•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

It was a blessing in disguise for I Gusti Ayu Laksmiyani, more popularly known as Ayu Laksmi, to grow up in Singaraja in northern Bali, an area with almost no modern entertainment. Born into a family that was both academic and creative, Ayu grew up surrounded by musical talent. Today, she is a respected singer and songwriter, best known for her stunning renditions of Balinese verses.

Ayu has recently performed at the Gempita Gianyar festival in Bali, where she enchanted the audience in the cultural show, Tri Hita Karana — a concept from the Hindu religion, which refers to the harmonious relationship between humans, nature and God.

Born in 1967, Ayu’s musical journey began when she started singing at the tender age of 4, under the watchful eye of her family.

While Ayu’s mother was a doctor, her father, who passed away in 1972, was an English teacher who taught his students through music and songs. Ayu’s grandfather was a Javanese literary giant, a violinist and a writer.

“There were two obligations that my three elder siblings and I had in our family. The first one was to study and the second one was to have an artistic skill,” Ayu said. “After we finished high school, we had to undertake higher education.”

Ayu moved to Denpasar in 1986 to study law but two years later decided to postpone her education and travel to Jakarta to develop her singing career.

Opportunities knocked on Ayu’s door and her music appeared on the soundtracks of numerous Indonesian films, and she released a solo rock album in 1991. However, despite her success, Ayu decided to return to Bali to continue her degree.

“I was basically just feeling morally bound to finish my education. So when it was done, I could focus on singing,” she said. “For me blessings from my mother are important. She raised us alone as a single parent and that was why I wanted to make her happy before I did what I had always wanted to do. ”

Ayu graduated in 1992 but rather than practicing law, she decided to return to music.

She sang in cafes and hotels, as well as on a German cruise ship, the Hanseatic — which sailed in the Caribbean — for four months in 1997.

Returning home to Bali, Ayu tried her luck at running a restaurant and music bar in Kuta but shut it down after three years to get back into singing.

In 2004, she tried to compose songs, a craft she had long left behind, and sell them to producers in Jakarta but they said her lyrics were “too heavy.”

“I love to talk about life experiences in my songs and to play with words, but apparently they didn’t like it,” she said. “I started to get really bored of everything. And that was my turning point.”

Ayu began to re-evaluate what she wanted to do in life and realized that she was always “way too proud of western influence, its language and culture — rock music, jazz and Latin music.”

She became determined to explore the culture and tradition of Balinese people through music. In the process, Ayu discovered the beauty of kekawin , sacred Sanskrit songs of ancient Javanese that deal with God and nature, and learned to sing them from priests.

“I tried to follow but wasn’t able to sing them the way they did. So I tried to sing them my way,” she said.

And, as it has turned out, Ayu’s contemporary interpretation of kekawin songs has been well received. She has even translated the songs into different languages, depending on who her audience is.

“In whatever language, I try to sing the songs well. I believe a song is a prayer. It is better to sing songs than talk about good things because the universe also listens,” she said, adding that she also sings verses of Veda, the most ancient Hindu scriptures.

Ayu said that some Hindu people have objected to her singing Vedic hymns on the basis that they should only ever be chanted in temples.

“I appreciate their opinion, but I believe that what I do is also praying,” said Ayu, who married a Belgian in 2006.

One of Ayu’s characteristics when performing on stage is her ability to absorb the audience in the “prayer” through her powerful, husky voice.

Many have referred to her music as magical, and a prominent Indonesian movie director, Garin Nugroho, also became captivated by the singer’s performance.

In 2008, Garin chose Ayu to star in his film “Under the Tree.” Although though this was Ayu’s first experience on the big screen, her performance earned her a nomination for best leading actress at the Indonesian Film Festival in 2008.

Ayu said that everything she has achieved in her life was a reflection of her past and that believing in herself was what has made her the person she is today.

“I have long heard the saying that goes ‘be yourself’ but never really understood what it meant until I had gone through life experiences,” she said. “Now I can see its power.”