Visionary artist or fake messiah?

Whatever you think of Hindia, it's hard to deny that the songwriter and producer is one of the most compelling Indonesian artists in recent years with his keen ear for a catchy melody and sharp eye for an incisive lyric.

Having finally brought .Feast to the national level after years of hard work, in late 2018 Baskara Putra sowed the seeds for what would become his solo project Hindia. Following the low-key release of "No One Will Find Me" on a compilation EP and the Tak Ada Salju di Sini collaboration series of satirical seasonal songs, Hindia soon set about making his solo debut album.

Written during a difficult time in his personal life, the songs that would end up on Menari dengan Bayangan examined his past and present while forging a path to his future. Despite the intimately personal nature of his lyrics, early singles such as "Evaluasi" and "Secukupnya" resonated with listeners in a huge way, and Hindia's earliest live shows instantly drew big crowds despite only having a handful of material publicly available. The hype only intensified upon the late 2019 release of Menari dengan Bayangan, with even more fans finding catharsis through songs such as "Apapun yang Terjadi" and "Rumah ke Rumah". Inevitably, with rising popularity also comes the increasing number of haters, which Hindia has satirized with his "Fake Messiah" t-shirts.

While the outbreak of COVID-19 brought live music events to a halt in 2020, Hindia remained productive throughout the pandemic. In addition to his own music, he recorded and released two EPs with .Feast and also established Lomba Sihir - consisting of Hindia and his live backing musicians - into a full-fledged band in its own right with the release of their album Selamat Datang di Ujung Dunia.

Besides pursuing his own projects, Hindia is also an in-demand collaborator who has written, produced and/or appeared on tracks by a wide array of artists ranging from legends such as Iwan Fals, Dewa Budjana and Armand Maulana, to personal heroes including RAN and Pee Wee Gaskins, and also peers such as Laze and Tradeto.

With the return of live shows, you can now see Baskara Putra perform as Hindia, with .Feast and with Lomba Sihir. He is also busy putting the finishing touches on the second Hindia album, which is due for release in late 2022.

So it looks like you won't be getting rid of the fake messiah any time soon.