How a Music Festival Changed My Life
My life-changing moments told at TEDx Bandung
Originally written in my personal blog in 2013 after I spoke at TEDx event in Bandung, Indonesia.
TEDxBandung invited me to share a story that could inspire others. I received the invitation after one of the organizers attended a Creative Commons discussion where I was speaking. During my session, I explained how most people in the music industry interpret the CC license.
According to her, my ability to simplify complex issues met TEDx standards. Wow. To cut a long story short, I eventually shared my story at "TEDxBandung Ngariung VII: The Awakening."
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Here’s the essence of my story:
Music Changes Lives
I fell in love with music at a very young age, too young to understand how it had changed my life. One day, I accidentally watched a band practice in a studio where I usually hung out with my bandmates. I was hiding behind the mixer room, pretty sure they didn’t know I was there. At some point, they played one of my songs, performing with passionate emotion. I was inspired. After their practice, we met outside the studio. They greeted me and said, "Bro, your band changed my life." I was stunned. That was when I realized that music could truly transform someone's life.
From Bandung to Bali to Jakarta
I was born and raised in Bandung, Indonesia, known as a city of education with a vibrant music scene due to its young population. After I stopped playing in a band, I moved to Bali for a few years. Bandung, surrounded by mountains and a large student population, was quite different from Bali, a small resort island and a famous tropical destination for tourists from all over the world. After Bali, I moved to Jakarta, where business and politics dominate daily life. Each move significantly influenced my perspectives.
In Bandung, I lived by being in a band and studying, with time passing quickly and feeling somewhat less meaningful. Moving to Bali, I began to understand my life in more depth, thanks to numerous spiritual activities and festivals deeply rooted in spirituality. From birth to death, Balinese celebrate everything. When I arrived in Jakarta, I almost forgot everything I had learned in Bandung and Bali, getting caught up in the busy pursuit of money like other Jakartans.
The Transformative Download Festival
During my time in Jakarta, I attended the Download Festival in the UK. There, I witnessed an event that essentially transformed my life. I returned home with a renewed focus on music, not as a musician, but as someone behind the scenes helping musicians achieve a better life.