Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Darlene Lesmana
Darlene Lesmana is an indie musician from Indonesia, making alternative music since 2016.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
My dad showing me the 1965 Sound of Music movie musical. I vividly remember loving the song Edelweiss and eventually singing it at a school performance. Of course, as a child, I didn’t understand the weight of the plot of the musical, but I think the many rewatches as I grew up showed me how deeply interconnected music is to politics and resistance.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
I’ve always enjoyed singing as far as I can remember. I also grew up enjoying writing, copying my dad who was writing a book at the time. The idea that I could combine my two creative outlets was incredibly enticing. At first, I wrote a couple of short songs on my guitar and didn’t do much with it, but then I took music production lessons with a classmate’s dad to help me create my first song in 2016. I’ve been hooked since then.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
My latest song, The Songbird, was written out of my ever-growing frustration about generative AI and its increasing prominence in the music industry. AI ‘music’ has pushed out real artists (songbirds) while also destroying the environment and killing nature’s musicians, songbirds, in the process. I wanted the song to feel like something you would hear in a pub with creaky wooden floors where people clap, sing, and dance along to honest to goodness musicians, untainted by AI.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
I fluctuate between folksy ballads and progressive rock. I love experimenting with different instruments – banjo and suling bambu (Sundanese bamboo flute), in the case of The Songbird – and focusing on emphasizing my lyrics. But above all, I have a weakness for putting double bass kicks in everything I could possibly put it in.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Aiming to make something I’m 80% happy with. I heard this from a Hank Green video, and it has transformed how I view making art. If I aim for 100% contentment, I will end up with hundreds of takes and no finished song to show for it. Making something I’m 80% happy with is infinitely more valuable than having a flawless idea that just stays in my head.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
I almost always write on an acoustic guitar even when I record with an electric. My very old copy of Steinberg Nuendo has served me very well in the production process. But the most crucial thing in my songwriting process is the trusty notes app where I write almost all of my lyrics.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Will Walton! Will makes powerful folk punk music and truly live by the values she sings about. We got to know each other when we covered the same song, The Day The Nazi Died by Chumbawamba, and they helped me through the process of publishing the cover and the nasty comments I’ve gotten as a result of the cover. Her new song Natural Ecosystems was released recently and deserves so many more streams.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Being Chinese Indonesian means that I grew up without the luxury of being able to ignore politics or current events, as our history and past policies are etched into every part of my life, including my name (the book The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins and the documentary The Act of Killing by Joshua Oppenheimer explain it better than I could). This made it virtually impossible for me to not use my music to speak up about things I strongly believe in. As I mentioned, I learned that music is inherently connected to politics and resistance, and as I feel like there is not much I can do to enact any change, I write music. I was taught to not make trouble growing up, so I make music instead.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I hope that my lyrics stick with anyone who listens to my music. Moreover, I hope that my songs send people to read up on the issues I bring up. For example, I hope that my song Ode to Former Colonies sparks people’s interest in decolonization movements and the works of Michael Parenti, and I hope that The Songbird make people realize the harm of generative AI on artists and the environment. I hope my songs can be a jumping off point to people getting involved in these topics.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
How to let myself feel my emotions properly. I spent so much of my childhood trying my best to not feel ‘bad’ emotions, which only leads to the pent-up emotions bubbling up at the worst time. Learning how to sing and play piano forces me to sit with my emotions and let it come out through my voice or my fingers.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
I haven’t had the opportunity to perform much, just a couple of open mics here and there, so I would love to perform at any stage. My dream is mainly that as I perform, I can hear my words sung back at me, whether that is at a large festival stage or at a small pub.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
The Mountain Goats/John Darnielle. His music is so beautiful and impactful, and I would love to even just be a fly on the wall as he writes his songs.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0Y5J3KeS6eeONGh4PcfM7z
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/darlene-lesmana/1492619143
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/uk/artist/53174912
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DarleneLesmana
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlenelesmana/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@darlenelesmana?lang=en
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
I hope that I can produce an EP soon, and I hope that I’ll be able to perform live more. I’m planning to move to Europe next year, so maybe I’ll see some of your listeners at an open mic or at a pub there!
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
I hope listeners will see that I am deeply passionate about both music and the issues I bring up in my songs.
