Indonesian singer Afgan happy about Asian artists supporting each other

In his newly dropped English EP, Indonesian R&B singer Afgan feels thankful that he collaborated with other Asian artists, such as K-pop rapper Jessi and Vietnamese-American thuy, who aided him in putting out the record.

Called Sonder, released under EMPIRE, it features Jessi for the summery anthem Escape and the upbeat tune Criminal (Over You) with R&B singer thuy.

Sonder is Afgan’s second English EP which he recorded in London in two weeks. It also includes the ditties Shallow Water, Missing the Old Days, and Lonely Night.

“We wrote and recorded the whole thing in two weeks,” recalled Afgan, whose real name is Afgansyah Reza, to The STAR in a one-on-one Zoom interview. “It was very fast. After that, we tried to find artists to collaborate with on this album and I’m so grateful that Jessi decided to help out and did her thing on this album, with thuy as well.”

“And I just like it because these are all Asian artists supporting each other. It’s nice. And I’m just so happy it’s out because it’s been a year of creating the mood, I mean the visuals, everything, we try to be more authentic to myself,” he added.

Afgan and Jessi met in Jakarta and became friends on social media. “When I finished Escape, I felt like the song was missing something. So, I asked her to join me on the song and I just reached out to her and she heard the song and she liked the song,” he shared.

“And she decided that she didn’t wanna rap on this song. She’s known (for) hip-hop and rap, right. But on this one, she wanted to sing, so I think she also wanted to show a different side of her on this song, too.”

As a friend, Jessi helped Afgan with his music and wanted him to succeed in his career. Despite the challenges due to the former’s busy schedule, they were able to pull off the track. “And now, it’s out and we’re so happy but I’m forever grateful for Jessi because she’s a great friend and she’s been helping me a lot.”

Afgan crooned about his personal sentiments and life story in Sonder. “The word sonder means that everybody has their own stories,” he said. “Everybody has their own journey. So, I wanna share my journey. I talked about things that I never talked about before and (I’m) more honest and vulnerable.”

“So, songs like Shallow Water, also there’s Lonely Night, which talks about loneliness, and then I talk about, there’s a song called Missing the Old Days, that I just basically really miss the old days, my childhood, teenagers years where everything was just so much simpler. So, I talked about things that are on my mind,” he added.

Afgan has been in the music business since he was 18. As a child, he would listen to the likes of Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Brian McKnight, the favorites of his mom, which would later shape his vocal style.

Now in his 30s, Afgan feels more confident and comfortable showing off his vulnerable side and speaking his mind through his music.

“I really feel like it’s time for me to share more. I mean like before this, I sing ballads, I sing love songs, and I sing very upbeat, pop songs which is very pop. But I never shared my struggles, my insecurities, my fear and all of that. And I feel like the fans that have been with me for many years, they need to know that side of me. So, I think that motivates me to write this album,” he expressed.

Sound-wise, one would hear a different side of Afgan in the latest EP.

“It changed (music-wise) but it’s still me,” he told this paper. “It doesn’t feel like forced, ‘cause I don’t like it when it’s forced. I still wanna be comfortable with the sound. It has a lot of elements actually like ballads but it’s not the traditional ballad, you know it’s more moody in a sense.”

“The song Escape like I did with Jessi, it’s more like very summery, feel-good song. But the rest of the song has a dark twist to it,” he continued.

His first English project album was Wallflower launched in 2021 and included singles, such as, M.I.A featuring Jackson Wang, Touch Me (remix by Robin Thicke), Say I’m Sorry, and If I Don’t Have Your Love. His debut album was Confession No.1 released in January 2008.

Afgan previously appeared in Indonesian movies “Bukan Cinta Biasa” and “Cinta 2 Hati.” But he wants to focus more on his music than acting, he stated.

“It was just something that I tried for the experience. I don’t think that I’m an actor. But I did try acting. But after that, I just wanna focus on music I think ‘cause I know what my lane is. It’s music.

“For now, I’m gonna stick with making music and hopefully making a lot more English songs,” he concluded.