SCRUBB Express Desire to Collaborate with Indonesian Singer Adhitia Sofyan

Thailand duo SCRUBB held a concert in Indonesia for the first time titled ‘SCRUBB Live in Jakarta’ on September 23, 2023. Before the concert, the duo greets the media through a press conference.

Below, KoreanUpdates sorted out the Q&A session with SCRUBB. Enjoy!

Q: This is SCRUBB’s first visit to Indonesia, what does SCRUBB know about Indonesia?

Muey: “This is my first visit to Indonesia. If asked what I know about Indonesia, there is a song by an Indonesian singer named Adhitia Sofyan.”

Ball: “I also listen to Adhitia Sofyan’s song too and a song from the band Mocca. Previously, I had been to Indonesia, I went to Jakarta 5 years ago. But not for the concert.”

Q: After SCRUBB’s songs became the soundtrack for the hit drama ‘2gether’, your songs became even more popular overseas. Did SCRUBB ever expect that your songs would be so popular that it dominated music platforms in various countries outside Thailand?

“We didn’t expect and were really surprised that our songs were also listened to abroad. We want to express our gratitude to those who created the series, wrote the story, and used our songs for the soundtrack of ‘2gether’ series. We never thought about it before. We are really grateful to those who have watched (the series) and thank you to everyone who listened to the song aside from the soundtracks”

Q: SCRUBB once said that music has no country or language boundaries. How did you feel when you found out your songs were popular in Indonesia?

Muey: “I would like to thank the fans for listening to our song. There are some fans who tag us on Instagram and Facebook, and our songs are translated into Indonesian. Thank you, it makes us feel supported. Because of that, we were able to come to Indonesia even though the language was different. Thank you so much.”

Q: In one of your interviews, you once said that SCRUBB’s music is your diary for storing beautiful memories at certain moments. And if we look closely, many of SCRUBB’s songs are very romantic and the lyrics are very deep. So, most of your song lyrics are inspired by your own stories or are you inspired by other people’s stories?

“About the inspiration, we are actually inspired by ordinary things that happen to everyone. But, it is written from our point of view. Maybe the reason why the lyrics are said to be very deep is because some of the people who were targeted felt ‘Wow, this song is my story.’ So, the lyrics are deep because it’s from the perspective of the person who is listening.”

Q: Is there a unique or most memorable experience when writing the lyrics that you still remember to this day?

“SCRUBB songs are a diary, so every time we hear the song it’s like remembering when we wrote it. Usually, if the song is a sad song, it reminds us of when we wrote the song. The same goes for a song about happiness and falling in love. Every song has a memory.”

Q: SCRUBB debuted in the 2000s and has had a career in music for 20 years. What secrets do you have for a long-running career in the music industry?

Ball: “It is actually before the year of 2000, because we were college friends. In the past, our music was underground, we made songs and were in a band. Until 2000 we signed to a label and started making music together. About how to have a long career, we actually never thought we would be here. I think the first is we stick to our preferences. We make music because of love and passion. So, the reason why we have a long-running career in the music industry is passion and gratitude, for the fans who listen to our songs. Because if there was no fan club, no one would listen and we wouldn’t have made it this far.”

Q: You have worked together for a long time, how do you maintain a long-lasting working relationship?

“Because we are friends. So, we know each other’s characteristics and can understand each other”

Q: If you had time to travel around Indonesia, where would you like to go outside Jakarta?

Ball: “I want to go to Komodo Island. I want to see how the animals and their surroundings live. Or go to Bali, to the beautiful seashores. I want to go to places to rest and enjoy life.”

Muey: “If I have the chance, I want to go to Bali.”

Q: If you could collaborate with musicians from all over the world, who would Scrubb want to collaborate with? Please tell us the reason!

“We are interested in collaborating with Adhitia Sofyan, because SCRUBB itself is a duo group. Our music is mostly acoustic, so we thought it would be interesting if we made a song with Adhitia Sofyan.”

Q: In this digital era, are physical releases (cd/vinyl/cassette) still important for SCRUBB?

Muey: “Yes, it is Important. If there are new musicians or new artists, we really want to see their artwork or CDs and it can be collected too.”

Ball: “It is important for me, because having a CD/cassette shows that the musician has an album, there is a physical form of his work that can be given or used as a gift.”

Q: In the future, do SCRUBB have a plan to create a song for the OST series?

“We have received multiple requests to create an OST for a certain series or movies. However, we find it a little difficult to create a song for a series or movies. As for the ‘2gether’ series, they didn’t ask us to produce the songs, but they used our released songs. There are approximately 17 SCRUBB songs used in the ‘2gether’ series. So if you choose from the songs we have, it looks like they all use ‘2gether’ (laugh).

It seems there is a possibility to write an OST for a series or film in the future. But, for now it still seems quite difficult.”

Q: Are there any special preparations for your performance in Indonesia?

“As for the songs that will be performed later, maybe the fans are already used to listening to these songs. But, we did a live broadcast on Instagram during soundcheck and we sang a song that hadn’t been released yet. The song will be released on Tuesday. So, everyone who watched the live broadcast earlier were very lucky because we weren’t going to sing that. If you’re curious, please wait on Tuesday!”

Q: Please leave a messages to Indonesian fans

Muey: “Thank you to the Indonesian fan club, for listening to our songs, supporting us, and coming to today’s concert. Thank you for finding out the meaning of our songs. As we said before, we have language barriers, right? But, you are trying to find out the meaning of our songs. Thank you very much to the SCRUBB fan club in Indonesia.”

Ball: “From SCRUBB’s song streaming data, the highest data other than Thailand is Indonesia. Thank you to everyone who streams our songs. Thank you also to Lumina Entertainment. This is my second visit to Indonesia. About the food, there is no doubt about it. I feel like I’m at home.”

Reporter: Mutia Drajat

Photo credit: Lumina Entertainment