Entertainment

Bali’s Best Kept Secret, Suara Music and Arts Festival

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Sep 29, 2024 / 1235 Views

Suara Music and Arts Festival is a tradition that the Balinese have been following for the last three years. This time, for its third edition, the festival opened its gates to the world for the first time ever – and is now being touted as Asia’s answer to the Burning Man Festival.

‘Suara’ translates to ‘voice’ in Indonesian, an apt name for the three-day festival held in the creative city of Nuanu. The festival reflects the city’s philosophy of Tri Hita Karana or the “Three causes of well-being,” and acts as exactly that – the voice of harmony. The harmony between people, the harmony between nature and the harmony with the divine, is everything that the three-day event was about. “At its heart, Suara Festival is an odyssey through the island’s rich arts & cultural heritage where nature, community and spirituality all integrate simultaneously,” the Co-founder, CEO and Creative Director Jason Swamy tells us. While the Island of Gods is known to be a hot tourist location, it was for the first time that this multi-day event invited tourists and locals to the wonder city of Nuanu. The result was a cultural extravaganza that witnessed more than 9,000 fans from more than 60 countries and locals coming together to revel in the cultural offerings of the Suara festival and Nuanu city.

Nuanu, home to the Suara Festival

One can credit several reasons for the festival’s unique atmosphere, but at the forefront would be the space. The 44-hectare Nuanu is quite literally a dream venue for a music festival. From larger-than-life art pieces by the likes of Daniel Popper peppered throughout the place, magical light installations like the experiential Aurora Park that transforms into an electric wonderland at night and the hip and happening Luna Beach club which is redefining the beach club experience globally- everything about the city screams music festival in the best way possible. It is without a doubt one of the main elements it attracts so many global thinkers, artists and entrepreneurs to the city’s shores. “Suara is a slice of what it could be like to live and play inside Nuanu’s walls, all packed into three days. As a vibrant community of creators, leaders, and changemakers all empowered to foster a culture of positive change, Nuanu is designed as an integrated ecosystem featuring dedicated spaces for Education, art & culture, wellness, experience, and nature-inspired living, envisioning a future where these elements seamlessly intertwine. As the festival experience, Suara’s programming reflected these five pillars from its inspiring talks to the art exhibitions and even its butterfly release hosted by the Creative City as part of its endangered species repopulation efforts,” shares Swamy. What makes Suara more special to a global audience is its integration of local Balinese culture – something that makes it a one-of-a-kind experience exclusive to Nuanu City. “Nuanu’s purpose is to integrate the local Balinese community into the international tourism scene but in a sustainable manner with a plethora of benefits prioritizing the restoration of Balinese arts and culture,” he notes.

The sound of Suara

“Of all aspects of culture and community building, I have found music to be the most impactful and powerful voice of change and harmony,” says Jason Swamy. And rightly so, after all, once we peel all the layers that make a music festival whole – at the core we simply hear the music. Outside the packed programming of the festival that featured interactive performance art, cultural acts, circus performances, food, beverage and market vendors, wellness sessions, dance classes, breathwork, inspiring talks, sustainability initiatives, and family-friendly activities it was the 100 and counting music artists that performed across the festival’s more than nine stages that knit the event together. “I absolutely loved it! Such a cool, creative, family-friendly festival! I love looking out at an audience and seeing all ages dressed in the craziest things they could find, smiling and dancing along,” Youngr one of the festival’s headliners tells us about performing at Suara. “As I have observed throughout my career, music festivals have gone through significant evolutions to become more immersive experiences and a sounding board for new voices to be heard,” adds Swamy.

*British musician Youngr performing at the Suara Festival*

As is the routine case with music festivals, there’s no better place to discover new music and emerging talent. Suara was no different with an interesting blend pf genres, cultures and artists. From Australian headline act Angus & Julia Stone who graced the Suara main stage with a four-piece band including a trumPet solo from Julia Stone to a packed dance floor by headliner HVOB and impeccable tunes from the classically trained German electronic ensemble Brandt Brauer Frick – the lineup was filled with local and international talent even including genres like hip hop with Yung Raja from Singapore. “The lineup for this year is one that I am particularly proud of. Not only did we provide a platform for up-and-coming Balinese acts to perform on a global stage, but we were able to bring a plethora of international acts to Bali, many for the first time such as Rodriguez Jr. and Youngr, two standout performances from the whole weekend too I must say. We hosted over 100 artists across more than nine stages from acoustic folk rock to techno and house, hip hop, to Balinese traditional performances, and dance workshops, watching 4,500 fans grooving to Youngr and Angus & Julia Stone on the main Suara stage on the final night is something I will never forget. Jakarta’s very own Ramengvrl also blew me away. What a talented artist!” gushes Jason Swamy. Meanwhile, we spoke to one of those artists, Youngr himself, who told us – “Well, from what I gathered everyone was there to have a good time and that’s exactly what I try and do with my music, make everyone have a good time… So, we were destined to go together!”

Music and art together are truly some of the highest mediums of harmony, and Suara Music and Arts Festival brings them together while weaving culture, wellness and Balinese tradition into every step. The experimental festival warrants a visit to Bali and the creative city of Nuanu, now that it welcomes the masses open-armed. After all, the fourth edition of the Suara Festival in 2025 has already been announced with tickets on sale.

Hero and Feature images: Courtesy Abdiel Granados/ IG.

This story first appeared on Lifetsyle Asia India