Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
When I listened to Mitty Zasia's song "Bukan Seleramu" (Not for Your Taste) for the first time, I knew I had to interview her.
Very rarely does a three-minute, eight-second song ignite my journalistic instinct, but Mitty’s raw-yet-restrained vocal delivery and her astute, non-confrontational lyrics made it clear she’s one of a kind.
The more cynical listener might dismiss “Bukan Seleramu” as just another self-love anthem, but it’s more than that. Where many self-love songs lean into self-pity, Mitty’s teaches her audience how to assert individuality without anger or hate.
And after hearing the song’s accompanying album, Nanti Malam Ku Pikir Lagi (I’ll Think About It Again Tonight), I saw the full picture of who Mitty is. The 15-track anthology feels like an expression of her love for music; a love that hasn’t always loved her back.
It’s no wonder my conversation with her was deeper and more philosophical than most interviews.
“I feel the [price] is worth the decision I’ve made [to become a professional musician],” Mitty reflected.
“You only live once. It would be such a shame not to build what we have to the fullest, not to pursue what we love or not to become who we want to be.”
A heavy heart
After carefully listening to Nanti Malam Ku Pikir Lagi, I realized this album might strike a chord in the hearts of professional musicians. An artist’s heartbreak is unique, and Mitty captures that experience perfectly.
Take the eighth track, “Pada Akhirnya, Berkawan Berlalu” (In the End, Friends Pass). The song recounts Mitty’s realization that one of the prices of pursuing her dream was losing touch with the friends she thought she’d have forever. In a way, music has taught her both the value and fragility of friendships.
“The year 2022 was when my friend, those I moved to Yogyakarta with, decided to return to their hometowns one by one,” Mitty explained.
Born in Kotamobagu, North Sulawesi, she reflected on this bittersweet moment: “At first, I was just focused on enjoying our togetherness in Yogyakarta. I love making friends so much. And my friends usually become close friends, the kind I’d see every single day.”
But then, as the song laments:
Dulu sempat sedekat nadi / Kini saling tidak peduli / Pesan di mana, apa kabarnya / Semua formalitas saja.
(Once as close as the heartbeat / Now we don’t care about each other / Where’s the message, how are you / It’s all just a formality).
“I forgot to prepare my heart and accept that we wouldn’t always be together,” Mitty said, her voice quivering.
“What made my chest throb the most was how things became so different after we parted ways and focused on our respective lives. We have our own priorities and new ways of thinking. They’re busy, but my heart has to be big enough to realize that I’m busy too.”
Permission to grieve
The album continues with more hard truths and heartfelt lessons. “Rela Tak Semudah Kata” (Letting Go Is Not as Easy as It Sounds) is a tribute to Mitty’s late grandmother, who stayed closely in touch, even when Mitty moved to Yogyakarta to follow her dreams.
“She once told me, ‘Don’t tell anyone, but your name is the first I pray for during every salat. Don’t tell the other grandkids,’” Mitty reminisced. “That’s one sentence I will never forget.”
Her grief taught her that, contrary to the cliché, time does not heal all wounds.
“I’m scared I’ll forget her voice, her smile,” she admitted.
But Mitty's open heart has also brought in some joy. “Lagu Cinta Satu-Satunya” (The One and Only Love Song) finds Mitty celebrating the joy of romantic love.
“When this person is around, I feel like I can get through all the chaos of the world,” she said, smiling.
A declaration of self-worth
Though every song on the album is distinctive, “Bukan Seleramu” feels like Mitty’s boldest and most heartfelt statement.
While Mitty loves music and the path she has chosen for herself, she also understands that, sometimes, there is a price to be paid for that kind of love. But as "Bukan Seleramu" suggests, some things are not for sale—for instance, Mitty's soul and self-worth.
As she sings in the final verse:
Segala kurang lebihku / Memang bagian unik dariku / Yang tak harus jadi seleramu / Yang telah kususun sesuai inginku
(All my strengths and weaknesses / Are a unique part of me / They don’t have to be your taste / They’re what I want for myself)
“I want to make people listen and understand: You must have faith in yourself. You are capable,” she said firmly.
A vision for pop music
Perhaps a record like this is what the current Indonesian pop scene needs right now. The kind of pop music in which the artist can be unapologetically themselves, while also teaching their audiences that love, in any shape or form, should begin from within.
“Artists should feel more confident in their thoughts,” she said.
“I often see people afraid their ideas won’t be accepted or that they’ll look bad. Personally, my wish is for us musicians to get ‘wilder’, to become more expressive and true to ourselves.”
Mitty Zasia and pop music. Seems like a match made in heaven, indeed.
