Anything Bali: July 2011

Ayu Laksmi was born as I Gusti Ayu Laksmiyani in Singaraja, Bali on November 25th, 1967. She grew up surrounded by a family that loved the arts, and music in particular. As the youngest sprout of I Gustu Putu Wiryasutha (†) and I Gusti Ayu Sri Haryati, she began singing at the age of four and has never stopped performing since, actively participating in performances on numerous stages of festivals both locally in Bali and Indonesia as well as all around the world.

In the early years of her career she explored her singing talent whilst working in the nationwide entertainment industry, but she always chose Bali as the place to further develop her skills as an entertainer.

When in 1989 the name of Ayu Laksmi started popping up as ‘the lady rocker” in the national world of music, she managed to become the first Balinese singer to break through in the Indonesian music industry. A number of singles and the soundtrack of a popular movie in those days, sounded very familiar to the ears of many music lovers in Indonesia back then.

In 1991 she released her first solo album entitled “Istana Yang Hilang (The Lost Palace)”, which unfortunately did not do very well in the music stores. Ayu will only say about it that it was and would always be the one and only solo album for her. After the unsuccessful release of the album, she disappeared entirely from the national music scene. Bali was always pulling her back, she said. So she went back to the Island of the Gods to continue her studies at the Law Faculty of the UNUD university in Denpasar, from which she graduated in 1993.

After graduation, Ayu started to explore some other skills, She turned her attention towards songwriting and composing music. She tried to introduce her compositions to other people, mostly in the tight nit community of the music industry in Jakarta, but disappointingly did not receive a lot of interest for her creations. Mostly they found her song lyrics way too heavy.

Following this cold reception by the national music industry, she once again decided to return home to Bali. Ayu had to start all over again from scratch. She began singing from café, hotel , then later she even started up her own small music bar. Finally she ended up as a singer on a cruise ship in the Caribbean, where she had to sing popular foreign songs in English, in Spanish and even in French. Later Ayu will look back on this period abroad as a crucial step in the process towards her achievements today.

Then in 2004 it looked like Ayu encountered a decisive turning point in her musical career. She found herself questioning why she should continue to look for inspiration in foreign languages and cultures, while her own culture in Bali is such a rich and extraordinary gift of inspiration from the Almighty. Funnily enough, this new found love for her own culture was inspired by a guy from Belgium, Steven Van Lierde, who would later become her husband in 2006.

Quietly she started to create some new compositions with a totally different color & sound than her previous work. So even though Ayu started out in the industry of popular entertainment, the most important lesson she took from her entire career as a singer was this growing awareness and desire to return to music as a reflection of the universal nature of mankind. She felt that singing was a kind of musical offering, like in religion, more like a dedication. At the same time, Ayu also jumped at the opportunity to enter the world of acting. Under the direction of the renowned Garin Nugroho in the movie “Under The Tree, she even got rewarded with a nomination for Best Leading Actress at the Indonesian Film Festival of 2008.

Now free from doubt and with renewed confidence, Ayu soon found herself regularly invited to perform on several World Music festivals, where she would bring a personal rendition of religious chants that received much appreciation. Her contemporary version of a hundreds of years old poem taken from the Kitab Arjuna Wiwaha, written in the ancient language of Kawi and sung by Ayu Laksmi, soon became and integral part of her spectacular show, with a haunting performance that showcases Ayu’s vocal abilities and stage presence.

After that Ayu felt that her entire previous life on the stage had given her all the lessons she would need to go at it solo again. Ayu is hoping that her work can create harmony, with a positive message that’s universal for all mankind. And so it is that now Ayu Laksmi is launching second solo album, this time with an undeniably religious & spiritual undertone.

For this album Ayu has worked totally independent, being the producer and writing almost all of the songs herself. In spite of only a basic knowledge of music, she has even composed the original tunes herself at the start of the creative process. The result is an album in which Ayu unleashes her husky alto with its wide vocal range, sometimes deep & heavy as if not the voice of a woman, at other times sharp & shrieking, then again smooth & sensual, all fusing into a contemporary musical style that has become the trademark of Ayu Laksmi.

For the production of the album, Ayu was happy to be able to work together with the acclaimed Balinese music director Eko Wicaksono. The arrangements for several of the songs were entrusted to the capable hands of such extraordinary artists as Dewa Budjana, while Ayu also worked together with acclaimed foreign arrangers Peter Brambl and Robert Weber. An amazing cast of both famous as well as lesser known musicians graciously and enthusiastically participated in the creation of the album, with artists such as Riwin, Balawan, Koko Harsoe, Erick Sondhy, Roby Zoel, Bang Saat, Nyanyian Dharma and many more.

Ayu brings her songs in a new musical style known as World Music, written in no less than 5 different languages, including Sanskrit, Kawi, Balinese, Indonesian and English. Most of the compositions are based on the Balinese concept of Tri Hita Karana, dedicated to the love and care between people, the relationships between man and the universe, and between man and God. This we can clearly hear in songs like ‘Maha Asa (Big Dream)’, ‘Duh Hyang Ratih (The Moon)’, ‘Tri Kaya Parisudha (Good Deeds)’, ‘Ibu (Mother)’, ‘Om Mani Padme Hum (Forever More)’, ‘Reinkarnasi’ and many others.

After 18 years, Ayu Laksmi finally has come full circle with the courage to present her solo album entitled “Voice of the Universe”.

Award & Recognitions

2010
By Tempo Magazine
Nomination for: