Afgan (singer)
Afgansyah Reza, better known by his mononym Afgan, is an Indonesian singer and actor, known for his pop and R&B songs.
Early life and education
Afgansyah Reza was born on 27 May 1989 in Jakarta, into a Muslim musical family of Minangkabau origin, although he never had any vocal training. He is the second of four children of Loyd Yahya and Lola Purnama.He has a Bachelor's in Economics from Monash University.
Career
Afgan's career started when he and a group of friends decided to record a private album at Wanna B Instant Recording Studio. Impressed by his singing, the producers at the studio offered him a contract.. His first album, Confession No.1, was a mix of jazz, pop, and R&B influences and included tracks, such as "Terima Kasih Cinta", "Klise", "Sadis", and "Tanpa Batas Waktu". A music video for the song "Terima Kasih Cinta" was produced by Thalita Latief and directed by Jose Purnomo.In 2009, he made his first foray into acting when he appeared in the film ' with Olivia Jensen and he also sang the title track for the film's soundtrack. In 2010 he appeared in the film ' and performed on the film's soundtrack.
His second album, The One, was released in January 2010. In 2011, he performed the theme song at the Southeast Asian Games.
He released the album Live to Love in 2013, followed by Sides in 2016 and Dekade in 2018. In November 2018, Afgan celebrated 10 years in the music industry by kicking off his "Dekade" concert in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia followed by another concert in Jakarta in September 2019. Both concerts were sold out.
In 2020, Afgan, together with Raisa, released the single "Tunjukkan" five years after their first collaboration. Afgan had just released a new single on 6 February 2021, called "I'm Sorry". His first global album Wallflower, containing 10 tracks, was released on 9 April 2021.
In 2022, he moved away from pop music to embrace a more R&B style, with tracks such as "So Wrong But So Right" and "Ku Dengannya Kau Dengan Dia".
On 26 May 2024, Afgan performed with Bebi Romeo at the Java Jazz Festival 2024.
Recognition and awards
Afgan won the Best Solo Male Vocalist Award for the song at the 2009 Anugerah Musik Indonesia.He was named one of "10 Indonesian hip hop and R&B artists to check out right now" by HipHopDX in June 2022.