ASMARAWEDA by MANJAKANI Will Delight Your Ears
MANJAKANI is one of the latest act that comes from the land of gold, Borneo, or Pontianak to be exact. On December 1st 2016, the band that consists of Taufan and Nabila finally released their debut single called “ASMARAWEDA” via Parklife Records. The project of MANJAKANI started out when Taufan and Nabilla first met in the same educational institution and their mutual interest in music drove them to start a band together. Their venture into music scene could be said as unintended, as they once performed live while covering another band on an event called “Tribute to Peterpan” and got enthusiastic response afterward. The duo who turn out to be a couple, had bravely started to perform their own composed songs live since June 2015 and it received much love from the crowd. Since then, they began to collect some materials until they managed to release their first single. The song took a month to be recorded in Pontianak, and it was composed by MANJAKANI with the help of Arief Setyawan who is in charge of writing the lyrics.
The title “ASMARAWEDA” was chosen to describe how and where things are supposed to belong. For example, birds should be able to fly and roam the sky instead of being trapped in cages. Humans should socialize with each other instead of being glued to their gadgets. The deep lyrical context is sung beautifully by Nabila and the slow rendition is accompanied by acoustic guitar from herself and Taufan. Her vocal has such a lovely tone and she is capable of showing her pipes and range in this song. Taufan also sings a little as backing vocal and their voices match, in a sense that they do not overlap with each other. ASMARAWEDA is a pleasant folk song that reminds us a little bit of Banda Neira. With simple melody, the tune has a charming attraction that lulls you into a dream.
Moreover, MANJAKANI are now in the midst of preparing a mini album. There is no exact release date as of now, but we would keep you posted on their future’s activity. You could watch the lyrics video of ASMARAWEDA that was shot in the middle of pine forest below.
