By KEVIN TAN
alltherage@thestar.com.my
FOR the past two years, Afgansyah Reza, 24, has been a student at the Monash University Sunway Campus, Selangor. He’d go to class every day, work on assignments and sit for tests just like any regular student.
Only difference was, Afgan is one of Indonesia’s hottest and most talented young singers, with over four million followers on Twitter, millions of views on YouTube and two Anugerah Musik Indonesia (AMI) awards for Best Male Solo Artiste – one in 2009 and one in 2012.
R.AGE managed to catch up with the soulful R&B crooner right before he flew back to Jakarta to launch his third album, L1ve To Love.
“It’s been three years since I released my last album,” Afgan said, referring to The One, for which he won various awards. “It’s because I had to focus on my studies. I had to slow down my work on the new record.”
The determined singer nevertheless managed to finish the record before his graduation (which will take place in two months), constantly travelling back to Indonesia to work with producers and composers as well as to perform at gigs.
“It wasn’t easy, and I really had to manage my time well to schedule my gigs, to compose and to study. In my first year here, I didn’t do anything with music. I just focused fully on my studies, so that’s why it took me a while to release this album,” he said.
Staying in Malaysia hasn’t been without its perks for Afgan.
“Not many people know me in Malaysia, so I get a lot of freedom to walk around. Back in Indonesia, I have a lot of fans coming up to me whenever I go out,” he said sheepishly.
Afgan’s road to stardom started in 2008 when he and a few friends booked a studio to record some songs for fun. Some record producers happened to be there, heard his voice, got blown away, offered him a contract… You know the rest.
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