TRESNA, is a Javanese word for love, Seems easy to spell, sacred, complex and seems a tricky undertaking. “Tresna” is a universal language, albeit many versions of it. Everyone has its own “tresna”, from the love of significant others to vinyl record collecting hobby. Yet, Sara Fajira’s TRESNA explain more than just that.
Sara want to dig deeper about “love” itself and its derivatives, measuring bright and dark side of “tresna”, the ones that push a person doing everything no matter what it takes to get what he/she loved. “Tresna” make those lovesicks turn blind eye on what could happen in the edge of their effort, whether it’s pain or happiness. It sparks a “mental immunity”, pushing ones tirelessly, regardless chastisement and torments their mind and body had endures time and time again.
Sara Fajira’s first step to stardom begin with 2018 song You Know. The uber-massive popularity of Lathi, the result of her collaboration with Weird Genius, make her name more wide-spread than even before, from hillbillies to super car riding Crazy Rich Surabayans. Sara also experimenting in variety of image : a bit sorrow in I Miss U, sensual vibe in DRXGS – a single by Dutch DJ duo Yellow Claw, also a femme fatale TEA & BEANS or straight-minded rapper in JULITE.
For TRESNA, Sara has reimagine herself as an elegant yet graceful Javanese aristocrat lady, which also outspoken and fearless when expressing her thoughts. Sara’s goal is to represent Javanese women mystical fascination as differentiate in the festivity of all-similar music industry, through fashion, self determination and elements of pentatonic Indonesian traditional music in all 7 songs in TRESNA.
Sara will dig into meaning of “tresna” or “love”, after which dissected into many different mix of feelings and emotions for each every song. Sara take her listener, to feel the sacred sense called “tresna” in each song in form of happiness, frustration, despair, selfishness, and other emotion, that every human ever experienced, with no exception TRESNA listeners.
TRESNA is a showcase from Sara Fajira to produce a challenging solo work in the form of mini album. So many hindrance, from Covid-19 pandemic, Sara’s busy schedule, bunch of production and creative process that conducted in Surabaya (Sara spent her time in Jakarta at the time) to the technical detail effort to make Nusantara traditional music element can fit perfectly on each every songs.
Sara Fajira persuade her listeners to feel connected with every song in TRESNA, in which the listeners can recognize their experience in love within any songs in this EP. Elements of Nusantara traditional music that mixed gracefully in many parts of TRESNA songs, are part of Sara Fajira and her creative team venture to create a Sara Fajira’s own version of Pop, that blended with parts of local ethnic culture. The word “tresna” is chosen as a prayer from Sara Fajira and her creative team so that listeners can give more appreciation to Indonesian music and culture, furthermore, it also as substantial contribution from Sara Fajira for Indonesia music scene.
As now, Sara Fajira has incarnate in the shape of a Javanese Princess from digital age. Graceful, intelligent, yet straightforward. Wrapped in Nusantara-patterned techwear, Sara Fajira – dark mystical siren of Indonesia – ready to conquer the world.