Poptastic!

They were six university students studying in Bandung who graduated from comedy performances to producing fun, catchy and surprisingly accomplished music albums. What’s Project Pop’s take on life, music and, naturally, the erstwhile king of pop? Monique Natalia pops the questions.

Finding a route in Jakarta that is not traffic-congested on a Monday morning is still easier than getting the whole Project Pop gang together for an interview. The day after this interview took place, Kartika Rachel Panggabean (Tika), Djoni Permato (Udjo), Hermann Josis Mokallu (Yossi), Gumilar Nurohman (Gugum), Muhammad Fachroni (Oon) and Rudi Astadi (Odie) were off to Brisbane to play at an event held by Indonesian students in Australia to celebrate Indonesian Independence Day.

Aside from that they were also still busy promoting their latest album, titled Six-A-Six (read the A like a hard Indonesian A), and squeezing in practice time between their own personal performance schedule.

The album title is a clever play on asik, the Indonesian word for cool, and the fact that this is their sixth album and there are six of them. Their cover is also emblazoned with the words “album metal paling dugem”. While metal needs no explanation, dugem is short for dunia gemerlap, which refers to the glittering club scene.  

What Project Pop is trying to say is that this is a heavy metal rock album also featuring the best of clubbing music. And, true to form with their previous albums, this one also has their signature catchy music with lyrics that can make even the most uptight Indonesian crack a smile.

When the Weekender was finally able to secure an interview at a studio in South Jakarta, the group of six, still cool in their 30s, sat down for an informal Q&A. 

If you could come back as anything, what would it be?

Oon: Anyone who can buy his clothes anywhere, because I always have trouble finding clothes my size.

Odie: I would be myself, only better.

Gugum: I would want to be reborn as Ariel (vocalist of local band Peter Pan)

Yosi: I would want to be reborn as Sukarno in his era. Now that I know what’s going to happen I’m sure I could make better decisions

Udjo: I want to be like that character from the TV series Heroes, Peter Petrelli. He is the most powerful one. He can absorb all the other heroes’ power.

What are you proudest of?

Tika: I am proud of the fact that I am a woman, especially in a group of all men. We women have to endure a lot but we also have to be strong.

Oon: That I am a human being. (laughs)

Gugum: I am proud of the fact that I managed to pass the UMPTN (the state-administered entrance exam for public universities). I got accepted at Padjajaran University, even though my high school grades were average. It’s a good thing I got in because my parents said that they would not pay for my tuition if I had to go to a private school.

Udjo: That I am from Padang (chuckling). No one else is from Padang in Project Pop right?

Yossi: I am proud that I am finally able to drive now. Even if it is only an automatic!

Odie: I am proud that Yossi can finally drive!

(Laughter)

Your stage stunts are always ridiculously funny and everyone in the group seems to have lost their sense of shame. But, when it comes to your personal life, what are you most embarrassed about?

Tika: I am really embarrassed when I meet a guy I like and everyone is making fun of me in front of the guy. Well … embarrassed but still giddy about it.

Odie: I am embarrassed that I had a 36-year-old friend who could not drive!  

Udjo: I’m really embarrassed when I think that I know someone and then when I come up to talk to him, it turns out that I got the wrong person.

Yossi: Hmm ... tough question. I don’t think I am ashamed of anything. If I were I wouldn’t be in this band!   

All: That is so true!
Gugum: The more people laugh at us the happier we are.

Oon: That means that we have succeeded in entertaining people.

What is your favorite hangout as a gang?

Tika: I like to hang out at Udjo and Odie’s place.

Yossi: The studio! We hardly see each other when we are not practicing. And everyone is so busy, it’s really hard getting everybody together when we have no gig.

Odie: When we were still in school we used to hang out a Pisang Bakar Dago. Great food and cheap, too!

Gugum: Yeah. We used to hang out more when we were in Bandung. Unfortunately now everyone is really busy.

If you were not entertainers, what would you be?

Oon: I’d probably be working in a bank somewhere as I majored in business administration in college.

Odie: Same here. I think I would work in a bank like my dad.

Udjo: I would be involved in an Islamic boarding school somewhere.

Gugum: A teacher for nurses because my dad has always wanted me to be a doctor or nurse.

Yossi: I would probably work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because of my educational background, and I might also start my own business.

Now we get to the more serious stuff. Which is your favorite album and why?

Yossi: I like our latest one, Six-A-Six, because the album is supported by better quality vocals which are assigned more evenly among the group. The music also is more mature in the sense that the music is not only packaging for comedic lyrics, but rather entertainment on its own.

Udjo: I agree with him. Another thing that I like about the album is the fact that we all had a part in writing the music for the album.

Gugum: I liked our first album (Bakpia vs. Lumpia, 1996). You can really feel the energy in the album. It was our first experience recording and we really didn’t know anything about it. It was a lot of fun and we learned a lot.

Oon: I like all our albums but the one that is really a milestone for me personally is our second album, Tu Wa Ga Pat (2000). That was the time I was at a crossroads. I had just graduated and was trying to figure out what to do. I made a pact with myself: if the album was a success I would still be in Project Pop, but if not then I was going to be a corporate slave. Good thing it worked out!

Odie: I like all our albums too. I think each one has its own plusses and minuses. It’s hard to pick just one.

Other than your own band what is your favorite band?

Udjo: Any band from the ‘80s

Tika: The Police.

Oon: Kerispatih. Their music is very rich, the arrangement and the vocals are perfect. So they don’t only depend on their lyrics.

Odie: I enjoy all kinds of music. I listen to whatever’s great to hear and whatever is the in thing at the moment.

Yossi: Right now I am listening to a lot of Mika and Flabi, and for local bands I am currently listening to Endank Soekamti.

Gugum: Linkin Park.

How does your band fit in today’s Indonesian music scene?

All (Everyone answering at once): We try every genre. We try to go with the trends because our main goal is to entertain people.

And how do you see your band in today’s comedy scene?

All: Some people call us comedians, but we are not only comedians. We are also not only musicians. It’s kind of hard to define what we are. The best word to describe us would be entertainers. We’ve got music, we’ve got choreography and we’ve got comedy.

What is the most fun part of your job; is it making video clips, performing on stage or writing songs?

All: We like everything about being in Project Pop. From the songwriting, to all the performances, and making video clips, they are all a lot of fun.

Odie: I like the part when the payment transfer comes through (laughs).

All: Yeah you’re right! I love that part!

OK, back to the fun stuff now. If you were to meet the king of pop, Michael Jackson, what would you say to him?

Tika: I would ask him to go sunbathing with me in Bali! I’m sure he would say no, because he would definitely melt (laughs).

Udjo: If I were to meet Mr. Jackson I would ask him to celebrate his birthday with me because we have the same birthdate! And I would make him a T-shirt with the message, “Project Pop Die-Hard Fan” (laughs). When he is the King of Pop!

Oon: I would say, “You’re my inspiration!” I think he is a genius even though he is not as popular as he used to be.

Odie: I would ask him why he is not as good-looking as used to be. Why is his face all soft and funny?

Yossi: I’d say, “I used to be a big fan of yours!”

Gugum: I would ask him where he got the idea for that iconic high-pitched “hee heee”. Every time somebody goes “hee hee” everbody knows it’s a Michael Jackson trademark.