Elda Suryani's Music: Nyeleneh, Emotional, Full Of Passion

Elda Suryani (Instagram @_starsandrabbit)

JAKARTA - When the duo Stars and Rabbit first appeared, not a few were wondering: what music group is this? In fact, one of the personnel, Elda Suryani, is not entirely new to the country's music industry.

Elda was known for the first time in the Reincarnation reality program which aired on a private television station in the country in 2006. In this program, Elda took part in the audition for vocalist of the band eVo.

eVo started when former Base Jam guitarist Adnil and 4 other personnel under POS Entertainment led by Dhani Pete opened a competition to find a vocalist. After going through a number of selections in Reincarnation, Elda was chosen.

Together with Adnil, Didit Saad (guitar), Erwin (bass), Ronald (drums) and Angga (keyboards), Elda released a full album titled Evolution. The album contains 11 songs, presenting the music color of young people who are not shackled to any music genre.

Freedom wrapped in contemporary sounds produces a neat and sweet rock n 'roll flavor, a little eccentric and entertaining.

EVo personnel come from backgrounds with different musical tastes and characters. They try to encapsulate, unite, marry all elements of rock music in a new color a la eVo.

After eVo disbanded, Elda raised the Stars and Rabbit flag in Yogyakarta in 2011. Together with guitarist Adi Widodo, Stars and Rabbit used a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to writing and recording songs.

The music that the duo carries is a cross between pop and folk influences. At the beginning of its appearance, Stars and Rabbit wrote English lyrics, one of which gave birth to the song Worth It.

This song was later released through iTunes which made Stars and Rabbit hit the Indonesian music industry even more. Followed up with the mini album Live at Deus and the full album Constellation, they were busy traveling the world.

However, the taller the tree, the stronger the wind. On November 12, 2019, Adi quit Stars and Rabbit. His position was replaced by Didit Saad, Elda's former partner in the band eVo. Together with his new but old tandem, Elda released the Little Mischievous audio and music video in early 2020.

The composition in this song is more rocky and full of passion. Yes, a new chapter of Stars and Rabbit has begun. Previously, Stars and Rabbit's collaboration album with Bottlesmoker was titled Pieces That Fit.

Elda and Didit released the most awaited album by fans, Rainbow Aisle on February 26, 2020. On the same day, they also named Naked King as their third single.

The creative process of this album can be said to be different compared to the previous album. Capturing the moments of Elda and Didit's journey during the previous few months, the album production process took less than three months.

The recordings are scattered in several places between Jakarta and Amsterdam, on the sidelines of their travel time and make limited space as a creative area, including living room, room, apartment attic, studio and wherever they feel comfortable recording it.

Contains 12 songs written by Stars and Rabbit, in this album Didit acts as a producer and mixing engineer, while Simon Cotsworth acts as a mastering engineer.

A number of guest musicians appear on this album, including Alvin Witarsa (strings) on the song Blue Boat Lovers, I Gusti Vikranata (drums) in St. Ann and The Naked King, Andi Irfanto (drums) on the tracks Little Mischievous, Anyday In The Park, Illusory Utopia, and In The Mean Time.

Then there is the drumming game Raiden Soedjono (Bunga) on the song Story of Them All, I Don't Wish To Carry You Anymore, and The Magician, a spell from Arijit in The Magician, Donny Sundjoyo's upright bass playing on Attic No.7 and St. . Ann, keyboardist Vicki Unggul Bramantyo for the song I Don't Wish To Carry You Anymore, and the Choir team.

The release of the album was supported by a tour of several cities in Asia starting February 19 in Taipei, followed by Tokyo 20 and 21 February, and in Jakarta on March 4 at M Bloc Live House with support from Polka Wars and Tashoora.

Previously, Busan was included in this tour series. But after following the development of regulations from the South Korean government due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the management and venue canceled the event.

Then, the Indonesian government acknowledged the existence of COVID-19 in March. Practically, Stars and Rabbit's stage activities have plummeted. Elda and Didit are mostly at home.

To mark the launch of NME Asia, Stars and Rabbit gave their first appearance from home during the pandemic at the NME Home Sessions in August 2020. Playing three songs from the Rainbow Aisle album from their cozy living room in Jakarta: Illusory Utopia, In The Meantime and Naked King play climax.

Stars And Rabbit is loved by fans in Asia because of its interesting live performances. However, their performance without the support of the band or stage production is no less captivating.

Armed with a laptop, guitar, and pedalboard, Didit offers catchy, textured instrumentation and occasional solos. While Elda sang and danced to upbeat music. He just wore a negligee and plug it in.