Exclusive Interview with NADINE MAKALEW

Nadine Makalew, a native of Indonesia, had an interest in music from a young age. Before going to Freiburg, Germany in 2015 to study songwriting at the Macromedia University of Applied Sciences Freiburg, she learned piano and electone and participated in chorus and other musical activities. She resided in Rotterdam from 2020 to 2022 to develop her solo project and collaborations with other musicians and producers. Now she’s back and residing in Jakarta, Indonesia.

After nearly four years of labor, she proudly releases her first official EP with German musician Nadine Traore. The EP has been a long road for her as she studied in Germany. The two of them had written and produced the songs. The tunes are essentially the definition of two girls discovering and attempting to uncover their journey through pop, rock, and funk music. Check out the EP ‘Sonorous’ and the exclusive interview with Nadine Makalew below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

NADINE MAKALEW: I’m from Surabaya, Indonesia. It all started when I got introduced music by my family when I was around 4 years old. Since then my interest in music never really stops until now. I was living in Europe for almost 8 years and I came back to Indonesia since 3 months ago and residing in Jakarta.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

NADINE MAKALEW: Yes I was starting with a classical piano honestly. But at the same time I was already active in several music activities such as participating in a church choir, playing traditional indonesian music until when I turned 12 years old, I was playing in a school band for the very first time. I love playing in a band honestly. It was exactly where I started to play as a keyboard / singer. Age of 19 I moved to Freiburg, Germany studying keys in songwriting, gaining connections as much as I can but mostly playing for someone’s project as a keyboard player / backing vocal. 2020 COVID hits then I decided to move to Rotterdam for my master degree in music performance in keyboard but I haven’t been able to finish my degree so I am solely focusing my solo project on 2020 until now. For vocal I had only several workshops, singing in a band, etc so for singing it’s more of self-taught.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘NADINE MAKALEW’?

NADINE MAKALEW: This is very difficult question. I grew up and surrounded in a very different musical environment so my musical influences also keep changing every time. If i can get to point out my strongest influences that’d be probably Ray Charles & Tori Kelly. For piano player Hiromi Uehara is one of my biggest inspiration.

I use my name because I like the meaning of my name which my parents often tell me means ‘hope’. it’s just resonating me and I want people know my journey through my music that I write and I sing.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

NADINE MAKALEW: I’m writing sad music a lot because that’s where I got inspired the most. Because my main instruments are vocal and keyboard so my musics really based on those instruments. I’d describe my sound is pop with other influences. I just don’t really label where my music belongs to but one thing that I can say is I love soul music very much.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as ROCK?

NADINE MAKALEW:

I’m curious with all kinds of music. Music has no boundaries and just very universal to me. I’ve been listening to many musical references unconsciously without realising that it’ll affect how I am writing my songs. As I explained it before I was playing in a rock band during my school time then stylistically I love listening to Blues, Soul & Gospel. From there my perspective is changing a bit. The EP Sonorous was one of my old creations that I wrote many years ago and I am just glad that it’s finally there. That’s probably why it also sounds very rock-ish.

If you compare to my previous EP ‘Voyages of Life’ where I wrote with my other fellow German musicians, that’s actually where I was exploring my Blues, Soul, Gospel side of me. So for the next project I would combine the the creations that I’ve had it before to be infused together.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

NADINE MAKALEW:

I am expressing music so far purely as a personal narrative but I am considered to express my music culturally and spiritually. Culturally where I wanna be able to combine some Indonesian elements onto my music but only as an embellishment or support. Spiritually speaking in the sense of how I want to grab their music essence like the worship musics that I’ve been listening to such as CeCe Winans, Kirk Franklin, etc.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

NADINE MAKALEW:

I’m just glad and feeling happy that there’s someone there listening to my music. Despite the amount of time that I spent, i think it’s all really worth it. I’ll just keeping making more and more music. Hopefully my first debut album got released and more collaborations with other musicians and producers.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

NADINE MAKALEW:

It’s always different the process sometimes the lyrics first or the music but one thing remains the same is that I always start my songwriting process on piano. It doesn’t matter whether if it’s the chord or the melody. Then from the piano I process all the idea through the DAW. That’s where I put other elements with MIDI and another audio tracks. For my very first single ‘Paradise’ that’s where I produced everything by myself but then realised that something is missing so I am collaborating with others most of time. Without them all of my music won’t be in the major platforms.

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

NADINE MAKALEW:

Financial budget for sure, underpaid, another music equipments needed. I mean it’s not easy still living from music I wouldn’t lie about it while you have bills to pay and rent to pay while I was abroad then making music at the same time. But I know from the beginning that music is my calling and I’m not going to quit soon as well. Despite the stumble and everything I never regret every single thing.

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

NADINE MAKALEW: My biggest achievement is to be able to have tour with my music. That being said making album and playing on a tour is gonna be my significant point in my life. How the outcome comes, doesn’t really matter to me but achieving that would make me the happiest human being.

11. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?

NADINE MAKALEW: I’d prefer ignore the haters and just focusing on making music and simply thinking of others that still genuinely want to listening to my music

12. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

NADINE MAKALEW: Hmmm this is very difficult. As much as i like to perform I also like to create my art in a studio or home. I enjoy doing both of them. But I like the adrenaline of performing with a live audience. I think that’s where I can actually really interact with the people and the thought of people cheering me or singing my songs is just an amazing feeling and exciting!

13. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?

NADINE MAKALEW: I think it’s up to them how they interpret my music. Everyone has their own story of how they interpret their life so I rather give them freedom of how they project their feelings. It’s more important for me that they know the process and how I come up with the idea.