“EMBRACE WHO YOU REALLY ARE. DON’T LET PEOPLE TELL YOU WHAT TO WEAR AND HOW TO PRESENT YOURSELF”
Since the last time we met with Cinta Laura Kiehl, which is a good three years ago—give or take, the Indonesian-German actress and singer has moved forward quite a bit. When I asked her what some the biggest changes were since she last appeared on the magazine, she begins with the usual “Wow, there’s a lot of them” but then continued with: “So, I made Jakarta my base again in July 2019, after having lived in the U.S. for eight years.” Kiehl then continues: “I also released two singles in the past seven months, titled ‘Vida’ and ‘Caliente’ and I went to Korea and Malaysia to perform there.”
Speaking about her singles, there’s something slightly different in terms her musicality. Kiehl admits that this time, she brought with her a number of genres aren’t exactly common in Indonesia— from reggaetón which is basically pop-Latin music to Baile Funk from Brazil and also Afropop or African-pop. “‘Vida’ is essentially a pop track, but it’s definitely influenced by reggaetón, which is why if you listen to the music arrangement, you can hear the Latin influence,” she reveals. “‘Vida’ is also a Spanish word that means ‘life.’ And with my first track after having essentially stepped away from the music industry for seven years, I just want people to celebrate life.”
Surprisingly, there’s more to this than meets the eye. Kiehl explains that she also wants to empower women with her new songs through her style and the lyrics. “With both ‘Vida’ and ‘Caliente,’ I’m trying to empower women,” she elaborates. “With Vida, as you can see from the music video, I showcased so many different looks, just to show women that you don’t have to be scared with being who you are. If you’re a classy woman, embrace that. If you’re edgy, embrace that. If you’re sexy, embrace that. And whatever it is, embrace who you really are. Don’t let people tell you what to wear and how to present yourself. You should be proud of who you are.”
On the other hand, “Caliente” is much more emotional. Not only is this the first song she’s ever written, it also touches on toxic relationships. “‘ Ca l i e n t e ’ — w h i c h means hot in Spanish— is a metaphor for a hot, passionate but destructive relationship,” Kiehl points out. “So, I’m trying to empower women through ‘Caliente’ by telling them: ‘Hey, if you’re in a bad and toxic relationship, don’t sacrifice yourself. Don’t allow yourself to be that unhappy. At the end of the day, in order to be happy, you need to make your own happiness. If that means leaving a person that’s dragging you down or destroying your life, then you have to be strong and let it go. You’re going to realize that life is a lot better without them.’”
Empowering lyrics isn’t the only things new in Kiehl’s career, as, last year, she was appointed as Ambassador of Antiviolence Against Women and Children by the Indonesian Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection. She notes how it’s very important for her, in her position as such an ambassador, to create awareness throughout the country about how women and children can seek help when they’re subject to injustice. As an example, Kiehl cites the infamous case of Baiq Nuril, who was sentenced to jail for recording a phone call with her boss to prove he was sexually harassing her.
“I noticed that was there were many cases such as Baiq Nuril’s, where she was harassed by a co-worker or colleague, and instead of the perpetrator being