“I still want to fight for us, ’cause I can’t get enough of your long-lost love for me,” Sekar says, quoting her favourite lyric from the song
Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia and birthplace of singer-songwriter and producer Sekar Astari, is currently grappling with rising unemployment rates.
In the midst of this economic struggle, Sekar finds herself caught in the middle of it.
A bit of backstory: soon after she was born, Sekar’s family relocated to the small town of Duri in Sumatra, where she spent most of her childhood and teenage years. It was there that she discovered her passion for music, learning to play the drums and quickly becoming skilled enough to teach others.
Sekar also joined her school’s marching band corps as part of the snareline, competing in national competitions where her team took first place. Among her many achievements, she had the honor of performing at the Presidential Palace twice, in 2012 and 2014.
After high school, she continued to pursue her love of music, earning a bachelor’s degree in audio engineering in Melbourne, Australia. During her two years there, she balanced her studies with making music and working in the entertainment and gig industry.
While she hoped to launch her music career in Melbourne, the constraints of time and the outbreak of COVID-19 forced her to return to Jakarta, where she rejoined her family.
In February 2024, Sekar left her full-time office job to fully commit to her music career and her independent record label, Maniasonic, where she not only produces her own music but also manages a few emerging talents.
However, building a career in music has proven challenging. With Maniasonic still in its early stages, Sekar often feels lost and isolated, struggling to find the support she needs.
At the same time, Jakarta faces its own challenges, particularly the high unemployment rate fueled by rapid urbanization.
As more people migrate to the city in search of better opportunities, the labor market becomes oversaturated, leaving many young people and recent graduates unable to find jobs that match their skills.
She fought hard battling her feelings to not lose hope and continued what she loved most, but she finds herself relying on people and not finding what she is looking for in them, ending up feeling disappointment towards herself throughout the time.
Thus, the song “Will I” was born. Starting the song as an instrumental, she asked her co-songwriter Tabitha, to write lyrics on the topic of losing hope, struggling in the workforce, and relying on people yet getting disappointed in the process.
“I still want to fight for us, ’cause I can’t get enough of your long-lost love for me,” Sekar says, quoting her favourite lyric from the song.
Looking ahead, Sekar plans to release an EP in early 2025 and is focusing on securing live performance opportunities with her band, hoping to land spots at music festivals in Indonesia or small tours overseas.
She also plans to begin work on her debut album at the start of next year, aiming for a late 2025 or 2026 release.
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Check out Sekar Astari’s Spotify here.
