One thing about this ongoing project is that we get to listen to music from all over the world. In this review, since there are literally thousands of artists to peruse through, we decided to take the approach of reviewing a song or a music video. In this case, we are reviewing the song and video from international pop star Afgan.
Afgan, out of Indonesia, is known for the song "Be Alright", which was featured on the 2018 Asian Games: Energy of Asia compilation album, and has also been a judge on the 2015 Indonesian version of the hit show "X Factor". He is quite popular in Indonesia due to his songwriting abilities and how he carries his vocals.
Obviously, I don't speak any language associated with Indonesia. However, I can tell you that Afgan sings "Sudah" very, very well. He seems to showcase multiple octaves and the music sounds like a 90's pop/easy listening song, kind of like an Indonesian version of someone like Michael Bolton or Jon Secada. Although I don't understand what he's singing about, I can tell from the senses of the song, whether its the piano arrangement or the way he evokes emotion in his singing, that it's a sad song about missing a loved one or lamenting about that special someone moving on to someone new.
It's plain to see why Afgan is an international pop star and very popular in Indonesia and Asia. He is supremely talented, and the arrangements in "Sudah" are quite lush. Afgan is living proof that music transcends cultures and languages. I want to encourage my readers to step out of their comfort zone and try to listen to some music from a different language. Discovering artists like Afgan makes this a really fun project!