Indo pop

Indo-pop (Pop Indo) also known as Indonesian pop or I-pop is loosely defined as Indonesian pop music; however, in a wider sense it can also encompass Indonesian pop culture, which also includes Indonesian cinema and sinetrons (Indonesian TV drama).

Indonesian pop music today is sometimes influenced by trends and recordings from Western music. However, in return the Indonesian style of pop music has influenced the regional pop culture in Southeast Asia, especially the Malaysian pop scene that began to imitating the Indonesian style of pop music in late 2000s. Indo pop usually expresses contemporary Indonesian sentiments and lifestyles, generally about love and social life related to relationships. Indonesian-pop music with sad and mellow melodies is also very popular and selling very well.

1960s - 1970s
Koes Plus, formerly called Koes Bersaudara, is considered one of the pioneers of Indonesian pop and rock 'n roll music in the 1960s and 1970s. The American and British music influences were obvious in the music of Koes Plus; the Beatles were known to be the main influences of this band.

Indonesian pop music in the 1970s also gave rise to musicians and singers such as Chrisye, Titiek Puspa, and Ebiet G. Ade. Their work in the country's music industry was very large and influenced the development of music after that. These names are still stuck in the minds of many people because they are the pioneers of pop music in this country.

The Indonesian music industry in the 1970s was quite advanced where the pop music genre became very popular, presenting works from musicians from Chrisye, Ade and Puspa. Prambors (LCLR) songwriting competition in 1977 was a breaker of stagnation in the pop music industry at that time. This event also gave birth to many new musicians in the following years.

1970s - 1980s: Melancholic and creative pop genres
During the late 1970s and through the 1980s, two subgenres of Indonesian pop dominated the local industry: melancholic pop and creative pop. Melancholic pop, also known as weepy song, is characterized by slow tempo, sentimental themes often touching domestic settings and influences from 1950s American traditional pop, incorporating elementary chord progressions. Prominent composers in this subgenre included Rinto Harahap. Pance Pondaag and Obbie Messakh. Popular melancholic pop singers included Dian Piesesha (whose album Tak Ingin Sendiri sold over 2 million copies), Nia Daniaty, Iis Sugianto, and Betharia Sonatha (whose album Hati yang Luka became a major hit in 1987). This subgenre was briefly banned from being broadcast on TVRI in 1988 by Harmoko, Indonesia's then Minister of Information.

In contrast, creative pop is characterized by its upbeat tempo and AOR influences with elements of funk, new wave, jazz fusion, disco and boogie, comparable to Japanese city pop and jazz fusion. This subgenre was particularly associated with urbanites and the leisure class. Popular singers and/or composers in this subgenre included Chrisye, Fariz RM, KLa Project, Utha Likumahuwa and Vina Panduwinata. The successes of both the Badai Pasti Berlalu soundtrack and Fariz RM's album Sakura became a momentum for the growth of city pop. After Harmoko's ban on melancholic pop from being broadcast on TVRI in 1988, creative pop gradually became more popular with the masses and dominated the late 1980s until 1990 when Malaysian slow rock/rock kapak began to seep into Indonesian pop culture.

Iwan Fals was very popular at that time, the music still a favorite of many people now. The songs are quite political; the music raises many issues such as war (Puing), the environment (Isi Rimba Tak Ada Tempat Berpijak Lagi), poverty (Siang Sebrang Istana), child labor (Sore Tugu Pancoran). Because the songs are political and criticize the government a lot. Some of his songs were banned by the authoritarian Suharto government at that time.

1980s - 1990s: Pop groups
In the late 80s, boy and girlbands are began to emerge. The first boyband to debut in Indonesia was Trio Libels, which composed of Ronnie Sianturi, Yanni and Edwin Manansang, debuted in the late 1980s, followed by the first wave or generation of boybands, girlbands and co-ed groups, and several notable groups that emerged from this wave are Cool Colors, Coboy, M.E., T-Five, Warna, Rida Sita Dewi, AB Three, and Bening.

2000s - 2010s: Pop rock and East Asian influences
In 2000s, music with a pop rock style began to dominate the national music charts. The popular bands that use pop rock concept include Peterpan, Dewa 19, Gigi, Sheila on 7, Padi, Ada Band, Ungu, Letto, Nidji, and D'Masiv. All of which are featured on MTV Asia and tour regularly nationwide plus the neighbouring countries of Singapore and Malaysia. These bands have received immense reception in the region (including Brunei), some people have attributed this to the neutral shared vocabulary in songwriting compared to the spoken vernaculars spoken between these countries while some have speculated on the proliferation of pirated cassettes and CDs being the cause.

The popularity of Indonesian music in Malaysia in particular had become so overwhelming that in 2008, demands had been made for radio stations there to restrict the number of Indonesian songs being aired so local musicians would be given a fairer chance.

Some of these pop rock bands incorporate traditional Malay roots into their sound, reviving the old Orkes Melayu style once popular in the region across Indonesia and Malaysia. Such bands belong to the "Band Pop Melayu" Malay Pop subgenre which became popular in late 2000s with acts like Kangen Band, Wali, Hijau Daun, Armada, Angkasa and ST 12.

Indonesia first experienced the Korean wave in the 2000s, leading to the popularization of K-dramas and K-pop. The rising popularity of K-pop gave rise to a second wave or generation of boy bands and girl groups in Indonesia. There are several K-pop influenced groups that emerged from this wave, one of the earliest being G-String, but the most notable are SM*SH, CJR and Cherrybelle. Other popular groups include 7Icons, XO-IX, Hitz, and Dragonboyz. It is from this era that the term "I-pop" emerged and was used by several groups including Cherrybelle, 7Icons, and XO-IX.

Several J-pop influenced groups also debuted around the same time. In 2011, Super Girlies, a J-pop influenced girl group, debuted; their first single is a cover of a Berryz Kobo song. In the same year, Japanese idol group AKB48 launched its first sister group in Jakarta, JKT48. JKT48 introduced the "idols you can meet" concept in Indonesia, and distinguished itself from other groups by calling themselves an idol group, rather than a "girlband" particularly. Subsequently, several independent J-pop influenced "idol groups" made their debuts, including LuSca, which debuted in 2012.

Connection with Indonesian films and television series
Indonesian films and television series have a strong relationship with Indonesian music. Most Indonesian films feature soundtracks consisting primarily of Indonesian music, generally Indonesian pop and some rock.

Dwiki Dharmawan, Krakatau personnel, known for his some of musical works related to soundtracks in Indonesian films and television series. Dwiki made his debut with the soundtrack of Elegi Buat Nana in 1988, followed by his own arrangement of Ags. Arya Dipayana's "Aku Ingin" for the film Cinta dalam Sepotong Roti, in 1990.

Dwiki then wrote the soundtracks for Bella Vista (Beautiful View, 1994), Deru Debu (Thundering Dust, 1994), and Bidadari Yang Terluka (A Wounded Angel, 1997).

Melly Goeslaw is an Indonesian musician and female solo singer, known for her many musical works related to soundtracks in Indonesian films and television series. Melly made her debut in making soundtracks for teen drama films in 2002 with the film entitled Ada Apa dengan Cinta?, where most of the songs were sung by her and written by her and her husband.

Melly Goeslaw then provided the soundtrack for Eiffel I'm in Love in 2003, Apa Artinya Cinta? in 2005, the film Heart in 2006, The Butterfly in 2007, and Ketika Cinta Bertasbih in 2009. She considered writing the song "Ketika Cinta Bertasbih" more difficult than his previous work in youth romantic films, because it is a religious film. Therefore, she felt she had to be extra careful.

Her works in these film made Melly increasingly popular as a soundtrack musician, so she was also given the nickname Queen of Soundtrack. The soundtrack later won Best Soundtrack at the Indonesian Film Festival.

International popularity
The high popularity of Indonesian pop music is now limited to Malay-speaking countries. The wider coverage is only ASEAN countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Indonesian singers such as Agnez Mo have been gaining popularity in neighbouring Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and the Philippines.



The 2018 single, "Heaven" recorded by Afgan, Isyana Sarasvati and Rendy Pandugo, became popular not only in Indonesia, but also in Taiwan, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, reaching the top 10 in all four countries.

In 2018, during the Asian Games, the official theme song "Meraih Bintang", performed by pop dangdut singer Via Vallen became viral in numerous countries across Asia and beyond; with many singers performing translated covers of the song in their respective languages and uploading the videos on YouTube.

Nevertheless, prominent Indonesian musicians such as Rich Brian, NIKI, Stephanie Poetri, Weird Genius, and Rainych have acquired recognition internationally between 2018 and 2022. They are primarily associated with international record labels and represent the rise of Indo pop in international popularity.