D'Masiv's Struggles Before Success, From Street Performing to Competing in Band Competitions

"We used to earn money by busking at 69 back then, when Metromini was still around. That was for band practice, we didn’t want to bother our parents," said Rian at the Petukangan D'Masiv Bus Stop, Monday (3/3/2025).

From the money earned from busking, they collected it little by little to rent a practice studio. Once they had enough, they immediately used it for band practice. All of this was done to be able to perform in the band competitions that are held regularly every week. "If we practice, it’s for what? We are a band competition, band competition usually happens once a week," said Rian.

The prizes from the band competitions are quite promising. The first winner can get a minimum of Rp1 million and a maximum of Rp5 million. For this, D'Masiv practices hard every day to perform their best in each competition. "That’s why we practice from Monday to Friday, practicing every day, studio practice on Monday and Friday," said Rian. 

Meanwhile, on another day, they continued to practice independently at home. To save costs, they used a portable guitar, which is a guitar without an amplifier that is played as is. "The rest of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we practice at home but we use a portable guitar," explained Rian.

With the limitations they have, they continue to strive as much as possible to keep developing without burdening their parents. D'Masiv's long journey is full of challenges, but that is exactly what makes them stronger. Rian emphasizes that their struggle cannot be fully told in a short time. "Because we don’t want to depend on our parents. So, telling stories from the past will never be finished, even in a month it won't be enough," he said.

Now, after more than two decades of creating, D'Masiv has become an important part of the Indonesian music industry. They also continue to innovate and contribute to various programs, including a campaign for the use of public transportation with TransJakarta. "Once again, thank you to TransJakarta, to the commissioners, to the directors, thank you very much for believing in D'Masiv, and we believe in this trust," said Rian.

D'Masiv hopes that their struggle story can inspire many young musicians not to give up easily. With hard work and strong determination, dreams can come true, as they have proven. "Hopefully, with the presence of D'Masiv, more people will love public transportation, especially TransJakarta," concluded Rian.