Exclusive Amrus Wants To Give More Meaning As Soloist

Amrus (Photo: Anto, BY: Raga / YOU)

JAKARTA - Amrus' name may not be widely known as a soloist. However, as a songwriter and steel guitar player, Amrus has been in the music world for decades. December 2021, Amrus decided to start his career as a soloist with the release of the song You don't Need.

This song was released to coincide with Mother's Day with a special reason. Amrus wants to dedicate his song to his love and longing for his mother.

"Regarding the single You Don't Need, this was deliberately released on December 22, 2021 yesterday. So indeed, because the story of the song's contents is a personal story about how I miss my parents, especially my mother," said Amrus during a visit to the office. VOI, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, Wednesday, March 23.

He is grateful that he still has the opportunity to be with his mother, unfortunately the distance makes it not enough time to gather. "Thank God my mother is still here, so when my life's journey requires that I live far apart, right. Different islands and then eventually I have a career and it's not easy to meet every day. I put that feeling of homesickness into stories and then why not I made it especially for my mother," he explained.

Amrus dedicates his song to his mother and hopes his listeners can feel the same longing. "How I really love mom and miss every day wanting to be able to meet mom," he said.

You don't Need has heartwarming lyrics. In fact, actually the song was made by Amrus by just flowing.

"So I don't think and have expectations from what I have made, but what is certain is that I hope this can relate to many friends, who listen and then can be an inspiration, also motivating that whatever our limitations are different conditions, maybe we can't give a lot for parents, especially mothers," he said.

Amrus (Photo: Anto, DI: Raga/VOI)

Amrus wants that limited condition does not become an obstacle for us, but we must always aim for the best for our mother, because as in the lyrics You don't Need. "I'm trying to convey that a mother no longer needs to say that she cares or loves her child very much because we can actually feel that as a child," he explained.

"We grew up being taken care of by all kinds of things until finally our career journey was able to reach a certain point, it was also all thanks to the support from our parents, especially from our mother. How dear mother is to us and what is certain is from mother's prayers," added Amrus.

Actually, Amrus has grown up in the Indonesian music industry as a session player. Starting from filling out music shows, Amrus got to know several friends who were hosts on tv holding one particular music program, from which his career got a lot of support.

"I know Tantowi Yahya and still support him and as part of his band, he fills in many recordings of his songs and continues, Aandhy Sondoro is still a session player and also supports a lot," he recalls.

His career as a steel guitar specialist session player was lived with love. Apart from being fond of singing and writing songs, Amrus also briefly joined the band format. In fact, his song, I Go, was used for the soundtrack of the film, Putih Abu Abu.

"At that time, Arumi Bachsin became the main star. So singing and then writing songs was actually a long time ago. But for singing because I grew up and grew up in the community, especially country and blues, so this music scene doesn't fit into the type of music that is popular now, like that, said Amrus.

Amrus (Photo: Anto, DI: Raga/VOI)

Amrus is arguably the only professional steel guitar player in Indonesia. Of course, the trend of his music can not be as popular as other music. However, he never changed his mind.

"I still feel that until now the trend has not existed and has not gone up. But behind that as a steel guitarist, I feel that the instrument can be adjusted to any music until I enter the community of various genres. From there I can walk and be known by music industry actors who have a name first and big," he explained.

The opportunity to record with Tantowi Tahya, the collaboration with the late Bung Glenn, how many times he played in concerts he got as a guitar player. "I also had the opportunity to record in Virgoun, Eva Celia, Naif, Kotak band, Mas Baim and many names which, thank God, have also become lessons for me," he said.

The introduction of many musicians added to Amrus' confidence to appear as a soloist. "I'm sure there will be a moment where one day I will go on as a singer and songwriter. And the brand is still Amrus and steel guitar, so then I try to make a few songs to get there," he explained.

As a tit for tat, when the desire arose, Amrus' path as a soloist opened with the song You don't Need. "And thank God, this song, which was originally intended not to be excessive, because this is my personal story of how much I miss my mother, was responded to by Best Beat Music," he recalled.

Amrus seemed to want to make sure that his path as a soloist really existed. He feels proud to be able to perform my songs with his own character.

"I want to sing in the color I want. And it's like a new journey for me. It's a new adventure that it will be fun and exciting to be able to perform and bring what's in our hearts and then convey the meaning of the song to the audience with our original character. what it is and that's what makes me the main point," said Amrus.

Dream of Stage with Iwan Fals

Amrus (Photo: Anto, DI: Raga/VOI)

Amrus feels the difference between performing as a session player and a singer nowadays. Both want to show the best, Amrus must prepare more energy as a singer because he must be able to convey the message in his song.

"What we write in the song needs a very good treatment so that it is conveyed and reaches the audience. It is not only heard but felt. We really have to be honest the character must also be strong and there is treatment, we need good techniques to convey that and I I think this is still a learning process," he said.

The experience of working with Tantowi Yahya, Sandhi Sandoro and other singers was a blessing for him. "Those are all my teachers. I learned a lot from them. As a soloist, of course, there are many things that we want to convey, we are more free to convey many things that we feel from the audience," he explained.

Having just released a song, Amrus has earned the nickname Blues Man Sholeh. Of course this is not an ordinary achievement. There is a sense of pleasure as well as a burden with the nickname from the warganet.

"Yes, there are many pious musicians, I just think I have to have my own statement that I think that whatever the music scene, country blues, rock and roll, or punk, all these things are music as a music. For me, music can be used for various things. positive things," he said.

Behind all the career paths, Amrus felt he had a duty to convey the message of the songs to others as inspiration. He hopes to make songs that can inspire people or even motivate people to be better.

"Maybe that's where the environment felt, you could say, finally got an interpretation that Amrus is a pious bluesman because he grew up in the blues community. I just think that whatever the profession is, we have to give the best way in music. but to be pious, I think it's very good to inspire many people. Learn more then share, "he said.

Amrus (Photo: Anto, DI: Raga/VOI)

The good things that happened after Amrus decided to become a soloist made him believe this was the right choice. His voice can be the best bridge to convey inspiration to others to be better.

"If suddenly our songs can inspire people to be good, it will be more important than our songs being liked by people. I happen to have grown up outside of music. I learned a lot about design because I happen to be an illustrator and I happen to teach design. I have a statement, for being uniquely cool is not difficult," he said.

If being unique is hard, there are other things that are even harder to do according to Amrus. What's that?

"When we create our works, it is really important to do something that comes from our hearts and then the message reaches people and we can be morally responsible. That's something important. We play in the blues and then people see it. We learn together," he explained.

Born as a soloist at a time when the digital industry was so advanced, Amrus felt lucky. Moreover, he can compete with young millennials.

"This is actually an extraordinary era for me because seeing millennial children I can say that they can learn fast from the existing media and access the world's music developments from there. Until when making the work, it's really easy to get to the audience now ," he said.

"So the point is that we have to be able to make good works that can be accounted for and then maximally there will definitely find a place in our audience. Whatever the genre, whatever the form of packaging, as long as we do it optimally, especially when we make song material, for example, we intend certain things that really matter. "Wow, hopefully changing people for the better" or for example motivating people to find their own way and get to the audience we are aiming for," he added.

Amrus (Photo: Anto, DI: Raga/VOI)

Of course Amrus wanted to release an album after the single You don't Need. He wants to enrich the type of music in his first album later.

"Many friends say this is very country or heavy folk. It is possible that in the next single I will explore and hopefully I can give a surprise, we will give something new too, hopefully," he hoped

Besides the album, there is another dream that Amrus wants to fulfill, namely a collaboration with Iwan Fals. For him, Iwan Fals is a legendary musician.

"There was something exciting that I saw. I studied his work with different masses from the beginning, which was very critical of country. Then later I heard it in the car when it was arranged by uncle Ian Antono, it was a critical era but the music was modern and then until the present era," he explained.

"It seems he doesn't need an instrument that only sings with his voice, it's amazing for Indonesia. I imagine dreaming that one day I will play steel guitar in one of his songs, it's already extraordinary," said Amrus.

"I can play my steel guitar recorded in one frame recorded with the voice of an Iwan Fals, thank God, I'm very grateful for that. I don't know, hopefully it will happen," he explained.

Even though he has a steady career as a soloist, Amrus doesn't just sing. He combined his ability to play the steel guitar and produce his own musical instruments.

"This type of lap steel guitar, I deliberately designed the shape like this, the scale is like this. Alhamdulillah, this is also part of my dream to make a steel guitar, produce it myself, with my brand name here, so I really dedicate this product with the name George de Fretes. A genuine Indonesian steel guitar player who entered the Americas Hall of Fame," he said.

According to Amrus, after George de Fretes there was no steel guitar player who could match his achievements. Amrus even met his son George de Fretes and received a message to continue steel guitar in Indonesia. "That motivates me," said Amrus.