Indonesia Playlist

Indonesia right now is loud, funny, and built for a phone screen. No Na's "honk!" samples the horns of angkot minibuses and the viral "Om Telolet Om" call, and the video passed 5.7 million YouTube views within four weeks. Pop dangdut has gone modern too. Duo Anggrek's "Senayan Tanah Abang", featuring Ecko Show, pairs a dance-dangdut beat and repetitive hooks with a rap verse, pitched straight at TikTok, Reels and Shorts dance challenges. Hip-hop is just as direct. RAMENGVRL, Putri Estiani's alter ego, makes bold, witty, unapologetic rap, and her current #BADDIEPUSAT era is a clear example. Crews matter as much as songs. ANTINRML runs its own curated stage, and the Timur Basudara stage gives eastern Indonesian artists room to be heard.

This month the WorldWidePop playlist added two videos. The first is No Na's "star", a live performance from Genius Open Mic, where the group became the first Indonesian girl group to play there. The second is No Na's "dizzy". The playlist was also expanded this month with a batch of videos brought in from another list. No Na is signed to 88rising, which is why a group named after "nona", the word for a young Indonesian woman, is getting attention well beyond Jakarta.

Going by the comments, the listeners are mostly in the Philippines, Malaysia and India. Next up is Synchronize Fest, running 16 to 18 October at Gambir Expo Kemayoran in Jakarta, with ANTINRML, Afgan, Hindia and Reality Club, who are collaborating with Bangkok's Phum Viphurit. RAMENGVRL's album is also planned for October, so the scene is about to get a lot louder.