As part of UK/ID Festival 2017, UK songwriter Dan Croll was invited to Indonesia to collaborate with Indonesian musician Thearosa. We caught up with them to find out more about their collaboration.
Dan Croll
How did you find collaborating with Theorosa?
It’s been really fun. We both have different ways of working, in a good way. She’s more acoustic; she was doing demos just her and her acoustic guitar. Whereas I turned up to the studio with some keyboards and synths, so it made it really interesting. We’ve combined both of those elements and come out with a couple of tracks that have been really fun to work on.
We’ve shared new influences, new music, new ways of writing, and learned a lot about each other culturally. So I’ll definitely take quite a bit away from this trip.
Why do you think it’s important to work with people from different cultures?
The only way I can write music is by going to new places and meeting new people. I can’t imagine what that would be like without, I’d have nothing to write about, I’d never leave England and there’s only so much you can write about England! I just wouldn’t have the creativity if I stayed there all the time.
The only way I can write music is by going to new places and meeting new people.
Coming over to Indonesia, and all kinds of other places, you get to hear new music. It has so much influence on your music consciously and unconsciously. It’s super important.
Any surprises?
How friendly people are, its quite crazy. You imagine in a big, populated city that’s so busy that people wouldn’t really have time to stop and chat and give you time, but actually it’s been the opposite. There are so many people, but all of them are lovely and give you a lot of time, a lot of help. e'e been so welcomed here.
Three words to sum up your experience?
Humid, speedy, tasty.
Thearosa
How have you found working with Dan?
It’s been absolutely amazing. This is actually my first collaboration ever, and I couldn’t have picked anyone better. It’s been such an experience, because he is truly a musician. I would come into the studio and he’d have his headphones in, in his pure element, and his energy would just be so infectious. It was such an incredible experience and I feel really grateful for it.
Why do you think it’s important to work with people from different cultures/countries?
Diversity and collaboration is everything. Without it, without working with other cultures, keeping in your safe zone…imagine how different music would be if The Beatles never went to India!
Everyone has different experiences and perspectives that we can all share, and ultimately music is a universal language. It’s something we can all speak through, but we have our own takes on it as well. It’s beautiful to collaborate with different people, that’s how music is made.
Imagine how different music would be if The Beatles never went to India!
Why should the world be interested in Indonesia's music scene?
I feel like Indonesia is South East Asia’s secret weapon. The music scene has been really growing here over the past five years. You see a lot of indie artists, young emerging artists that are really going out there being influential, creating these sounds that have never been heard before.
Indonesia is South East Asia’s secret weapon.
Also visually, musicians are collaborating with the arts, with fashion, and its really starting to bloom now. I can only see a very bright future for Indonesia and I hope that we have more of these opportunities – thanks to the British Council for providing a platform for all of this to happen, and really encourage artists to foster collaboration and connections as well.
