There are some songs that I write in English, but also Bahasa [Indonesia] and Batak Karo, which has been a really interesting experience. It’s kind of intergenerational in a way because I’m not very fluent; I can understand when people talk to me in Indonesian, but I’m really slow to respond and I don’t think I have the grammar down very well. But to write music in Bahasa or Batak Karo, I’ve been having concepts, writing down words that I like in English and then calling my mom to help me translate the words and help me piece it together. It’s been really nice to do that with her because we bond over it and it’s my art practice, but it’s also nice because I get to learn more about the language.
MANIIK, on family bonding through Indonesian lyric writing
