a day ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: 'Teman Sejati' finds a home in 'Ejen Ali'
IT didn't take long for Indonesian rock group Nidji to agree to sing 'Teman Sejati' for the soundtrack of the animated film, 'Ejen Ali The Movie 2'.
Vocalist Yusuf Ubay, known as Ubay, said Nidji considered it an honour to be chosen by the production team for the collaboration
"I have watched the 'Ejen Ali' series. So when the song 'Teman Sejati' was selected for the soundtrack of the animation film, we thought of it as luck and our 'rezeki'.
"Plus, all of Nidji members are well acquainted with 'Ejen Ali' animation, which has an interesting storyline and should be watched by everyone."
The band, which has been rocking fans since 2002, was in Kuala Lumpur last month for an exclusive interview as part of the promotion of the hit movie.
Ubay said 'Teman Sejati', which has been included in Nidji's latest album 'Manifestasi Hati', was created about six years ago, but its release was held back until recently.
It was originally penned in 2019, long before the band envisioned its future on the big screen.
"Actually, the song was written in 2019. So when we were approached by the film production for the song to become an OST, we felt very honoured," said Nidji's guitarist, Andi Ariel Harsya, the composer and lyricist of the song.
"When we recorded it, we never set a target for it to be chosen as an OST for any production, so this is beyond our expectations. It's really divine intervention.
"Thank you to the film production team for trusting Nidji and giving the opportunity for 'Teman Sejati' to be one of the film's soundtracks.
"For Nidji, this movie has a strong message and a deep impact on the audience. In fact, 'Teman Sejati' is also in line with the film's positive narrative, which tells a universal story of friendship.
"This is a blessing from God who brought Nidji together with the film by chance and we (Nidji) ended up being a good match, too."
This collaboration is also considered a milestone for the band as it is their first song to be linked to an animation production.
Ubay said 'Teman Sejati' sounds more beautiful once used as the background music for some of the scenes in the movie.
Andi Ariel said he did not expect the positive response received for the song.
"Initially, I didn't expect that this song would be suitable for this movie. But thanks to the production crew and sound designer, it fits perfectly in the scenes where they had included this song."
Even their fans and those who had watched the movie waxed lyrical about the song being a perfect fit for 'Ejen Ali The Movie 2'.
"After watching the film recently, we were blown away, especially during the scenes that had the song in the background," Andi Ariel said.
Apart from Ubay and Andi Ariel, the other Nidji bandmembers are guitarist Ramadhista Akbar, Randy Danistha (keyboard), Andro Regantoro (bass) and Adriana Prakarsa (drums).
