After the release of her debut EP Kenduri in June 2021, hara is back with her first release of the year, a song titled Seroja (Lotus). Seroja is a song written by Rara Sekar to celebrate the life and art of a close friend and mentor, Gunawan Maryanto, who suddenly passed away in October 2021. In Seroja, hara shares her experience going through grief as it is, without the need for her to present it as either a beautiful or romantic feeling. “Grief is something inevitable in life, everyone has or will experience it. But the loss of Mas C (or Mas Cindhil, Gunawan Maryanto’s nickname) was my first time losing a close friend. Losing him made me realize that however frequent we experience loss, grief is always new, always heartbreaking.”
And each tear
is a bud of prayer
And grief
is love that couldn’t have been
Bringing color that is slightly different from previous hara songs, in Seroja hara invites Lafa Pratomo (Co-producer of Danilla Riyadi/Swadaya Insani/Ruang Waktu Music) to fill in the guitar arrangement and performance and Indah Wulandari to join in on the trumpet. In producing this song, hara was mostly inspired by sad songs from the 50s-70s, blending grief with a sense of nostalgia.
In this song, hara also weaves her lyrics with a reading of the poem Jeda yang Ajaib (A Magical Interlude), performed and written by Gunawan Maryanto himself. This poem was published on Gunawan Maryanto’s Instagram account on March 27, 2020, one of several poems that he wrote during the early months of the pandemic quarantine. Gunawan Maryanto was a theater director, writer, actor and artist in residence of Teater Garasi. Gunawan Maryanto passed away on October 6, 2021 due to a heart attack. Seroja was released by hara on April 10, 2022, the day Gunawan Maryanto was supposed to have turned 46 years old.
lyrics
Seroja - hara
Bunga seroja
mekar mengabarkan duka
Ragamu usai
hanya namamu tertinggal
Terang, terangkan
mengapa
di antara sejuta
kau yang diambilnya?
Dan air mata
adalah sekuncup doa
Dan dukacita
cinta yang tak sempat ada
Sampai, sampaikan padaNya
antarku jauh
semakin jauh dan
jatuh di tempat yang sama
denganmu
Untuk jeda yang tiba-tiba
Cerita cinta bisa jadi apa saja
Ingatan jumpalitan berebut tempat
Rebut saja yang sanggup
Ambil saja yang mewujud
Hari ini mungkin pertama
Malam ini mungkin terakhir
Ambil seluruh yang mungkin
Waktu sedang cemburu
atau membencimu
Tapi demikianlah
Ini semua berlangsung
dalam jeda yang ajaib.
English translation: Lotus - hara
The lotus flower
blooms to tell a story of loss
Your body is no longer
only your name remains
Enlighten, enlighten me
why
in a million
you were the one taken?
And each tear
is a bud of prayer
And grief
is love that couldn’t have been
So tell, tell Her
to carry me far,
farther, then
release me
wherever
you are now
In an unforeseen interlude
A love story can be anything
Memories somersaulting, fighting for a place
Seize whatever is possible
Grab whatever is left
Today may be the first
Tonight may be the last
Take in all that is possible
Time is envious
or it maybe loathes you
But alas
It’s all progressing
Within this magical interlude.
credits
released May 6, 2022
Written by Rara Sekar Larasati
Performed by hara
Produced by Rara Sekar Larasati
Guitar and vocals by Rara Sekar Larasati
Trumpet by Indah Wulandari
“Jeda yang Ajaib”, a poem and reading by Gunawan Maryanto
Mixed and Mastered by Rara Sekar Larasati
Artwork by Rangga Kuzuma
Profile Photos by Ben Laksana
English lyrics translation by Rara Sekar Larasati & In Other Words.
hara is Indonesian singer-songwriter Rara Sekar’s solo project. Her music blends inspiration from folk with Indonesian
traditional music, cinematic pop, ambient and field recording with a focus on exploring themes of ecology, vulnerability and politics. Her work is an interdisciplinary practice that weaves together music, social-cultural research and critical pedagogy....more
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