Why Singing Communities Matter: Nyanyi Bareng Jakarta

Photography

Aug 26

This is, as of this moment, the hottest singing community in Jakarta - they are currently followed by over 82,000 people on Instagram (@nyanyi.barengjkt), just a couple of months after their first anniversary. Founded by Gladys Santoso, Meda Kawu, and Jusuf Winardi, these three have created something very special for people to keep coming back to.

My curiosity lingers on why singing in such a big group can be interesting to so many. I texted Meda to see if I could come to their event and take some photographs.

“Come on the 9th! This one is already confirmed”, she said. She sent me a flyer of the events for the month. I read it, and it says Sing Like A Child.
“Sing Like A Child? What does this mean?” I asked.
She sent me laughing emojis, no other explanation.

“It’s close to where you are, in Kuningan.” She said.

Kuningan is notorious for bad traffic, especially after office quitting time. Many people share this thought. But oh well, I’ll give it a go.

It took me about 50 minutes to get there by car.

An hour before the start time, people had started forming a line. Roughly 20 minutes later, over a hundred people were sitting on the carpeted floor of the space. I circled, trying to absorb the vibe of the place and find something interesting. They were given a lyric booklet and an event button as a keepsake for attending this event. Some collect them as a badge of honor. They were also given a small card, which they were asked to write a personal reflection on, specific to the theme of the event. One person wrote a simple but powerful statement: “Never lose your excitement in life.”

The event starts. The whole night was filled with laughter, followed by singing, excitement, elation, and more singing. Each time got better from the previous version.

In the end, the band Kahitna showed up for a surprise visit. They greeted, sang the song that they had been practicing that night, and they all sang along at the end of the night.

If I were asked how I felt, I would probably say:

Imagine yourself singing in an impromptu choir with 450 potential new friends, with no judgments, no egos, no skill required. Everyone has their part, and it’s easy to learn.

Your voice is a part of the collective greatness that comes in the end. You forget everything else in the world in those three hours. You feel empowered; you feel solace. You may also feel you are on cloud 9 afterwards.

It sounds like a simple thing - singing together - but I find that it is much more than that.

NBJ provides a safe space for people from all backgrounds to nurture the soul: to reflect and reconnect with each other and with the self.

The fact that 450+ people showed up that night at a location notorious for its traffic says a lot.

The following set of images is my selected documentation from start to finish.