Jeff Bernat Opened Up About Depression during Java Jazz Performance
JAKARTA (3/1) – Filipino-American R&B singer, Jeff Bernat, has finally set his foot in Indonesia with a performance on BNI Java Jazz Festival 2019. Taking the MLD Spot Hall at JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta on the first day, he was accompanied by band players consisting of a guitarist, a keyboardist, and a drummer. Wearing a red hat and a black vest with a white shirt underneath, Jeff Bernat uttered his gratitude to be able to perform in Jakarta for the very first time. His show started around 7 PM where approximately a hundred attendees have been waiting for him. As he opened his set, more people started to enter the stage while still giving enough space for other people to dance and groove to Jeff’s tunes. He performed some songs from his latest album “She Loves Me Not” as well as previous singles that managed to capture the hearts of the listeners. The singer who has built a huge following in South Korea repeatedly shouted out his home base in Los Angeles, California and chatted with the crowd for a while.
Having been known to perform romantic songs, Jeff Bernat took a little time during his set to address some personal issues. He mentioned that he has suffered a pretty bad heartbreak in the past year after having been in a six-year relationship. A series of challenges like long-distance and dishonesty took his heartbreak experience to the next level. The unfortunate event had led him into a depression that took a while to recover from. He admitted that during those darkest days of his life, his romantic tunes began to take turns into sad songs. “Cruel” was the song he created to describe his past lover, and we clearly felt the song words by words as the singer sang it with his heart. He then continued with another sad song while once again addressing that the person you used to know the most could be a stranger in an instance. The crowd seemed to be on the same page as him, as they nodded and shouted in agreement over his statement. Not only showcasing their usual compositions, but Jeff Bernat’s band also improvised a bit on stage showing their impeccable musical skills to the audience. 
After a few more songs and high spirited sing-along from the crowd, Jeff Bernat closed out his set with his most popular song to date, called “Call You Mine”. The romantic and cheesy song that helped to boost his career outside of the US was proved to be the number that the audience has been longing to hear. The loud sing-along prompted him to direct his microphone towards the audience. Behind his smile, charm, and seemingly composed self, by watching his gig at BNI Java Jazz Festival 2019, Jeff Bernat actually has a lot to tell through his music and his live performance helped him connect to his listeners even more.
Writer/Documentation: Novita Widia
