JAKARTA - "I really love music. Even since I was in my mother's womb, I think I already have a love for music. But not with the music world," those words came from Doadibadai Hollo, or Hurricane, a musician and composer who decided this year to be his last year in music.
26 years the composer has navigated his journey in the music industry with all his dynamics. Apart from being a musician and composer, he is now also involved in ACTION (Composer Association Throughout Indonesia) as the Secretary General, to fight for the rights of songwriters in Indonesia.
Before discussing activism, struggle and the last year in music, we first talked about Hurricane's love of music and composing songs.
Badai's talent in writing songs seems to have begun to be seen since junior high school. He recalls that at that time in music arts learning he was challenged by teachers to appear in front of the classroom in music arts lessons.
"At that time I really remember that I was in grade 1 of junior high school, my music teacher was named Lilik's mother (late). She was the first person to see my potential. Well, after music lessons he always challenged if anyone could compose poetry or poetry in front (classes) okay. Then I raised my hand and sang in front of the class. And it turned out that I saw there my friends on average liked the songs I made at that time," recalls Badai in an exclusive interview with VOI on September 10.
According to Badai, there is no instant way to become a reliable songwriter whose work can be liked by many people. It takes consistency, dedication and instincts to hone sensitivity in making songs that 'sell'.
"So yes, I just try to be consistent in making songs, keep making songs, keep making songs. Until finally the moment I got it. Well, if you can be said as songwriters, it's difficult, in terms of work, it's not easy either. I also have to survey what kind of public will. Well, basically, my reason as a song (song) is that maybe my DNA is like that. To be able to make songs from junior high school and that's really the talent there," added the founder and former Kerispatih personnel.
But in pursuing a career as a composer, Badai also felt a heavy struggle in getting the rights he deserved. This Trisakti University graduate said that composers should be able to live from their work with several notes.
"It should be possible, why? Because yes, the songwriter should get the first income, from the release of the album. The second is from exploitation in the digital world today. And the third is in the world of stage. So the problem is how to make the songwriter rich, whether it's from the system, whether it's from how to collect or maybe from the mentality. The mentality of who? Yes from the user and also from the creator himself. Why do I say from the creator himself? Sometimes there are also composers who can't save," said Badai.
In the chat, we also discussed how the condition of singers and songwriters is experiencing distortion. Communication is not going well, so licensing for songs and distributing royalties is the root of the tenuous problem of the relationship.
"In my opinion, at first the singer and creator were indeed harmonious. Because they both need it. He needs songs from the creator, the creator is also looking for singers to perform the song. So that it can be heard, right. Only what ends up being a distortion. In his harmonious relationship is misunderstanding, thought," said Badai.
"This means that when the creator makes a song he has an idea, he has creativity. He has psychology, has a psyche that is poured into a song. In the end, he hopes to meet the right singer. And finally the singer performs the song to the public. But in the end, it is because of a system that is not good. A system that is not good in this country. Where the creator can no longer get results from his work. That's what eventually makes this turmoil more emerge," he explained.
The Last Year In Music And Legacy Is The Largest In Industry
For almost three decades of careers, Badai said he would enter the last year in the music world. He has several reasons to no longer be involved in the field he loves so much.
"Because I seem to have felt that the music industry was far from my dream since the beginning of making music. Not only the music industry, any industry, the interests are already above the sincerity of work. I want to make music, actually tier number one is the idealism of work. Don't be the number one is the interest and who is behind that interest. So I think because it's far from my struggle," he explained.
There is a sentiment of disappointment and awareness that improving the system for the welfare of composers is a very difficult thing to do. Although it does not reveal what the plan is going to be in the future, there will still be something to fight for.
"Because for me the music world is almost the same as other worlds of interest. Yes, maybe there is a new world that I will live in next year. I don't understand what the world is and I can't deny it yet," said Badai.
"Maybe I thought I would just be an ordinary person. People who only monitor and people only see from an ordinary person's point of view. No longer a perpetrator.
When asked about the largest legacy left for the music industry, Badai did not mention any of his works. He saw his struggle with ACTION as something to be proud of and provide more benefits to music industry players, including composers.
"Legacy terbesar, mendirikan AKSI dan menjadi Sekretaris Jenderal-nya. Karena tidak banyak pencipta lagu yang berani bersuara dan berani bicara. Mungkin secara legasi terbesar bagi saya bukan punya album banyak, bukan punya hits banyak, punya royalti miliaran enggak. Saya ketemu teman-teman AKSI berjuang sama-sama sampai ke level pemerintahan, bisa berdialog itu menurut saya adalah sejarah yang perlu dicatat," ujar musisi kelahiran Jakarta tersebut.
"The largest legislation, establishing ACTION and becoming the Secretary-General. Because not many songwriters dare to speak up and dare to speak up. Maybe in the greatest legacy for me, I don't have many albums, I don't have many hits, don't have billions of royalties. I met AKSI friends fighting together to the level of government, it can be in my opinion that dialogue is a history that needs to be recorded," said the musician who was born in Jakarta.
Talking about the last year, Badai felt that he had achieved what he wanted as a musician. From a series of hits to management he had already received. Despite the inconvenience he faced, he realized there were entities that were difficult to beat.
"In Indonesia, I think almost everything has been achieved. I've had 26 years of my career. I've had a lot of hits. I've been in a big band as a founder and founder too. As a soloist, I already have two solo albums, have my own company for recording and also a management artist. Yes, I already have a studio, including I'm comfortable as a musician. But my discomfort was disturbed because of the things. I should have been able to stay quiet with the convenience I have now.
"But why do I keep speaking like that, because I am disturbed by the unfavorable situation of this music world. But I also realize that as a human being I cannot force myself. If the interests are not in my hands," said the initiator of the Hurricane Romantic Project.
According to him, musicians need to have the courage to act. That's what he tried to do with ACTION, a struggle to voice unrest and improve the fate of creative hands behind the birth of a song.
"Belum tentu orang lain yang bekerja di dunia seperti saya mau nyape-nyapein diri. Untuk fight sama apa terhadap haknya. Kan sekarang komposer cenderung diem mental inferior gitu, 'udahlah mungkin rejeki gue segini'. Tapi dengan saya menemukan teman-teman di AKSI dan saya diberikan kepercayaan untuk menjadi sekjen aksi, saya bisa bersuara, saya bisa bersikap. Itu adalah catatan sejarah yang perlu saya catat di sepanjang hidup saya.".
"It's not necessarily other people who work in the world like me who want to wait for themselves. What to fight with their rights. Right now composers tend to be dim mentally inferior, 'that's probably my fortune'. But with me finding friends at ACTION and I was given the trust to be the secretary general of action, I can speak up, I can act. That's a historical record that I need to record in my entire life."
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
