7 Portraits of Indonesian Artists Who Go International, from Niki Zefanya to Nyoman Ayu Carmenita - From Singers to Actors

Muhammad Rifki Fahri Zayyan started his career through Rising Star Indonesia and Indonesian Idol before passing international auditions and debuting as a member of the K-pop boy group Xodiac on April 25, 2023, with the single "Throw a Dice." His presence marks the growing representation of Indonesian artists in the K-pop scene.

Brian Imanuel, or Rich Brian, rose to fame with the viral single “Dat $tick” (2016) which was widely welcomed and triggered reactions from legendary rappers like Ghostface Killah, for example. He then signed a contract with 88rising. His debut album Amen (2018) reached #1 on iTunes Hip-Hop and was followed by The Sailor (2019) and Where Is My Head? (2025). He performed on the Coachella stage and gained global recognition, including the label of “pioneer of Asian rappers.”

Anak Agung Ayu Puspa Aditya Karang, also known as Dita Karang, began her arts education in Yogyakarta, continued studying theater-dance at AMDA New York, and trained in Korea before finally debuting as the main dancer and sub-vocalist of the K-pop girl group Secret Number in 2020. She has become one of the icons of Indonesian talent success in the Korean entertainment industry and is known for actively appreciating Indonesian fans.

Agnez Mo, originally an Indonesian child singer, began her career in the US in 2017 with the international album X, releasing the single “Overdose” featuring Chris Brown (2018) which reached the top 5 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart. She performed at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, iHeartRadio (2019), and appeared on Grammy Global Spin. Additionally, she was featured in Vogue US, signed a contract with 300 Entertainment, and appeared in music videos for prominent artists.

Nicole Zefanya, known as NIKI, began her career by publishing songs on SoundCloud and YouTube before joining the label 88rising in 2017. She released the singles “I Like U” & “See U Never,” the EP Zephyr (2018), and her debut album Moonchild (2020) which received positive feedback. In April 2022, NIKI performed at Coachella, becoming the first Indonesian female musician at the festival, then released the album Nicole (2022) and launched the world tours "Nicole Tour" and "Buzz World Tour".

Samuel Marcellus or Loudi, with Indonesian-Korean blood, stood as a member of the Korean boy group 14U (2017–2019) and although his group disbanded, he continues to make strides as a model, actor, and appears on variety shows in Korea. Loudi maintains his presence in the Hallyu entertainment industry while introducing Indonesian culture.

Nyoman Ayu Carmenita, known as Carmen, grew up in a traditional Balinese arts environment and won various dance championships in Korea as well as international competitions before auditioning for SM Entertainment in 2022. She underwent intense training for about 2 years and debuted as the only non-Korean member in the girl group Hearts2Hearts on February 24, 2025, making history as the first Indonesian woman to debut in the “Big 3” agency SM Entertainment.