Many people said they were really impressed with LALA’s sweet performance at Java Jazz Festival 2009. I heard it everywhere around the venue, even when I was busy reporting in the media room, I still heard people mentioning her. Who could blame them? This pretty girl with lovely voice and delightful touch of guitar wow-ed the audience in both performances she had.

Lala Kartodirdjo, the full name of LALA is a remarkable pop rock artist that has a very promising career ahead. As half Indonesian (dad) and half Philippines (mom) that she is, she’s successfully bridging her career from Indonesia to Philippines. standing in between these two major country, her popularity is rising up fast in both countries today. She starred in some Indonesian soap operas like “SMP (Senandung Masa Puber)”, “Violet”, “Di Sini Ada Cinta” and some more. But she didn’t stop there. She follower her calling and started her music career in Indonesia, under a band called Inersia. From there she got spotted by Mr Ronnie Henares and she was brought to Manila, signed a contract with Warner Music. The music lovers in Philippines loved what she delivered, and from that point until today, she’s shining as bright as the star.

A beautiful girl with sweet voice, cool performance with nice touch of guitar, songs with catchy melodies, warm and friendly to the fans are some of her strength. With all those gifts, she will go straight to the top in no time. Many tremendous achievements has filled her collections. She has been nominated for “Best New Female Artist 2008″ by Myx Channel, also nominated for “Best Performance by a New Female Recording Artist” and “Best Performance by a Duet” (with Christian Bautista) in the Prestigious Philippine 21st Awit Awards.

Lala… ‘Not Your Ordinary Girl’

Now let’s take a look at her music style and her beautifully done debut album, STARS. LALA’s music is like a mix between Michelle Branch, Sheryl Crows, Alanis Morisette and Sixpence None The Richer with a touch of light pop jazzy sound of D’Sound. If you are into this music style, you’ll love her album. STARS contains ear-catchy songs that would fit many different segments of music fans. There are three singles from the album has been released in Philippines. The first single, the catchy-groovy song “Waitin’”, the bittersweet “What About You”, and a wonderful duet with Christian Bautista on “Unsaid”. STARS simply is a wonderful album that you’ll love to hear over and over again.  This album will soon appear in Indonesia under Warner Music Indonesia. “What About You” is hitting the charts in many major radio stations in Jakarta.Both Indonesian and Phillipines should be proud of LALA. I do.

With the help of mJ Juco of TangerineSkies Artist PR, I managed an exclusive one on one interview with LALA.

Lala, that was such a pleasant show you gave at Java Jazz Festival 2009. How do you feel performing for the BIGGEST Jazz event in the world?
It was an honor and an overwhelming experience for me. That was my first time to be part of such a great event. I would like to thank Eki Puradiredja (Java Jazz Program Director) for inviting me to perform there.

What do you think about your audience of at the Java Jazz Festival?
I played at two different venues, one at the Dji Sam Soe Lounge and the other one at the Assembly 2 Hall. The full crowd was very warm and appreciative on both occasions; I enjoyed connecting with them throughout the entire set of both my performances.

What about your performance there, were you happy / satisfied by it?
Yes, indeed I was… my back-up band performed very well; we all enjoyed and had fun! The sound system was good, thanks to the sound technicians from Java Jazz. If we were allowed to play longer, we would have been very willing… hahaha!

Lala @ The Java Jazz 2009 (Photo by Jazzuality.com)

I think you are a unique case. You started your career in Indonesia, yet you were discovered by Mr. Ronnie Henares who then brought your music to Manila. You had a blossoming career back in the Philippines, and you deserve it because you’re terrific! I think it’s kinda odd that Indonesia didn’t discover a talent like you. What’s your take on that?
Firstly, thank you so much for the kind words and support. I actually started my music career in Indonesia with a local band called Inersia. I was their vocalist. We released an album under our own label, Inersia Inc. back in 2004. Our album was entitled “Bersama” – consisting of 5 songs in English and 5 in Indonesian. Bersama means “Together”. We had two video clips released; one of them was “Bersama”. Although the album was not altogether a sell-out, it was through the video clip that Ronnie Henares saw me and invited me to the Philippines. Instead of staying on in Indonesia, I decided to go solo and face the challenges in the Philippines since some of the Inersia members were very young and were going off to schools abroad and I felt I could learn a lot dwelling in the music industry of the Philippines.
It was a blessing for me to have my debut solo album produced in the Philippines with Warner Music since most of my compositions were in English. English songs had a very segmented market in Indonesia then. Although today, the music seems to be evolving and improving, English songs by Indonesians are now starting to be accepted by a larger market.

From your experience working in the music industry of two different countries, how would you compare Indonesia from the Philippines?
I would say the difference would be in the lifestyle of the musicians and the type of music. The music scene in the Philippines is more versatile and is more strongly influenced by the western music. Indonesians have vastly improved today in terms of musical taste and quality but has yet to progress in terms of professionalism and stage personality.

And how does the audience in the Philippines and Indonesia differ?
In the Philippines, people seem to be more alive… maybe it’s the San Miguel Beer! Hahaha… kidding! Everyone in the Philippines seems to really love music and entertainment. People in Indonesia are appreciative, too, depending on the event. Indonesians tend to be more shy and calm. But that seems to be the culture here.

What are your future plans in the Indonesian music scene?
I plan to release an album here with Indonesian songs that I have composed; do collaborations with musicians here and go back to acting again (either movies or soap operas). Before I left for Manila, I used to play one whole season and in a few other soap operas here in 2005 so I’ve had some experience in that area. It would really help boost my public exposure and could increase my popularity here in Indonesia.

Any plans on going back to Manila for another tour?
Yes, definitely! My management and I are working on that. Hopefully by the middle of this year (fingers crossed). I miss Manila so much already! My friends there are telling me that a lot of my fans are asking when I’ll be back. I won’t disappoint them though I hope they will be patient and most of all not forget me.

I think the fans would love to know more about you. Can you describe who Lala really is?
Lala is not your “average ordinary girl… ” hahaha! That’s taken from one of my songs in the album. I love singing and music so much. Composing songs is what I do when I’m at my “alone” times. I love to travel and see the world — to have a world tour is my goal and dream. I try to live life to the fullest and be grateful for every single thing in my life. I value and learn all the lessons from each day of my life. My motto for 2009 is “Own your life and ‘live’ through it, never give up!”

How fluent are you in speaking Tagalog?
Uhmmmm… “medyo pwede ung Tagalog ko ngayon po… pero hindi naman tuloy tuloy, minsan sabi ni band ko barok ung tagalog ko po sensya…” hahaha! (I think my Tagalog is okay; not that fluent. My band mates say that I still have a lot to learn. Hahaha!) I try my best… I often express myself and I speak the language even though I make so many mistakes in the grammar… hahaha

Which country is your home, Philippines or Indonesia?
Both… Born and raised in Indonesia but “matured” in the Philippines.

Let’s talk about your music style. How do you describe it? What do you think is your ’specialty’ / forte?
I would say Pop fusion, pop with a mix of jazz, folk and blues. I love improvising and doing adlibs with my voice when I’m singing. I love to also rearrange songs that I like into my own style of music. My style of singing would range from folk pop songs of Michelle Branch to the light jazz of D’ Sound and a bit of Sheryl Crows’ or Alanis Morisette’s angst. I like a variety of music and I enjoy applying them to the different moods of my songs and lyrics. It’s just a gift that there’s so much choice in creating music.

To me, your album “STARS” is really such a refreshing album. What exactly is the message you want to send the most through the album?
Most of the songs that I made in that album I wrote when I was still a teenager. I’m still a teenager now…  just not by age, hahaha! Most of the songs have love and girl power messages. Those two things represent a big part of a teenage girl’s thoughts during that age, hopefully my fellow ladies can relate and enjoy the songs and fully comprehend the message in it. My newer compositions are probably more matured and would express a positive attitude in life.

Lala’s debut album ~ “Stars”, under Warner Music Philippines

I noticed that your style delves more into delightful Pop Rock and Acoustic Pop Rock yet you appeared at the recently concluded Java Jazz Festival. How familiar are you with the jazz genre? Are you into Jazz as well?
Yes I am, I try to listen to all kinds of music. There was a time I was into Acid Jazz when I was young. I listened to Earth Wind and Fire, Brand New Heavies, Incognito, Level 42 and more. What I love about Jazz is how you explore and create your music in it; from there I believe that music has no boundaries.

What are some of the Jazz songs you’ve covered in your gigs?
I love the song “Fallen” by Lauren Wood, I play that song during my gigs….and the song “Midnight at the Oasis”,  my own version of  “Just The Two of Us” and “Still a Friend of Mine” by Incognito. I also composed “I Don’t Know What to Wear” which is light and jazzy.

Name your TOP 8 Musical Heroes / Influences.
The Beatles, Alanis Morisette, Michelle Branch, John Mayer, Jamie Cullum, Sheryl Crow, Travis, Radiohead

In the album, you also worked with Christian Bautista. Can you tell us about that collaboration?
I’m very thankful to Christian and to Warner Music Philippines for making this project possible. It was really nice to have collaborated with him. He is a very talented young artist and very down to earth. Working with him was fast and easy. I liked the fact that I was working with a Filipino artist that made it big in Indonesia, whereas I am an Indonesian building my career in the Philippines.

Describe yourself or your musical career 5 years from now.
I always accounted myself as ending up to being a businesswoman and in 5 years it may well be in the musical or entertainment industry. I may be starting off as a singer composer right now but the industry can open up as we go along and lead to productions-cum-producing, fashion, retail, advertising, event organizing… you name it. In 5 years though, I still want to be remembered as a renowned singer and composer.

A Classy Lala

Your first album is outstanding, what will your second album be like?
My second album will have a more mature approach. Hopefully my listeners have grown with me as well. There will be some Indonesian songs included on the album, too. The red line will still be pop but with a bit of light jazz and blues to it. My promise to you is to deliver good quality music and easy listening songs.

A LOT of people raved about your performance all over the Java Jazz Festival. I heard your name being mentioned by so many people as I was going around covering the festival. Is there anything you would like to say to your new Indonesian fans?
Terima Kasih Teman-teman.. Sampai Jumpa di album ke dua saya… cheers!! (Thank you so much guys… see you again in my second album… cheers!!)

To Andy of Jazzuality.com & mJ Juco of TangerineSkies Artist PR:
Thank you so much for these wonderful questions, I enjoyed answering each and every one of them Take care always and keep in touch! God bless.

More Pictures:

Visit these YouTube LINKS to view some of Lala’s Videos:
[What About You MTV]
[Waitin' MTV]
[Unsaid MTV with Christian Bautista]
["Aku Malu" Live!]
["I Don't Know What to Wear" Live!]
["Stars" Live!]
["How Deep Is Your Love" Live!]
["It Ain't Over Till It's Over" Live!]

Visit LALA’s official multiply website and myspace

* Special thanks to mJ Juco of TangerineSkies Artist PR

PS: On behalf of all Jazzuality.com crews, I’d like to wish LALA a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY. May you get all the happiness and dreams, and may every single day will be wonderful for you.

Interviewed by: Riandy Kurniawan

Popularity: 55% [?]

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