Acting as a Vocalist, Ari Irham Confesses the Weight of Recording Sheila On 7 Songs: The Sound Doesn't Come

Ari Irham (Virgi/VOI)

JAKARTA - Young actor Ari Irham is back challenging his ability in the latest film Takkan Kubiarkan Kau Menangis. However, this time the challenge is not about memorizing the script, but rather having to transform into a competent band vocalist.

"The challenge for me in this film is actually as a vocalist and also a guitarist. Because yes, everyone knows I'm not an ambassador, I'm not a vocalist," said Ari Irham in South Jakarta, July 13.

Ari, who has a background as an actor and former DJ, admitted that he felt burdened by the director's expectations. For him, singing professionally is a new area that is quite draining both physically and mentally during the preparation period.

"That's the biggest challenge for me. It's really hard because I'm the vocalist. I was asked to record three songs with Mbak Ferly. That was the hardest thing for me," confessed the young film star.

The difficulty increased when he had to perform songs from the legendary band from Yogyakarta, Sheila On 7. Ari admitted that he had trouble catching up with the original vocalist's vocal range because of the demands of the scene in the film.

"It should be five songs, but I was asked to record the full song songs of Sheila On 7 where the tone didn't reach me, but I was asked to record. That's hard enough. It's really hard," said Ari honestly.

Fortunately, the production team provided a very mature preparation time through an intensive workshop for two months. Ari was not just released to face the microphone in the recording studio.

"Fortunately, Langit Pictures prepared a workshop that was quite dense for us as a band. So my preparation as a vocalist is quite good, I can say that I am able to act in this film," he explained.

Not only vocals, Ari also has to hone his guitar playing skills to look like a professional musician in front of the camera.

"Actually, I can already play the guitar, but after the 2-month workshop, I finally managed to grip and hang the guitar," he added.

In addition to Ari Irham, the first film from the Langit Pictures production house will also be starring Shanty, Ariyo Wahab, Didi Riyadi, to Teuku Ryzki. The film is scheduled to be released on July 16.