5 Things You Should Know About Peni Candra Rini and her new record "Wulansih"
The Indonesian composer and performer of traditional and experimental Javanese styles, released her new album "Wulansih" on July 12, 2024 via New Amsterdam Records.
In any conversation with Peni Candra Rini, the renowned Javanese singer, composer, and faculty member at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts, one essential lesson emerges: There’s always more to learn from her as you never have the whole story. Surprising even long-time collaborators like Andy McGraw, she often shares her day-to-day inspirations, usually found in her surroundings, and the ancient Indonesian traditions woven into her experimental vocal moments, which have deep roots in the Javanese spirituality, a syncretism of Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim beliefs and rituals that all center on the idea of love and the beloved, while discussing her songs.
On July 12, 2024, Peni released her new album, Wulansih, via New Amsterdam Records. Wulansih defies time, serving as a bridge between the past and the future. It features traditional poetry and form with contemporary highlights of electronic instrumentation that merge in perfect synchronicity. The album captures the percussive rhythms of the Gamelan and steel drums while blending in Rini’s delicate voice. Wulansih allows the space for the lyrics to touch the soul without any distractions, as the music behind it complements every note, riff, and pause.
According to Rini, the album is “a reminder that you are still human, listening to expressions of other humans." Rini aims to use Wulansih to express her inner feelings and soul, inspire younger Indonesian composers, and introduce Indonesian compositions to a global audience.
Here are 5 things you should know about this exceptional artist, whom Kronos Quartet’s own David Harrington, a frequent collaborator, called “one of the world's greatest singers."
1. Peni comes from a family of puppet masters
Peni Candra Rini was born in a small Hindu village on the southern coast of Java and was taught traditional gamelan singing at the age of four by her father, who was a fisherman and a traditional shadow puppeteer. Her grandfather also came from this tradition, guiding her onto a traditional musical path. Growing up by the ocean, Rini learned to sing "louder than the waves" and spent her teenage years in Solo, a city in Central Java known for its gamelan tradition, where she studied court music in the art academies. However, it was when she joined Sono Seni, an experimental music group led by the Balinese composer I Wayan Sadra at the age of 18, that she was forever changed. Ever since, she has been challenging the meaning of tradition.
2. Most songs on Wulansih were improvised in the studio
Rini collaborated with artists, musicians, and producers like Shahzad Ismaily, Andy McGraw, Lester St. Louis, Rumput, Christopher Botta, and John Dieterich. She explained that "the creative process was collaborative and improvisatory. I provided basic notation outlines for pieces like “Warasih” and “Manik Jejantung,” and we improvised around those frameworks in the studio. At most, the pieces were rehearsed two or three times before they were recorded. We wanted to capture a sense of newness, exploration, and spontaneity."
Get your physical copy of Wulansih here.
3. Peni Candra Rini has received the highest honor from the Indonesian Raja
In 2023, Peni Candra Rini became the first woman to be commissioned to compose a work for the Mangkunegaran court of Central Java. The following year, she was given the name Raden Nganten Tumenggung by Mangkoenagoro X, the highest honor offered by the Raja.
4. Wulansih was produced in New York City
Produced in New York City, Wulansih features Peni's voice in collaboration with a diverse group of experimental and traditional musicians, including Andy McGraw, Lester St. Louis, Shahzad Ismaily, John Priestley, Curt Sydnor, and others. The record was produced by Ismaily at New York's Figure 8 Recording.
5. Rini’s lyrics are poems
Strongly inspired by Javanese Sufism, the lyrics of Wulansih live with a deep emphasis on love and the inner self. “Estu,” for example, explores the idea of “love as a sacrifice; it takes a commitment to put one’s heart in the right place. It requires the seriousness of an artist,” while “Warahsih” explores how “always through understanding and sincerity, teaching Love to those who study the ways of life, through the ages.”
You can check out Wulansih by clicking here. Make sure to subscribe to New Amsterdam Record’s Substack and support our efforts to showcase the genius composers and artists under our label.
This article was written by Kárenly Nieves-Fred, Label, Marketing, and Operations Coordinator for New Amsterdam Records.
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