A humble high school student has zoomed to stardom to win Indonesia’s X-Factor. Afia R Fitriati has the story. After dozens of elimination rounds over five months, the votes are in: 16-year-old Fatin Shidqia Lubis has emerged as the winner of the first season of X-Factor Indonesia, beating rival finalist Novita Dewi by a thin margin in … Read more
Meet this heavy metal band that rocks not just the house, but also the heart. By Afia R Fitriati. Their music is hard-hitting. Their members are clad in black. Their look is dark and intense. But behind the fierce façade of this Malaysian band and its spirited compositions, a discerning listener will find messages of Islamic spirituality. … Read more
The Syrian-American spoken word artist and peace activist connect lines of solidarity across different marginalized groups with his music. Born to Syrian parents in Saudi Arabia, Omar Offendum moved to the US when he was very young. He first lived in Washington DC, where he studied at an Islamic school, before moving to Los Angeles, … Read more
Endah N Rhesa is a musical project comprising acoustic guitar, bass and vocals. The musical nuance that Endah N Rhesa tries to bring out is folk, jazz, blues, rock and roll and ballads. They participated at the 2011 MOCAfest held in Astana. You can hear more about their and other various artists’ work on MusicCritic. … Read more