These three Muslim schoolgirls may not seem like the typical members of a heavy metal band—but that’s exactly why they’re continuing to dominate stages across Indonesia.
Firdda Kurnia, Eusi Siti Aisyah, and Widi Rahmawati all grew up as the daughters of poor farmers in rural West Java, a conservative region of the country. Prior to attending a music class in 2014, the girls had never even heard of heavy metal music.
But that’s when their middle school teacher, Ahba Erza, played them “Toxicity” by System of a Down—and they immediately became hooked on heavy metal.
Erza, who is now their band manager, taught the girls how to play instruments. The youngsters formed a band the very same year and dubbed themselves Voice of Baceprot, which translates to “noise” in their traditional Sudanese language.
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Despite having to endure harassment and criticism from the more conservative side of the Indonesia, the Voice of Baceprot has played across the nation’s most popular stages.
“They say my music is forbidden by my religion,” she recalled to NPR. “I’m a different musician because I’m a woman, and I play metal music, but I’m wearing hijab. Hijab is my identity, OK?”
Kurnia added that her own parents had originally forbade her from playing heavy metal. As Voice of Baceprot secretly became more and more locally famous, however, her parents became proud of her passion.
According to Assembly, the girls now play about three shows per month as they continue to become one of Indonesia’s most iconic counterculture musical groups.
Other metal musicians have praised the teens for depicting the more diverse side of the genre since Firdda, Eusi, and Widi—now aged 19, 19, and 17 respectively—play their shows wearing leather jackets and hijabs.
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With Indonesia reportedly boasting a thriving underground heavy metal scene, Voice of Baceprot has become more and more popular across the nation. Their Instagram page alone has wracked up more than 32,000 followers.
The girls now hope that their music will help people to understand that Muslim girls can pursue their passions while still faithfully abiding by their religion. Not only that, they hope to show that metal music is for everyone—not matter their race or creed.
(LISTEN to the 2017 interview below)
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