Part 1

Name: MANJA
Members: James Sukadana, Nick Pratama, Mark Saputra
Nationality: Indonesian  
Current release: MANJA's new single "MNSF" is out via 12Wired.
Recommendations:
James: If I can only suggest two art pieces, they would be The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay and Lateralus by Tool. Not for the music, mind you, because not everyone likes heavy music, but for their lyrics and the concepts behind the albums.
Nick: The first would be Legend by Bob Marley. The album is a masterpiece in terms of its lyrics, rhythms, movements, and the impact it has had on the world. Most importantly, it is an honest piece that comes from the heart.
The second one is the batik. Batik is more than just a dyed piece of fabric; it is a symbol and a huge part of Indonesian culture that permeates our lives from start to end. Infants are carried in batik slings decorated with symbols that could bring good luck to the baby, while the dead are shrouded in funerary batik. It also plays a central role in traditional arts and rituals.
Mark: The book Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb and the magical yet haunting Jungga music of Ata Ratu from East Sumba, Indonesia.

If you enjoyed this MANJA interview and would like to keep up to date with the band and their music, visit the trio on Instagram, and Facebook.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

James: It depends on the song or band I'm listening to. A lot of times, I imagine being on stage with the band while they're performing. Other times, I imagine being in the crowd watching the band perform. However, sometimes, for songs that impact me deeply, I do imagine visuals that are influenced by the song itself.

Nick: I would imagine a scene from a movie and then get creative from there as if I were directing a movie on the spot or performing on stage playing the song.

Mark: I love it when music evokes certain feelings that I can’t explain and just takes me to places more than the visual aspect. That's why I love our latest single, “MNSF.” I think it does both!

Entering new worlds and escapism through music have always exerted a very strong pull on me. What do you think you are drawn to most when it comes to listening to and creating music?

James: I mostly listen to music with my eyes open because I do so while carrying out an activity, whether it’s at the gym, during practice, running, or while doing something else. However, some albums must be experienced with your eyes closed, like Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon and Tool’s Lateralus, for example.



Nick: I get drawn to ear-candy sounds, repetitive riffs, and vocal melodies. They inspire me to do something positive or impactful.

Mark: I think with music or art in general, it’s either you have it or you don’t. When you have it, it’s like an itch that you must scratch! So, I was always drawn to music and the freedom it gives me to explore parts of my brain that normally don’t see the light of day. Got to keep scratching!

What were your very first steps in music like and how would you rate the gains made through experience?

James: I was lucky enough to be born into a family with a love for music. My dad and many of my uncles and aunts are musicians. My mum and grandmother are die-hard music fans of many genres. My stepdad is active in the music industry in Indonesia and is quite an influential figure too. So, my early steps into music were very much influenced by them.

As I grew up and became my own person, my sister and I kept that love of music. We went to many festivals and concerts together. I was also fortunate enough to learn music in school.

How do I rate these experiences and influences? I would not be the musician that I am today without every single one of them. I owe my life to these people and experiences.

Nick: I started learning music quite late, when I was around 17 or so. I learned music through YouTube, and from there, I met a couple of friends in a band. We sucked, though. We didn’t have the right gear or know any technical things, let alone how to tune. We were so bad.

But hey, it’s part of the learning process. Through trial and error, we gained a lot of experience and made significant gains. We’ve come a long way.

Mark: My first steps in music involved not knowing that it was possible for me to play the music I loved so much because of my then-pessimistic perspective, thinking that playing and making music was solely for “talented people”. How wrong I was!

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music mean to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

James: That's so interesting. Most of my current playlist consists of the music I discovered during my teenage years! Music has always been my biggest dream. It runs through my veins. Ever since I idolised my father, I progressed to fanatically idolising the bands that I was listening to, and then now.

A lot of things have changed, including my perspectives on various topics. However, the most significant change is I am now more open to all kinds of music genres. Back then, if it wasn’t metal, it wasn’t music!

Mark: That’s precisely the age when I started playing and creating music with Nick! Since we’re brothers, we used to do similar activities.

Since we were in a bit of a rough spot and weren’t studying at school back then, being able to dive into music meant having this sense of freedom while also filling the hunger every teenager has for exploring new things.

Nick: At the time, I could not play musical instruments, so I started listening to music and discovering lots of new things, from Motown classics and 80s rock to reggae and ballads.

Nothing much has changed since then. I still listen to new music or old songs that I recently found out about. But this time, I focus more on the technicalities that they come with because I play music, like how to achieve a particular sound.

How would you describe your own relationship with your instrument, tools or equipment?

James: My relationship with my guitars is like how Aang feels towards Appa in Avatar or how Han Solo feels towards Chewbacca in Star Wars.

My guitars are my companions. I love them dearly, and I think they love me back just as much. I try to really get to know each guitar before I add another one to my collection.

Nick: A friend who always has your back. Music has given me so much, and in return, I must give back as well by checking on it, showing care, and so on.

Since I’ve invested my time, energy, and money into it, you have to appreciate it.

Mark: Fulfilling and rewarding, with a few headbangs in between.

Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

James: Honestly, I'm still unsure where this impulse comes from. Sometimes, I try to force a song out, and it just won't. Other times, an idea wanders into my mind, and I finish a song in one sitting. All I know is that I need to keep writing for the rest of my life.

These often-quoted sources of inspiration, I think, are everything when it comes to creating art. No single artist has ever created art by themselves. A piece was crafted based on their experiences with other people, other art forms, and everything else that life has to give. And in that sense, once you release your art, although the piece belongs to the artist, its essence belongs to everyone. Just like Mark Twain said, "There are no original ideas.”

Nick: In Bali and the rest of the country, motorbikes are generally the way to go. So, I get most of my inspiration when I’m driving my motorbike. A sudden riff or melody would hit me, and I would stop by the side of the road and record that melody on my phone before I forgot! Later, I would continue to work on that melody in the studio.

I still have some of the old voice notes that I recorded, and now it has become a song!

Mark: Life on this earth is the biggest inspiration! We have so many stories to tell when we pay attention to the things that otherwise might pass us by.

In this modern age, it’s too easy to distract ourselves too much due to how the world is currently set up, but to paraphrase Rick Rubin, “If you keep your antennas out, you’ll receive the downloads from the universe”! (laughs).

Are you acting out parts of your personality in your music which you couldn't or wouldn't in your daily life? If so, which are these? What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music?

James: The thing that used to interest me so much in music is the technical aspect of it. The composition, the instrumentation, the sound effects, and so on. But nowadays, I find myself more attracted towards the human aspect behind the music.

I get shivers down my spine when I hear heartfelt lyrics accompanied by knowing what the artist had to go through or what inspired them to create that piece.

There are so many people in the world; each of us is an artist, and I intend to experience as many of us as possible. So, I create music to try to connect with people because, at the end of the day, humans have always connected, even across eras, through storytelling.

Nick: Not really. I try to be myself. I stay true to my personality, values, and spirit. You have to be honest with yourself and with others, and you must take responsibility for your mistakes. Your values, ideals, and actions align.

So, in short, stay true to yourself and your music. People can sense true, meaningful, authentic music from the heart.

Mark: My approach to music is to just keep digging. Even if you don’t find gold initially, at least you can get a workout from it! The rewards will eventually pay off over time. I act out some of my wackier ideas through music or on stage.

I mean, where else can you scream your heart out in front of thousands of people without looking like a lunatic? Hahaha

If music is a language, what can we communicate with it? How do you deal with misunderstandings?

James: Music is a universal language. It is also the most accessible and convenient form of art, which is why, in my opinion, music is one of the most important. Music can tug at people’s heartstrings, transport people back to the first time they heard it, and motivate and inspire people, among other things. You can communicate anything through music.

Misunderstandings happen when people close their minds to other points of view and believe that theirs is the only one that is right. How do I deal with misunderstandings? I try to put myself in the other person’s shoes and walk a mile in them. At the end of the day, we are all more similar than we think. We all want to live in peace and love one another.

Nick: Music is already a form of universal language. No matter where you are from, anyone can listen to it and express their feelings and emotions.

We can connect through music. Indonesia’s official language is Bahasa Indonesia, yet as an archipelago, it consists of around 17,000 islands and has more than 700 regional languages spoken across the country. Each region has its own traditional music, but people can understand and sense each other’s music. Music is about collaborating and spreading a message to impact the world positively.

Mark: Music is a language of emotion, and we communicate with it every time we listen to it.

As for misunderstandings, there are no misunderstandings in art. What you put out is for the world to interpret.