Rony Parulian’s second studio album has its flaws, but it remains an irresistible pop-rock experience thanks to his charming personality and unparalleled vocal prowess.
I have been thinking a lot about ‘personality’ lately—by that, I mean how the artist’s personality can influence the calibre of their music and artistry. For the past several weeks, I’ve been having more and more trouble remembering the new releases. Many of those fresh tunes deliver solid construction, appealing melodies, skillfully guided vocal delivery, and music production created by some of the most seasoned veterans in the industry. So why has it been difficult for me to remember what those songs sound—and feel—like five minutes later? It took me a while, but I eventually identified the missing element: personality.
We already have glowing and enduring examples in our music industry. Artists like Armand Maulana, Ariel (Noah), Marcello Tahitoe, Judika, and Once Mekel have shown us for years that personality can turn music into a memorable and iconic work of art. Personality can also be the deciding factor in whether music audiences want to see those musicians perform live or not, especially in this day and age—when digital accessibility can easily replace the old-fashioned, human-to-human engagement. The artist’s personality can electrify the stage, transforming a professional musician into a real-life superhero in the audience’s eyes. And once the concert is over, we are hungry for more. A strong and charming personality can instantly maintain existing fans while inviting new ones as well.
Developing a personality, in reality, can be more difficult than making sure that one’s vocal delivery is pitch-perfect. Oftentimes, a perfect persona is not translated as likeable, and being alluring can easily be misconstrued as being arrogant. Also, the music industry is perhaps the only place where being too wholesome can make you forgettable. This is an especially difficult challenge for the younger artists, who can easily become wayward and second-guess their identity.
Fortunately, in the case of Rony Parulian, Dunia dan Seisinya finds the 25-year-old artist finally solidifying and all-out embracing his artistic personality: a pop-rock journeyman with a combination of princely coolness and earthy ruggedness. And after three years since his debut single back in 2023, Rony Parulian has genuinely earned his confidence as an artist, which makes his second full-length album too exciting to be missed.
Rony Parulian’s self-assurance in his vision for Dunia dan Seisinya is evident from, quite literally, the very first second of the album. “Jalan Tengah” doesn’t offer much in terms of lyrical depth, but the song is undeniably engaging and unstoppably infectious thanks to Rony Parulian, who is no longer hesitant to completely show off his rough, masculine persona. “Dunia Imajiner” unmistakably showcases Rony Parulian’s evolution as a singer, displaying both vocal control and rhythmic groove in equal measure. “Kencan Pertama” presents Rony Parulian as sweet without trying too hard, the artist himself having mastered the art of being effortless.
But perhaps the biggest risk that Rony Parulian has taken in Dunia dan Seisinya is his decision to telegraph everything in a generally lighthearted manner. Other artists would have turned “Kau Akan Sampai” into a tearjerker hymn of empowerment, but Rony Parulian decided to convey his message of motivation in a rather simplistic, almost cheer-like ditty. “Februari” presents Rony Parulian entering his heartthrob mode. Still, he keeps his cool, vocally and lyrically, so much so that the song doesn’t end up coming across as sappy or, as hip Indonesian teens would say, “gombal AF.” These songs could end up being polarising and not radio-friendly, though, as they don’t necessarily deliver melodramatic punches that conventional Indonesian pop music fans typically expect.
Still and all, Dunia dan Seisinya marks a major improvement from Rony Parulian’s freshman album, Rahasia Pertama (2025), for one simple reason: listening to Dunia dan Seisinya from start to finish doesn’t feel like a chore at all. Dunia dan Seisinya flows smoothly as an album, and Rony Parulian’s ability to imbue his cool, rugged, sometimes magnetic charm into every track helps steamroll the flaws. “Selamanya Kini dan Nanti” is, arguably, the album’s weakest track, but it nevertheless boasts such youthful energy that may prevent its listeners from skipping to the next track. “Jarak dan Rindu” could have been more powerful had it been delivered as a man-and-woman duet instead. Fortunately, Rony Parulian’s vocal prowess is more than enough to prevent the ballad from being too sluggish.
As the listeners reach the final minutes of Dunia dan Seisinya, they—just like me—might eventually figure out that this album is not as philosophical as its title has suggested. That being said, when it comes to pop music, all is easily forgivable as long as the music is exciting. In my humble opinion, “Aku Cemburu” should have been chosen as the album’s lead single instead of “Wals Akhir Zaman” simply due to how exciting it is to see the usually cool-and-collected Rony Parulian in a position of a tortured, jealous man. (Also, Krisna Trias, the song’s producer, deserves special recognition for his ability to sonically capture the 2000s pop-rock nostalgia without sounding corny or artificial.)
Rony Parulian’s attempt at being a storyteller in “Wals Akhir Zaman” is worthy of appreciation, but at the end of the day, he truly shines the brightest when he’s giving us a headbanging superstar instead. “Sampai Ujung Batas” is a predictable epilogue to Dunia dan Seisinya, but Rony Parulian’s clean vocal delivery and consistent personality are simply too irresistible to ignore.
An album that is released within one year of its predecessor can easily sound rushed and sloppy. With such a seemingly narrow timeline in mind, Rony Parulian made the right decision in choosing music producers who can handle the pressure while still delivering inspired production—particularly Lafa Pratomo and Otta Tarrega, who imbue a subtle touch of garage rock into “Kencan Pertama”. It is those nuanced elements that ultimately help Rony Parulian establish his own sonic individuality—proving that he is his own man and not Indonesia’s version of Bryan Adams.
Overall, Rony Parulian’s Dunia dan Seisinya doesn’t move the needle on the evolution of Indonesian music artistry—and it doesn’t stand in the same benchmark-setting league as the more iconic pop-rock albums like Gigi’s Kilas Balik (1998) or Peterpan’s Bintang di Surga (2004). Dunia dan Seisinya could have used more spice and risks, as well as more unique perspectives in its songwriting, in order to elevate its energy from rousingly crowd-pleasing to brilliantly mind-blowing.
There is no reason to feel discouraged, though. Dunia dan Seisinya indeed has its flaws, but it also proves that Rony Parulian actually has the potential to someday join Indonesia’s pop-rock legends. Is Dunia dan Seisinya a spectacular album? Not really. But do I want to see Rony Parulian perform Dunia dan Seisinya live on stage? Absolutely. Oftentimes, for a young artist like Rony Parulian, who has not yet reached his fifth-year mark in the music industry, that’s already a good enough victory. Rony Parulian has become more than capable of captivating his audience, in our headsets and on the stage. His next step is to expand his influence and, just like any iconic journeyman in the history books, bring forth his very own revolution. With time and discipline, we might finally get to experience what Rony Parulian’s world is really like.
All images are courtesy of Universal Music Indonesia/YGKSM.