Eileen Pandjaitan: Laufey is Proof of Graduating from Berklee is Cool

JAKARTA - Eileen Pandjaitan is one of dozens of young Indonesian music talents currently studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA.

During a virtual interview with VOI, Eileen tried to respond to Laufey's statement, which mentioned a stigma for those who graduated from Berklee.

"Don't graduate from Berklee. It's not cool," Laufey said, while a guest on the Tape Notes Podcast.

The jazz singer of Icelandic-Chinese descent said those who are "cool musicians" are the ones who get into Berklee and then their music careers take off, without having to finish their studies.

"That's right. If you pass, it means you didn't succeed," Laufey said.

Responding to the stigma, Ei—the stage name used by Eileen—actually took a different perspective.

He explained, Laufey himself is a singer-songwriter who achieved global success after completing his studies at Berklee.

For Ei, Laufey is the answer to the stigma that says Berklee graduates are not cool people.

"He (Laufey) graduated and he's cool," Ei said. "So, I think he's the answer," he added.