Exclusive Citra Scholastika, Re-Introducing Yourself Via Tilik Jogja

JAKARTA - The name Citra Scholastika became known when she participated in the Indonesian Idol event in 2010. At the age of 15, she auditioned as a representative of Yogyakarta, and advanced to the final round.

Yogyakarta had its own story for Citra, until finally the single titled 'Tilik Jogja' was released at the end of March, as well as marking his comeback after several years of not issuing new musical works.

Citra explained that her new song was inspired by her journey over the past 15 years, starting from the audition of Indonesian Idol and then working as a professional singer.

"So, it actually started with the story of my longing for Jogja, but I also found an idea of how to live in a big city,"

"And while I also remember the process of me working, maybe with me being able to find myself at this moment with all the anxiety in the big city where I look back on my initial process. And I took the city of Jogja as the place where I first started."

This time Citra is actively involved in songwriting, not only from the lyrics of the song, but also every melody and arrangement presented.

"For this song, for lith maybe this is the most song I've written, but really for a notation and for a unit it's a song, this is my most personal song," he said.

"Because usually when I make a song, I make myself someone else I can use my friend, I can use my family, I can use my listener's voice to sit on their chair. But this song is very, very much about me.

Jogja Is Still Special For Citra

Citra was born in Sleman, Yogyakarta on June 5, 1994. But not long after, he moved to follow his father who worked in Timika, Papua. Then he moved with his mother who was of South Sumatra. Entering teenagers, Citra just returned to Yogyakarta to continue her education.

"Because maybe I want to know, he said I was a Jogja person and I was born in Jogja, so I have to be able to live in Jogja," he said.

"Yes, I did grow up only for a while in Jogja, but I have a lot of important moments in my life, like the first time I auditioned for Idol," in Jogja.

Citra admitted that she had never been educated and had the aspiration to become a professional singer. Participation in the Indonesian Idol audition was just a follow-up, considering the euphoria at that time.

The song Tilik Jogja also remembers the moments of audition, which is known as the biggest moment on his journey to become a singer.

"So, it seems like the first moment I could tell you that 'Oh this is my job and my future', yes, the moment in the talent search event. Those are the memories that are the biggest momentum in my life, finally I feel the need to write or have a song that tells about Jogja," said Citra.

Given that it has not released a song for a long time, the decision to introduce the 'Tilik Jogja' begins with confusion. On the one hand, there is a need to find a connection with the musical style that was previously promoted. But on the other hand, there is a desire to show what is actually liked.

"In the search, I searched and tried, until finally this song touched the people closest to me," he said. "When they listen to this song, they feel that 'Wow, this song is really beautiful, huh.'"

"But uniquely, this song, which is said to be really Citra, is very different from how people know my songs. My new song sounds very, very much like being born by a new singer."

Dengan keputusan mengubah gaya bermusik yang menurutnya lebih dekat dan disukai Citra merasa akan lebih mudah untuk mengerjakan segala segala. Apalagi, ia ingin lebih be honest memperkenalkan dirinya kepada para pendengar, baik yang sudah lama maupun baru.

Reasons To Change Music Style

At the beginning of his music career, Citra admitted that she didn't think too much about expressing herself through her work. From several hits that made her even more widely known, such as Everybody Knew and Certainly Can't', Citra actually mentions the character of her music from the start, it should sound like Jogja''.

"To be honest, I felt 'Tilik Jogja' was me from the start. Only the moment at that time there was no energy, there was no situation that could make me express it. In that era, the listeners were not listening to songs like this. I don't think I actually found what Citra really is. I hit myself with shocking things, because I never had a dream of becoming a singer, and suddenly became a singer," said Citra.

"So I thought, because I (at that time) didn't know what I wanted to be, what I wanted to know, so I just followed what the source was the most adequate. It seems like people are okay, I'm okay. I just follow. And I enjoy what's going on, "he continued.

At that time, Citra felt that she was trying to be responsible for her job as a professional singer. But through his current reflection, he admitted that he did not support his profession.

Moreover, Citra sees many singers and musicians today, choosing to work according to her favorite color. Now he sees more freedom of work as something important for a singer.

"In the past, I lived from talent search events, the method is always if I don't follow the fear that the opportunity will be lost, if I don't follow the trend of fear that I will be closed, I'm afraid that I will be swallowed up by the earth, I'm afraid that I will be closed by other newcomers. The fear makes me feel like I can't, if I don't follow the trend, so I find it difficult to hear what kind of music I really want, what trend I want to make," he said.

He added, "I can't express it all because it's closed with me working with a support system as well, which of course they have a role too, they have a target. So, the freedom to express myself as soon as a picture is a bit blurry."

Through his latest single, Citra has new hope. As a singer and songwriter, he wants to have a work to be proud of. Music is not just a profession, but a part of a musician who will continue to be stored for a long time.

"I want when God takes me from this world, I am quite satisfied that I leave my works that I am proud of, the works that I can be proud of listening to the song," he said. Because I'm used to singing songs because of the project, sometimes I don't need to like the song, but if the song has to be sung, I have to sing it. And the effect of that, every time there are songs that actually I'm not comfortable, I feel like I don't want to listen, even though it's my song that sings.

Citra also doesn't want to just perform a song that only tells stories without giving a message. If it's a confused song, he wants the song at the same time to revive it.

When I was given the opportunity to write other similar songs in the sense that I can honestly tell, I can be more careful in writing, there is responsibility in every song," he said.

"I really want it if people cry, don't forget to get up. So, the goal is that it seems like future songs that I will release and I will write are songs that I can account for. I don't want to make you cry because I look down and give up and I will live. I want people to be tired, cry, but enough, and know when we can get up, "concluded Citra.