The Centil Never Left, It Just Changed Outfits

 

Ratu (First lineup: Maia (Estianty/Ahmad) + Pinkan Mambo. Second lineup: Maia + Mulan (Kwok, later Mulan Jameela), after Pinkan left in 2004.)

I grew up in a Javanese family, with grandparents who listened to Sandiwara Wayang Golek on the radio at least once a week — which kinda pushed me into a lot of Keroncong music too, like Gesang Martohartono, Waldjinah, Sundari Soekotjo, and Mus Mulyadi.

Grandpa, a die-hard fan of Waldjinah and Sundari Soekotjo, always ended his day with a song or two from them — on the radio, of course. I didn't understand that kinda music back then; for me, it was all sadness, and the melodies gave me goosebumps that felt uncomfortable. But oh my lord, those goosebumps turned out to be the exact thing I believe most people feel when something blows their mind — like listening to great music.

This phenomenon — getting goosebumps from music — is called frisson. Scientifically, it happens when your brain releases a surge of dopamine, the body's feel-good reward hormone, the moment a song either violates or beautifully fulfills your musical expectations: an unexpected key change, a crescendo, a sudden harmony. I learned about it in my 20s, when I worked closely with a lot of musicians. I watched them make great albums in the studio and pull off mind-blowing live performances, all across genres — from Heavy Metal to Pop Rock to Jazz, even Keroncong with a little touch of Soul Funk. And every single one of those musicians I witnessed was Indonesian.

The late 90s and early 00s gave us the "Centil" era, mostly fronted by Indonesian women — on lead vocals, on lead guitar — and I kid you not, it was one of the best stretches Indonesia's music scene has ever had. Potret, Gallery, Cherry Bombshell, Ratu, Dewi Dewi, T2. And plenty of solo women too, like Agnes Monica, Astrid, Rossa, Bunga Citra Lestari, and Aura Kasih.

Potret, IMO, was one of the late-90s pioneers of this "centil" subgenre. On their song "Salah," Melly Goeslaw wrote about being misjudged by the man she was dating — the whole track is her telling him, then showing him, that she was never the woman he thought she was. You got me wrong. I was never who you assumed. For that era, that kind of unbothered, you-don't-actually-know-me energy hit different.

Then — and I think a lot of Indonesian women reading this will relate — Ratu shook us. Sure, we loved the original lineup with Pinkan Mambo and Maia, but the version with Maia and Mulan was mind-blowingly "centil," hooked us from the first breath. Their single "Teman Tapi Mesra" basically coined our own version of "Friends With Benefits." The lyrics, the music videos, all of it showed women taking control of a new kind of relationship on our own terms, in the early 2000s. Ratu became a new icon of women's empowerment who refused to bow to old social constructs about how women are "supposed" to behave in romance. For me personally, that group inspired me in more ways than I can count, to be honest.

Sure, we Indonesians were also obsessed with No Doubt, Avril Lavigne, Evanescence, Natalie Imbruglia, Within Temptation, and Walls of Jericho. But man, let me tell you the one thing our Indonesian women had that they didn't: CENTIL-NESS — so incredibly cute, so believable, the kind that makes you want to stare too long, and you do it anyway.

Lo and behold, in 2026 — during this chaotic time in my country — God blessed us by resurrecting that "centil-ness" through No Na and Naykilla, the Gen Z crowd that's been captivating me lately. These women bring not just the dance skills but the vocals, wrapped in banger arrangements, and I'm one of the Indonesian millennials who got pretty hooked. I just hope that once they break into the global industry, they won't have to deal with another round of "Why is your English so good, girl? Is Indonesia's education system that good?" OR "Oooohhh Indonesia, third-world country, underdeveloped, where the women are gold diggers!" 🙄🙄🙄 — that kinda toxic stereotype most Indonesian women get hit with, IYKYK.

I'm proud to be Indonesian — not because of my government's rules and policies, and definitely not because we sit among the more corrupt countries in Southeast Asia — I'm proud because of our culture, our 17,000 islands, and the fact that most of us grow up learning at least two languages (our family's native tongue — Javanese, Sundanese, Batak, you name it — plus Bahasa Indonesia). And of course, our music scene. For me personally, those Indonesian women musicians. Take Voice of Baceprot: the first-ever Indonesian act to play the Glastonbury Festival. That's quite a mark to leave for Indonesian women on the global stage.

I'm writing all this because this past month I've been captivated by a few of Naykilla's songs, and the one on constant repeat is "So Asu" — about dating and breaking up with this mokondo guy, capturing that one thing so many women (regardless of race or nationality) have done for their ungrateful partners: providing for them head to toe. It scratched an itch, because I've done that. A few times, if I'm being honest, hahahahahha…

“Semua didebatin kok gak mau ngalah?

So Asu

Udah dibaikkin malah marah-marah

So Asu

Kok gak punya malu

Semua ku beliin

Dari atas sampai bawah”

It's not just Naykilla's voice that gets me — it's the lyrics and the arrangements. I'm pretty sure Jemsii has played a huge role behind this blend of pop, trip hop, R&B, and DANGDUT KOPLO. Because when I traced back Naykilla's discography, most of her stuff was slow R&B — but the moment she teamed up with Jemsii and Tenxi, these Gen Zs handed us this guilt-trippy genre laced with Dangdut Koplo, a style that's long been stereotyped as cheap. And for the love of God, it's a banger to me. Kudos, guys — you've genuinely created something new here, not just TikTok-viral music but an actual shift in our pop culture. Hats off!

And here's the part that made me grin: Naykilla's debut EP is literally titled Centyl. The whole through-line I've been chasing in this piece — from Grandpa's keroncong to Ratu to now — and Gen Z just went and put it right there on the cover. The centil never left. It just changed outfits.

So yeah — I'm sure all of us Indonesians can still find a way to have a little fun during this chaotic time: cooking up tons of great memes, turning a cough syrup jingle into a certified banger (yes, that OBH Combi Sachet earworm stuck in your head right now? Naykilla again — the loop closes itself), and roping our SEAblings into roasting our government even harder than before.

I love you, my fellow Indonesians! Warga bantu warga, warga jaga warga agar senantiasa waras! 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼