Rayi Putra Rahardjo—better known as Rayi and as a member of RAN, a trio he has been a part of since 2006—had already decided on his career path by early adolescence. “I had known that I wanted to be a musician since middle school,” he says. “I don’t know what else I would be doing if it wasn’t music.” In high school, with his schoolmate Asta and some friends, Rayi formed a group called F.R.D., which stood for Funk Rap Disco, and won several music competitions before they disbanded after graduation. Then in 2006, Rayi and Asta formed RAN with Nino, another schoolmate, to compete in the Indonesian Song Festival hosted by JakTV. They won second place with their song “Pandangan Pertama” and signed a contract with Universal Music Indonesia. Their debut album RAN for Your Life was released in 2007. Rayi—who draws his influences from names like Pharell Williams and Kanye West—has also been working on side projects and been featured in songs by other famous young musicians such as Isyana Sarasvati, Billy Simpson and Marion Jola. (Still, he lists Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift among his guilty pleasures.) Despite having been successful with his own personal projects, Rayi still prefers working with his group. “I enjoy doing both actually,” he says, “but if I had to pick between working solo or working with my group, I’d still choose to be with my group because I know I would always be surrounded by my friends.” Asked whether he feels like he has accomplished everything that he hoped, Rayi answers: “Maybe I have, but ‘the game’ in this industry is not about how high you can go, but rather about how long can you stay here.” He shares his underlying principle of how he defines success: “Bringing joy to people through my music is what success means to me.”
Nindy Ayunda stepped into stardom competing on Olay Duet with Audy in 2006 when she was 17 and still in high school. After winning the talent show she then collaborated with Audy and released the single that made her famous, Untuk Sahabat. “I’ve always loved singing ever since I was very young, but I had never thought that it would be my career path,” she says. “It was my father who convinced me that I could make it as a singer. He was very supportive of me and often accompanied me to singing competitions when I was a kid.” Since then, she has released her own albums and singles and even starred in a movie, as well as commercials and many other projects, and she’s looking forward to more. “There are no limits to your dreams. I still have a lot to achieve, especially for my mum and dad,” she says. “Right now, I’m grateful for where I am and for being appreciated for my work.” Nindy, who has a passionate interest in fashion, says that she’s preparing to spread her wings into the business world. “I want to run my own companies, especially in fashion and cuisine. I’m still conducting research to find out what the younger market is into now, especially as the market will only grow bigger in the future,” she says.