After a sold-out first show at Melbourne's AsiaTOPA this past summer, Rosie Clynes aka Komang has recently released her debut single 'Dewi'.
Endorsed by a mentorship with local electronic musician Sui Zhen and citing Kelsey Lu, Erykah Badu and Little Dragon as her influences, the Melbourne-based multidisciplinary producer, performer and vocalist blends soul-based groove and echoes of traditional Gamelan to create a vibrant, electronic-fused R&B."Touching upon the Balinese belief that we are reborn into our future generations, 'Dewi' is both the Indonesian word for 'goddess' and a common name for women across the archipelago, making it an ode to femme lineage, the strength of womanhood and a call to action to be a good ancestor for those to come," Komang says.
Who is Komang… I'm Rosie, a producer, performer and trained actor living on Kulin Country. I started making music while living in Indonesia two years ago, hearing dangdut music (Indonesian folk-pop) and wondering, 'I wonder if anyone has ever tried to combine this with R&B?' The rest is history!
I sound like… If Sade and Little Dragon had a child who fell in love with '90s house and Balinese traditional sonics.
My first gig was... at AsiaTOPA Festival in February of this year. I curated it myself, with dancers, DJs, poets and heaps of Indonesian food. It took place by the water at a space called SIGNAL and the whole city was lit up around us.
When did you settle on your artist name? Komang is my first name, so it made sense. I wanted a name that already felt familiar to me, that wasn't too made up or far removed.
Komang in Balinese culture [where my Mum's side of the family is from] means 'third-born'. 'Rosie' is my middle name.
In the studio I usually… Procrastinate for ages and then hit Ableton at the eleventh hour.
I write my own lyrics, sing everything and produce everything myself so I just rotate between the different states. Although lately, I'm trying to figure out how to even have time to make music – it feels like so much of my time is taken up by admin.
If I could tour with anyone… It would be with Princess Nokia. She's powerful and radiant, and I feel like our collective wacky Gemini energy would cause the best kind of trouble!
Social media is… Here to stay, so we all might as well learn how to have a positive, expressive and empowered relationship with it.
My favourite app at the moment is... ThinkUp! You can write your own affirmations, record your voice saying them and then listen to them on loop over your favourite ambient tracks. I'm a self-growth nerd.
To date, my most embarrassing moment was the time… My eyebrows got shaved off by a make-up artist before a ceremony back home in Bali.
I didn't realise until the end of the day because she then drew my eyebrows back on (lol, sneaky). I was 15 and had to live through it back at school. Who does that to people?! Good thing Balinese folks have karma.
Life on the road can be… Snack-a-licious! I've only toured as an actor, and am looking forward to doing it as a musician because there's something I weirdly love about novelty-sized snacks in mini fridges and petrol station lolly stops.
If you'll have me on your bill, all I ask is that my rider contains… Frangelico and oysters. And potato gems. Duh!
The scariest scenario I've found myself in was… Getting lost on Nusa Penida (an island off mainland Bali) at night. I veered off the main road with a flat phone battery and it was raining hard.
I was driving around in circles for hours on my motorbike until I got stopped by two men, who told me to follow them to get back onto the main road. I didn't know whether to trust them or not, but they ended up being very kind and helping me back. As a woman who enjoys travelling alone, that kind of stuff is always real and scary.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be a spokesperson of Komang… Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She's probably got a whole lot more priorities but dang, she's a persuasive and powerful woman. We love you AOC.
Three people, you'd like to invite around for a dinner party... Aretha Brown, Bhenji Ra and Cut Nyak Dhien, a famous Acehnese freedom fighter. Three amazing womxn who have so much spirit.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? Nasi pecel, a dish similar to gado-gado, with spicy peanut sauce, wilted greens, bean shoots, rice and plenty of fried tofu and tempe. I'd serve it with homemade sambal and fried fish.
No matter the expense, send me a case of… FRANGELICO! This is not a sponsored answer. Frangelico just tastes really good.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was… Lol. When I had a subscription for Virgin Active just to use their spa (before I realised the joke was on me, 'coz I was robbing myself).
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Bathroom. No one likes doing the bathroom (don't @ me, Virgos!)
Do you have any phobias... please explain? I hold a deep respect and fear for ducks. I find them quite pointy and confrontational. Yeah, there's stuff to unpack there.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? If so, what type? Hell yeah, I would absolutely do The Bachelor as a social experiment. No one would remember me though because I'd be too busy lurking at the back with a clipboard and lab coat.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? I would bring down my sister by sending five Bernese mountain dog puppies to her house.
She really loves Bernese mountain dogs and it would be so overwhelming and exciting for her. So maybe that would be less of a prank and more. . . a really intense gift.
