Indonesian singer and songwriter Rendy Pandugo tells
Loong Wai Ting about his music, dreams and interest in photography
RENDY Pandugo may be the new kid on the block but the Medan-born singer and songwriter sure is making waves in both Indonesia and abroad.
However, it has not always been smooth sailing for the 31-year-old who now lives alone in Jakarta. “I started experimenting with music when I was very young. Sensing my interest in music, my dad enrolled me in a music school to study classical guitar. But I’m the sort who gets bored easily,” he says.
Bored with the rigid lessons, he eventually dropped out. “I prefer to watch and observe how other people play,” adds the self-taught guitarist who also composes and writes his own material.
He joined local band Riviera in college. When the band showed no significant progress, Rendy left. Along with a friend, he formed a side project known as Dida, where he performed as a guitarist and vocalist.
It was also at this point that he realised his career as an artiste was taking a plunge. Living alone in Jakarta on minimum wage due to low-paying singing gigs, he soon found himself in dire straits. “It came to a point where I realised I needed to do something. I even thought about a career switch. But I refused to give up,” he says.
PASSIONATE ABOUT MUSIC
Even though Rendy has had a rough life, his passion for music has remained unchanged. He regularly uploads his covers of popular songs by John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, Kodaline, The Beatles, just to name a few, on SoundCloud.
Soon, people began to take notice of his talents and he was invited to perform at local cafes in Jakarta regularly. He soon caught the eye of Indonesian actress Acha Septriasa, who asked him to perform the theme song for her film, Aku Cinta Kamu. Currently, Rendy is signed to Sony Music Indonesia.
Earlier, Rendy had given a short but memorable live performance to a lunch crowd at the Yellow Brick Road cafe in Bukit Damansara. “I love the crowd here. They are always so supportive of my music. I like it when they clap at the end of my performances, even though they are busy eating,” he says, laughing.
Indeed, what’s not to like about this shy, soft-spoken and well-mannered singer, who easily steals the hearts of many with his seductively raspy vocals.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
“It’s a great compliment but I still have lots to learn. I always think there is room for improvement. When I get inspired by certain things, I want to share and hopefully it can inspire others as well,” he says, before pouring a glass of water for me.
“The best thing about being an artiste is that you gain a lot of support from those around you. Even when I’m doing a cover of a popular song, my fans still love what I do. And that motivates me to work harder,” he says.
The singer has been compared to a lot of artistes all these years, including one of his favourite singers, John Mayer. In fact, fans call him the “John Mayer of Indonesia”. Smiling, Rendy says that has been one of his biggest accomplishments so far.
“John Mayer is my biggest music inspiration. He changed my perception towards music. After watching his performance on YouTube, I challenged myself to do the same, if not better. My definition of music is very simple and I don’t limit myself to a specific genre. I like to have a bit of everything in my music,” says Rendy.
PURSUING HIS DREAM
Four years ago, he took his friend’s advice to do a cover of The Beatles’ In My Life and uploaded it on SoundCloud. A famous local blogger tweeted his cover and suggested her followers listen to it. Within days, Rendy’s followers on SoundCloud doubled.
He followed that with a rendition of Sheila On 7’s Sebuah Kisah Klasik and the success inspired him to put out his own material.
His new English single, I Don’t Care, is out now and will be included in his soon-to-be-released album.
I Don’t Care also features accomplished Indonesian singer and songwriter Leody Akbar as co-writer. In the music video, shot earlier this year, Rendy can be seen wandering the streets of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.
On the concept behind the music video, Rendy says it was “to feature someone wandering around by himself as he tries to leave all his problems behind him and to move on with his life. I think Japan is the perfect place to unburden your heart, until you find yourself again.”
Besides music, Rendy also has a passion for photography. “I like to take lots of pictures during my travels. I shoot mostly on my Fujifilm mirrorless digital camera but occasionally, I use my phone,” he says, adding that he might actually come up with his own photobook in the future.
“All I know is my music and I am blessed to be given so many opportunities to do it to make my dream come true,” he adds.
I Don’t Care is now available for download on iTunes and Spotify.