Voice of Baceprot – young Muslim women from Indonesia playing Metal
Interview conducted on August 09, 2021
By Dan Locke
Voice Of Baceprot – often abbreviated as VOB – are an Indonesian all-girl rock band formed in Garut, West Java in 2014. Consisting of young hijab-wearing trio Firdda Marsya Kurnia (vocals and guitar), Widi Rahmawati (bass), and Euis Siti Aisyah (drums), VOB incorporate their various influences, ranging from rock, rap-rock, and funk rock to nu-metal and funk metal, meshing them into a unique style of rock music furnished with frontwoman Marsya’s virtuoso guitar riffs and distinct vocals, drummer Siti’s hard-thumping beats, and Widi’s trademark bass slaps. Dubbed “the Metal Band the World Needs Right Now” by Metal Hammer, VOB released their long-awaited self-written debut single “School Revolution” in 2018, which was produced by renowned producer Stephan Santoso.
What is your upbringing?
We graduated from high school two (2) years ago and are currently enjoying the freedom to learn everything we could without being limited by rigid rules like how it was during our time at school.
How did you discover metal music?
We found out about metal when we used to borrow Abah Erza’s (re: Abah Erza was their counselling teacher at school who has now become their mentor) laptop to listen to the songs on his playlist. There, we discovered bands such as System Of A Down, Linkin Park, and the likes. We gave them a listen and immediately fell in love with them. And then we began to learn how to cover their songs.
How did you start to write music?
The majority of our songs are based on what we have experienced, read, or heard in life. It would then inspire us to write the lyrics, which are mostly about environmental issues, gender equality, and humanity.
Marsya – How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?
In the beginning, I used to borrow the school’s guitar. Abah then bought an electric guitar from his friend, which he lent to me. It was the guitar that I often use for practice sessions and gigs at the time. It can still be found in Abah’s studio.
Marsya – What is your guitar of choice now? Year, make, and model?
A Gibson SG standard in red cherry colour from the year 2003.
Widi- How did you get your first bass?
I learned to play bass using an acoustic guitar at first. And I used to play some of our first gigs too. However, a few days leading up to our school farewell, our school principal bought me a Rockwell bass. I was shocked when I first saw it because I’ve never seen a real bass guitar before.
Sitti – After you decide you wanted to play the drums; how did you get your first set?
My first drum kit was actually assembled by Abah using parts from our school’s marching band equipment. The layout of the kit was rather different from a normal kit, with the bass drum on my left hand and the snare on my right. The hi-hat was made using a cymbal that tied to my toes and I had to operate using my right foot while my left foot didn’t play anything at all. When the school provided me with a real drum kit for a performance, I was surprised to the point where I cried because it was so different from the one that I used to play.
How did your band form?
We’re basically three restless students who were jaded by the rigid education system where the main objective was simply to compete for the highest grades. Those who were obedient would excel, while those who had the courage to criticize would be labeled disrespectful and rude. We bonded and became VOB in 2014 after Abah Erza introduced us to music as a medium to express our opinions.
Describe your music.
Our music is born from the restlessness of our collective hearts and minds. As the name of our band implies, our music is noisy. This is our music and we’re proud to be able to say that.
What was your first live performance like?
It felt so cool at the time. Looking back, though, it’s a bit embarrassing (laughs). But we’re still proud of it because it’s a sign that we have made progress as a band since then.
Since you are Muslim, how does the Muslim community see your venture into music?
Our decision to make music has polarized the community; some are okay with it, while some disagree. However, we think that pros and cons are something that we always have to live with whatever we do. Despite the opposition, there are many tolerant Muslims who support us. We’re grateful because by living in the midst of differences in opinion, we’re able to learn to respect other people’s opinions.
In the beginning, you were doing covers on YouTube of Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Metallica, and Slipknot. This gives you a lot of attention. Including likes from Tom Morello and Flea. How did you feel the first time you heard that?
To receive praise from legends like them makes us proud, but it also made us aware of our need to continue to grow. To be given the opportunity to be heard by world-class musicians who are our idols is not easy, so we have to keep on improving.
What makes a good songwriter?
We think that writing lyrics is a process that involves giving words a deeper meaning instead of simply choosing the right ones. The most important aspect is to achieve the vibe and feel of it, regardless of how complicated it may be. For us, it would be pointless if the lyrics were easy to understand yet are not able to translate the feel of the song.
Your first original song was School Revolution. How was it to do the video?
The music video is the result of a collaboration between us, Abah, our management team, and the late Abott, who directed the clip. The process was rather exhausting as we had to change to different costumes throughout, but we’re very satisfied with the results as they matched our expectations. The music video really helped in making our listeners understand the meaning of the song as it depicted a lot of symbols to further emphasize its message. The row of naked and stiff mannequins with their mouths closed symbolizes silence, illustrating our broken education system.
Why did you pick Abott to direct the video?
Because he was able to understand the concept that we wanted to portray in the video. And we feel that every scene that he captured looks alive and powerful.
What is the process of writing your music?
We started to write our own music in 2015. We’ve been listening to our favorite bands and gained references from them, combining each one into a piece of music that feels fresh. For us, making music is about being free to explore without being limited by anything.
You just released “Before I Forget” for the passing of Joey Jordison of Slipknot. Does this song much have a lot of meaning for you?
“Before I Forget” is one of our favorite songs and a big influence on our music. We’ve been fans of Slipknot for a long time, so it was fitting that we chose this song to be included in our EP. We’re deeply saddened by his passing because we’ve always dreamt of meeting him in person.
How is your next album coming along?
We’ve only released one single so far – “School Revolution” – with another one to be rolled out later this month. We’ve started to become more productive when it comes to writing our own songs, so hopefully, we will be able to release an album in the future.
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
Regardless of its pros and cons, we feel that music streaming is positive progress for the industry. It really helps listeners in finding the music that they like to hear and it also helps musicians in distributing their music to a wider audience.
Digital vs. vinyl?
Each has its pros and cons, for sure. At the moment, though, digital is far more accessible to most people because vinyl can be a bit tough to get and are fairly expensive in price. However, vinyl has more value because it can be kept by music fans.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
“In The End” by Linkin Park. It was the first song that we performed live and we really enjoyed it, despite the event being a graduation party. We love Chester’s voice a lot because it’s so powerful.
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus has affected live music? How do you think it is going to affect the music business in the future?
The pandemic has had a major impact on music festivals and live shows in general due to the fact that gatherings are prohibited. We’re quite sad that live events have had to be put on hold for the time being because for us, performing live brings us so much joy in our lives.
We think that musicians and industry players are sensitive enough to feel that the times are changing, which makes them more adaptive to the situation at hand. Even during times like these, we still see new music being released, while businesses have been able to survive by being creative.
What have you been doing in quarantine?
We’ve been practicing, writing new lyrics, creating new content for our social media, taking part in song workshops via Zoom, listening to a lot of music to gain more references, and watching films without subtitles to improve our English.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
Because of the pandemic, we’ve spent most of our time staying at home and watching a lot of films, ranging from documentaries, horror films, and fiction to our favorite zombie flicks.
With more and more live music happening. And the virus is still here. Are you willing to play large concerts and festivals and what precautions would you like to have in place?
We believe that this pandemic will subside and end up like any other viral outbreaks that have occurred in the past. There will be a cure and the virus will become as common as your common cold. The most important thing now is to take the first step in prevention by getting the vaccine and maintaining our body’s immune system.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
We have heard about them. Maybe we should try it one day to enhance the live musical experience even further.
In the past, if a musician stop doing music, they find a new career. For example, David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a licensed EMT in NY for 6 years, Dan Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider (Twister Sister) did voice over work for SpongeBob SquarePants. If you can’t do music, what would you like to be doing?
Maybe we would follow our parents’ wishes and get married, even though we don’t want too just yet.
What is your happy place?
Our beloved home. The expression “home sweet home” rings true for us.
Now that TikTok is now fully licensed by all three major record companies, will you start using TikTok more? TikTok is launching TikTok Radio, a full-time SiriusXM music channel going live this summer. The station will be part of a new TikTok collaboration with SiriusXM and its subsidiary, Pandora, to jointly promote emerging talent. Do you think this platform could become a force in the future of streaming music?
We just started to play around with TikTok about a month ago. Obviously, we had a hard time adapting to it at first because it was completely new to us. However, we are fully aware that in order to survive, we have to keep up with the times. We believe that any platform can help in raising our game and name if we’re good at it.
Anything you would like to say in closing.
For those of you who are reading this article, keep safe and stay healthy! Always remember that you must continue to live happy, free, and sane. Much love from us!
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