Reaching for the Stars (With a Rabbit)

Despite only recently stepping out into the limelight, the year-old Indonesian folk music duo, Stars and Rabbit, made up of singer-songwriter Elda Suryani, and guitarist Adi Widodo, both 28, have already made a name for themselves not only in Indonesia, but also to fans from the United Kingdom and United States.

After having received 3 nominations for Bite My Music Global Awards Finals 2012, walking away proudly with 6^th place for Best Pop Act, and with their first hit, “Worth It”, which was likened to early Coldplay albums on theindie.biz, getting airtime on US Radio Station, Butterflies Radio, the humble twosome aims for even greater heights.

“It’s amazing, because I have no idea how the hell that happened,” Elda shares. “[Still], I can’t call it success yet, but yes, it’s a start.”

In their debut performance in Singapore, Stars and Rabbit played at Baybeats to a foot-tapping and head-bobbing crowd, who welcomed their performance with cheers and applause.

Hariz Maloy, 19, a Ngee Ann Polytechnic student in the crowd, says, “[They’re] very dynamic and … when they start performing, it’s just all eyes on them.”

As the duo complements each other perfectly in every musical sense, both in songwriting and performing, with Adi’s strumming and falsettos that harmonise in sync with Elda’s childlike, melodic voice, it is no wonder that their music has reached so many ears in such a short span of time.

“You can see that they … [share] a special bond,” notes Emil Lim, 17, an SIM student and a member of the audience.

“[Adi] … makes … good arrangements of my thoughts,” Elda admits. With natural chemistry between the twosome, as Riva Pratama, the founder of Green Island Music Management and the band’s press contact said, their music seems to flow naturally.

Though the duo first met in 2004 when an ex-boyfriend of Elda’s joined Adi’s band, right from the start, it was music, the only common thing between them, which drew them together, she admits.

Both come with a long musical history; Elda began her musical career in the early 2000s as part of the café band, Candles, and later eVo, which went on hiatus shortly after it started, while Adi came from a family of musicians and worked in previous bands as a guitarist.

Stars and Rabbit was unlike all their previous musical endeavors, however. From the start, music was self-written and tones were completely original, “and that’s how this is real,” Elda says. Adi, on the same page, claims, “This is the path that I want to work in music, just to bring honour to myself.”

Are You Curious About Stars And Rabbit?

Check out confessions from the duo making up Stars and Rabbit here!

Though having initially planned to finish their mini album in September this year, ‘mini’ no longer is in the picture; they’ve already 10 to 12 songs in the bag, but want to take time getting every track just right. With high hopes and aspirations for themselves, an album may be all it takes to make their dreams come alive – to perform one day with a full line up as Stars and Rabbit, and we’re certainly looking forward to that!