Indo pop

Indo pop (Indonesian: Pop Indo), also known as Indonesian pop (Indonesian: Pop Indonesia) or I-pop, is loosely defined as Indonesian pop music; however, in a wider sense, it can also encompass Indonesian pop culture, which also includes Indonesian cinema and sinetrons (Indonesian TV dramas).

Indonesian pop music today is sometimes influenced by trends and recordings from Western music. However, in return, the Indonesian style of pop music has influenced the regional pop culture in Southeast Asia, especially the Malaysian pop scene that began imitating the Indonesian style of pop music in the late 2000s. Indo pop usually expresses contemporary Indonesian sentiments and lifestyles, generally about love and social life related to relationships. Indonesian pop music with sad and mellow melodies is popular and sells well.

One of the earliest form of Indonesian pop can be traced back to Orkes Melayu ("Malay orchestra") bands in Medan starting in the 1930s to its peak in 1950s Jakarta and Surabaya mishmashing musical traditions of bangsawan theatre from the Riau Islands with Indian and Arabic influences filtered through Western instrumentation. The Jakarta stream especially took heavy influences from Bollywood laying the groundwork for a branching new genre named dangdut.

Koes Plus, formerly called Koes Bersaudara, is considered one of the pioneers of Indonesian pop and rock 'n roll music in the 1960s and 1970s.^{[citation needed]} American and British music influences were obvious in the music of Koes Plus; the Beatles were known to be the main influences of this band.

Indonesian pop music in the 1970s also gave rise to musicians and singers such as Chrisye, Titiek Puspa, and Ebiet G. Ade. Their work in the country's music industry was large, influencing the development of music after that. These names are still stuck in the minds of many because they are the pioneers of pop music in this country. The popularity of these artists also crossed over to neighbouring Malaysian airwaves and its own popular music as well.

The Indonesian music industry in the 1970s was quite advanced, and the pop music genre became very popular, featuring works from musicians like Chrisye, Ade, and Puspa. The Prambors (LCLR) songwriting competition in 1977 broke the stagnation in the pop music industry at that time. This event also gave birth to many new musicians in the following years.

During the late 1970s and through the 1980s, two subgenres of Indonesian pop dominated the local industry: melancholic pop and Pop Kreatif. Melancholic pop, also known as weepy song, is characterised by a slow tempo, sentimental themes often touching domestic settings and influences from 1950s American traditional pop, incorporating elementary chord progressions. Prominent composers in this subgenre included Rinto Harahap. Pance Pondaag and Obbie Messakh. Popular melancholic pop singers included Dian Piesesha (whose album Tak Ingin Sendiri sold over 2 million copies), Nia Daniaty, Iis Sugianto, and Betharia Sonatha (whose album Hati yang Luka became a major hit in 1987). This subgenre was briefly banned from being broadcast on TVRI in 1988 by Harmoko, Indonesia's then Minister of Information.

In contrast, Pop Kreatif, often referred to as Indonesian City Pop by modern audiences, is characterised by its upbeat tempo and AOR influences, with elements of funk, new wave, jazz fusion, disco, and boogie comparable to Japanese city pop and jazz fusion. This subgenre was particularly associated with urbanites and the leisure class. Popular singers and composers in this subgenre included Chrisye, Fariz RM, KLa Project, Utha Likumahuwa, and Vina Panduwinata. The successes of the Badai Pasti Berlalu soundtrack and Fariz RM's album Sakura became a momentum for the growth of city pop. After the Harmoko ban on melancholic pop from being broadcast on TVRI in 1988, Pop Kreatif gradually became more popular with the masses, dominating from the late 1980s until 1990, when Malaysian slow rock/rock kapak began to seep into Indonesian pop culture.