The Indies Celebrates Five Years Of Debut Albums With Shadow

JAKARTA - Baskara Putra, through his solo project, the Indies, has celebrated five years since the release of his solo debut album entitled 'Dancing With Shadow', by releasing a live appearance video on his YouTube channel.

This one hour long video was taken when he displayed a setlist of his debut album at the 2024 Party of Youth and Sports which took place last September.

"Partypora asked almost a year ago whether it could bring 'Dancing With Shadow', and we realized it was his fifth birthday," Baskara said regarding the process behind the video, through a written statement received by VOI, Monday, December 2.

"So we immediately thought about everything. The pressure seemed to be doing the tour alone, with the same level of stomach acid. But we were happy with the results," he continued.

The video, which is titled 5 Years of Dancing with Shadow, captures all the details of the performances thousands of fans have watched. The Indies performed with Blue Valley Radio, their current band, and helped present collaborators, such as Petra Sihombing, Matter Mos, Rayhan Noor, Natasha Udu, and Kamga.

"It feels really mixed up. There were several moments I couldn't help but cry," said the Indies.

"It feels like one more chapter is finished on my way to playing music. From the start I thought it would feel really big, I just didn't expect it to be that much."

In its fifth year of journey, the Indies felt the album proved its worth to celebrate. The album broke through a billion streams on Spotify last April, making the Indonesian male solo artist the first indies to reach the record.

Meanwhile, the songs in it, such as House to Home, Evaluation, 'Sufficient' and 'Blessing', each has reached 344, 318, 286 and 114 million streams on Spotify.

"That numbers don't make sense," he said.

The success of Dancing with Shadow has also changed the life of the Indies in various ways. This album can support many people, and can make my family relaxed because I am a musician. There is independence that I get from the financial impact of the album.

In terms of personal, the Indies admitted, "The album not only gave birth to the Indies, but also made me a different person. In the past, I rarely was able to open up, and the album made me someone who can tell stories to people and shows that fragility is not always something bad."

The album is also said to have helped listeners. To this day, the Indies are still receiving messages from fans telling them that 'Dancing with Shadow' has saved their lives.

"I'm relieved because my work is useful for many people. I made it just for personal satisfaction, it just turns out to be useful for other people," he said.

"I can't imagine whether the album will continue to be loved by people in my age who already have children who enter elementary school, or will still be found by new people. But hopefully, they will live long so they can help many people continue," he said.