VOB’s tune, which comprises lyrics in Sundanese, English and Bahasa Indonesia, has struck a chord with Indonesians of every age, who’ve traditionally been a fan of heavy metallic tune.
Even politicians are enthusiasts. In 2021, then Deputy Speaker of the Other people’s Consultant Council Muhaimin Iskandar paid tribute to VOB. “Come on VOB, your hijab isn’t a drawback to creating tune; your voice will shake the entire international,” mentioned Mr Muhaimin, who was once a vice-presidential candidate within the fresh Indonesian elections in February.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo is understood to be a heavy metallic fan, with Metallica and Lamb Of God amongst his favorite bands.
And South-east Asia’s biggest heavy metallic tune pageant Hammersonic takes position every year in Jakarta, with the newest tournament in early Might attended via 38,000.
All 3 VOB contributors hail from humble backgrounds in rural West Java province. Rising up in a conservative farming neighborhood, spiritual schooling was once the norm.
The ladies met in 2014 throughout their secondary faculty days of their house the town of Garut, the place they nonetheless are living with their households.
They had been presented to metallic tune of their early teenagers via a trainer who taught them the right way to play tools and helped arrange their band. That trainer, Mr Cep Ersa Ekasusila Satia, nonetheless meets them infrequently to put in writing and convey their tune.
The ladies determined at the identify VOB and began off via taking part in covers of songs via well-known bands reminiscent of Metallica, Linkin Park and Device Of A Down. Their model of Device Of A Down’s Toxicity, which was once uploaded to social media platforms 8 years in the past, went viral and garnered well-liked consideration.
“We requested ourselves, ‘Wow, doesn’t this really feel cool?’ Particularly as a result of at the moment, there was once nobody who actually performed tune like we did,” mentioned Marsya, to laughter from her bandmates.
They ultimately went from appearing covers of hits to writing and composing their very own songs, doing lots of the recording periods in Jakarta, a four-hour force from Garut.
From the beginning, the women knew the trail forward would no longer be simple in a rustic the place it’s extraordinary for girls to accomplish heavy metallic tune.
Whilst their oldsters had been first of all dismayed and sceptical about their daughters being on level, they’re now absolutely supportive or even display up at performances, mentioned the band.
Nonetheless, haters will hate. The band contributors recalled how in 2015, after they had been strolling house after a convention consultation, anyone threw a rock at them. Connected to it was once an expletive-ridden observe telling them to prevent taking part in.
Equivalent threats could be issued once in a while, however the youngsters performed on, channelling their angst, worry and misery into tune.
“We had been sufferers of discrimination and being bullied. Rising up, it felt like there weren’t numerous platforms that spoke out in opposition to that, and we didn’t really feel there was once numerous freedom to combat in opposition to it ourselves,” Marsya informed ST.
“We wish to stay atmosphere an instance, particularly for the younger ladies, (so) that we’ve got a brighter long term,” she informed Forbes on Might 15 in its 30 Underneath 30 Asia characteristic on promising younger skill within the area.
