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Top 10 Intriguing Facts about Afgansyah Reza

Afgansyah Reza is an Indonesian singer, songwriter and actor. He was born on 27th May 1989 in Jakarta, and into a Muslim musical family of Minangkabau origin. He holds a Bachelor in Economics from Monash University.

His career began when he and a few friends decided to record a private album at Wanna B Instant Recording Studio. The producers at the studio offered him a contract when they heard him sing although he had never had any vocal training.

The Jakarta-born singer usually known simply as Afgan is one of the best-known faces in Indonesia, with a distinctive voice and style that merges jazz and pop. The winner of numerous awards, in 2018 he became the first Indonesian artist to scoop the Best Asian Artist gong at South Korea鈥檚 influential Mnet Asian Music Awards. Let鈥檚 look at the top 10 intriguing facts about Afgansyah Reza.

 

 

1.  Afgan is a Versatile Musician

His first album was Confession No.1 which was a mix of jazz, pop and R&B influences and included tracks such as “Terima Kasih Cinta”, “Klise”, “Sadis”, and “Tanpa Batas Waktu”

His second album, The One, was released in January 2010. Afgansyah Reza is a Versatile Singer-Songwriter.

He has since then released 鈥�Live to Love鈥� album in 2013, followed by 鈥楽ides鈥� in 2016 and 鈥楧ekade鈥� in 2018. In November 2018, Afgan celebrated 10 years in the music industry by kicking off his Dekade concert in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia followed by another concert in Jakarta in September 2019. Both concerts had sold out tickets.

2.  Afgan Released his First English Album in 2021

The last couple of years have been nothing short of monumental for the all-around music sensation Afgansyah 鈥淎fgan鈥� Reza. In 2021 he released his first English language album titled 鈥淲allflower鈥� after signing up with U.S.-based record label Empire. This signing was preceded by two groundbreaking singles. More recently, Afgan has collaborated with a top American singer, songwriter and record producer as well as South Korean rapper B.I.

Wallflower has been Afgan鈥檚 crowning moment of the last year, his high-profile collaborations were just cherries on top of his cake. The album cemented his position as one of the country鈥檚 most celebrated talents.

As he works on the second English album he is committed to keep making Indonesian songs as well because it is his core fan base. He promised to keep that balance of doing Indonesian music and, English music as well.

3. Afgan is a Sought after Actor

 

In 2009, he made his first foray into acting when he appeared in the film Bukan Cinta Biasa with Olivia Jensen and he also sang the title track for the film’s soundtrack. The next year, he also appeared in the film Cinta 2 Hati and performed on the film’s soundtrack.

The growth of the Indonesian film industry is increasing with the upsurge in the number of domestic film production and the number of viewers. The number of films produced in Indonesian cinemas has increased in recent years to 150 films being produced in Indonesia on a yearly basis.

Aside from these films entering the box office, hundreds of other feature-length films, short films, and documentary films were made and screened in alternative screening venues throughout the country.

4. Afgansyah Reza Performed the 2011 Southeast Asian Games Theme song

Afgan’s second album, The One, materialized in 2010, preceding his appearance at the 2011 Southeast Asian Games, where he sang the theme song.

The 2011 Southeast Asian Games, was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia. It was Indonesia’s fourth time hosting the Southeast Asian Games and its first since 1997. Previously, Indonesia also hosted in 1979 and 1987. The capital city of Jakarta hosted all three of the previous Games prior to this.

Palembang became the third SEA Games non-capital host city, after Chiang Mai (1995) and Nakhon Ratchasima (2007), both in Thailand. Around 5,965 athletes from 11 participating nations took part in the games which featured 545 events in 44 sports. It was the biggest competitor, in sports and event in Southeast Asian Games history.

5.  Afgan is Rumoured to be Dating a Fashion Model

As is known, Afgan is reportedly dating Malika Bestari, a model. However, there has been no clarification regarding his relationship with Malika Bestari.

He offered the flower to the woman beside him without showing what she looked like. Rumours circulated that Malika Bestari was the woman who was possibly  Afgan’s girlfriend.

He shared on his LinkedIn profile that Malika is also active in humanitarian and social activities, where she once joined the International Volunteer AIESEC, an organization that focuses on youth leadership.

6.  Afgansyah Reza stars in AXN Ultimate Challenge Indonesia

 

In November 2021 AXN Ultimate Challenge Indonesia premiered on the AXN Asia channel. In this adventure reality show series, viewers are entertained by a rivalry between two of Indonesia鈥檚 top celebrity teams, led by Afgansyah Reza, aka Afgan, and Isyana Sarasvati.

Afgan partnered his best friend Reza Chandika, who is a leading comedian in Indonesia. Isyana Sarasvati teamed up with her older sister Rara Sekar.

鈥楾eam Afgan鈥� and 鈥楾eam Isyana鈥� are competing to win the adventurous race by completing various challenges while taking global audiences on an Indonesian journey, enjoying the beautiful landscapes of its stunning islands. The adventure starts from a fishing town, Labuan Bajo, in East Nusa Tenggara province, moves to Mandalika 鈥� a coastal resort in Central Lombok Regency 鈥� and ends in Bali: three tourist favourites in the archipelago.

AXN Ultimate Challenge Indonesia is an original production of KC Global Media, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism & Creative Economy (MoTCE) of the Republic of Indonesia.

7. Afgansyah Reza has collaborated with Robin Thicke

 

After 13 years of domestic career, Afgan decided to go international. Afgan collaborated with the American music label Empire, releasing the single 鈥楽ay I鈥檓 Sorry鈥� in 2021. He then released three more songs with several international singers: 鈥楾ouch Me鈥� with Robin Thicke, 鈥楳IA鈥� with Jackson Wang and 鈥楲ost at Sea (Illa Illa 2)鈥� with B.I. and Bipolar Sunshine.

Afgan is actually under the same label as Robin Thicke. He asked them if Robin Thicke would do a song with him and the label sent Thicke the song. It turns out that he loved the song and agreed to do it. He鈥檚 never met Robin Thicke in person but they did everything online.

8. Afgansyah Reza is signed by Empire Music Label

His partnership with Empire began back in 2019, by then he was already thinking about doing an English album, but hadn鈥檛 found the right partner. So, when he met people from Empire he found out that they believed in his vision and music. That is how he went to the States for a month to record and write the album.

Record labels typically set the terms and conditions of artist contracts in their favour. In the case of newly signed artists, record labels can control the type of music they record, which can include everything from the way the music sounds to the song lyrics. They also control album cover art in most instances.

9. Afgansyah Reza is a Mental Health Champion

Afgan launched a website called AfganFund.com where you can donate to certain causes that include education, healthcare and the environment. He has a fond affection for mental health because it鈥檚 something he has gone through.

Mental health is not given the seriousness it deserves and not many people realize it sooner; sometimes they keep it to themselves until it鈥檚 like a ticking bomb and it explodes. His efforts aim to provide therapy and create awareness about what mental health is all about. He has admitted his other passion other than music is to help people.

10.  Music star with No vocal Training

Most Indonesians know Afgansyah Reza, aka Afgan. The singer instantly skyrocketed after releasing his first album 鈥楥onfession No.1鈥� with its hit single 鈥楾erima Kasih Cinta鈥�/鈥橳hank You, Love鈥� in 2008. His vocals and sophisticated style have captivated music fans of many genres, from pop and jazz to R&B, all across Indonesia. He has won numerous awards in the Indonesian music industry, including the Best Solo Male Singer at the 2009 Indonesian Music Awards.

Afgansyah Reza Afgan was born into a musical family of Minangkabau origin, although an intriguing fact is that Afgansyah Reza never had any vocal training.