify, Lalahuta thinks that there is already very good appreciation from the Indonesian people," said Boni.

"We admit that we are not very big, but with that number we are already very grateful, still being noticed, still getting invitations to play at school events," he continued.

Even though they have performed at big music festivals, Lalahuta also still enjoys performing at school events. This is done on the principle of remaining consistent.

“Playing at a school graduation party is fun, besides the students are excited, the school is also exciting, the teachers also participate,” said Boni.

“When playing at a school graduation party, the fun part is because the crowd is the same age, so when we move it, somehow they break out together,” added Kevin.

With what has been through so far, Lalahuta ensures that they will consistently be present in the Indonesian music industry. They want to continue to create works with ‘blood’ that is always young.

“For me personally, (Lalahuta) is the only band in Jakarta that initially played in a cafe and managed to break into the market with their original works. For me, Lalahuta will continue to create works in the future, will continue to exist in the music industry, and will continue to be able to relate to their listeners,” said Kevin.

“Lalahuta will continue to follow what is relevant in the world of young people today. I really want to embrace young people because young people are the seeds of this nation. "So if we can make something good and memorable for them, hopefully it can be a lesson for them to build this nation," concluded Boni.