Hindia has emerged as one of Indonesia’s most influential contemporary musicians, known for his honest storytelling and creative independence. In an interview with Top 10 of Asia, he shares how years on the road performing across the archipelago, moments of recognition on the country’s biggest stages, and the lessons learned along the way have shaped both his music and his life. From his early education in Jakarta to founding his own record label and management companies, Hindia reflects on the journey, the challenges, and the values that continue to guide his work.
Hindia spent most of his educational years in a Catholic school environment, culminating in an all-boys high school, SMA Pangudi Luhur, Jakarta, from 2009 to 2012. He then majored in Communications and graduated from Universitas Indonesia in 2015. After working for a few years, including work at the British Council and Double Deer (an Indonesian music company), he took a leap of faith to pursue music full-time. He created his own record label and talent management company, Sun Eater, before finally establishing an independent management home for Hindia called 1024 (Sepuluh Dua Empat) in 2024.
“I’ve spent most of my adult life on the road with my music team, flying three to four times a week all around Indonesia to perform,” Hindia shares. “I’ve seen parts of the archipelago that are rarely shown in the media and have often been privileged to hear the stories and struggles of the locals and the issues they face. This has tremendously helped me stay grounded and to always consider things from multiple perspectives.”
Reflecting on pivotal moments in his career, Hindia says, “There are some moments I hold dear from building my music career, but most notably, last year I won the Album of the Year at the AMI Awards, Indonesia’s biggest and arguably most prestigious music award. After being nominated twice and failing to win—losing to some of the best, arguably superior works by my peers—it had always been my dream to finally bring the accolade home. Winning felt like a full-circle moment for me.”
“The biggest challenge I’ve faced has always been the intrusion of my private life,” he admits. “I guess it’s a given—the price you pay the more your work gains public recognition. It’s been a lifelong lesson, and one I arguably haven’t mastered yet. Sometimes you get used to it—not being able to just pop out randomly in public to do basic things—but other times it’s hard to wrap my head around the idea that I no longer have that kind of privilege: to just live normally, like many others who could.”
When it comes to staying inspired and motivated, Hindia explains, “I have so many musical and creative ideas that I want to manifest, and I don’t think I’ll ever run out of things I want to do—mostly because I have a long mental list of topics I deem important to explore in music and related fields. Out of all of them, I think I just want to make stuff that matters to me. That’s the most important thing. I can’t create something that would matter to my audience if it doesn’t matter to me first. I am set on dedicating the rest of my life to bringing these topics and themes into music and any other related body of work.”
Hindia emphasises the values guiding his work: “The art and creative output that my team and I create need to always be honest and simple. Of course, there will always be nuance behind every interconnected decision, the artistry, and the resulting music or projects, but most of the time nothing beats simple honesty as the primary driver behind any decision—be it creative or management-wise, at least from my experience of creating and managing music for around ten years.”
When asked how he defines success, he says, “Success is being able to do the things I want to do in my field without thinking too much about financial repercussions.”
“One day, I would love to curate and run my own festival with my team. It’s a long journey, but I believe it’s something that could become possible in the future,” shares Hindia.
Discussing goals for the next few years, he adds, “There are some plans that are yet to be announced. Some of them are the biggest things we have ever we have ever pursued. Hopefully, things will go well. Fingers crossed.”
Finally, when offering advice to those just starting out in the field, Hindia keeps it short and serious: “Find a really good lawyer.”