Inspirational Story of an Indonesian Fan Noticed and Praised by Hayley Williams

Kapanlagi.com - Effort will never betray the results. That expression is most fitting to describe the figure of Abel Risang, a young man from Malang, East Java. For decades, he has idolized Hayley Williams, an American singer and songwriter who is also known as the frontman of the rock band Paramore.

If we may compare, Abel's love for Hayley is no less intense than the devotion of K-Pop fans to their idol boybands or girlbands. It may sound excessive, but he would do anything to simply get Hayley's attention.

And in the end, after a long wait, Abel's dream came true. Sunday, April 5, 2020 will be one of the most memorable days in the life of the man who now works as a video editor at KapanLagi.com.

 

 

 

 

1. 'Comeback' of Hayley Williams

Credit: Instagram/yelyahwilliams

Before discussing Abel's 'achievements', let's talk a little bit about Hayley so that everything relates.

As we know, in the midst of Paramore's 'vacuum', Hayley prepared a solo project. Last February, the 32-year-old woman released a mini album (EP) titled Petals For Armor I with 2 hit singles Simmer and Leave It Alone.

Now this April, Hayley will introduce her second EP titled Petals For Armor II, before finally releasing her debut solo album, PETALS FOR ARMOR on May 8, 2020, under the Atlantic Records label.

Of course, Hayley's 'comeback' is such a happy news for Abel and all Hayley Williams fans around the world. Although musically Hayley's solo works have a different style from Paramore, at least they can enjoy the magical voice of the Mississippi-born vocalist from America again.

2. A Tribute to Hayley Williams

Abel's Paramore merchandise collection / Credit: Personal Documentation

One day, Abel listened to Hayley's latest single titled Over Yet. After a couple of listens, Abel's ears, brain, and heart instantly clicked with the single. Moreover, the lyrics seemed to accurately describe the current state of the world, which is currently 'fighting' against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Equipped with his video editing skills, Abel took the initiative to create a tribute work for Hayley. Additionally, the lockdown period provided him with plenty of free time to brainstorm and pour his wild ideas into his video.

In short, Abel created a 24-second motion graphic video that was incredibly artsy and colorful. Hayley's song Over Yet blended perfectly with the visual elements of the video, which he created over a span of 2 days.

"The motivation (to make the video) was because I've been a fan of Paramore and Hayley Williams since high school. Coincidentally, Hayley now has a solo project outside of Paramore. I really love her songs. The last song she released is titled Over Yet. I really love that song and its lyrics are great. So, I decided to make a video for it," Abel expressed to KapanLagi.com on Monday (6/4).

3. Hoping Hayley Williams Notices

Abel then uploaded his work to his personal Twitter account. Of course, he didn't forget to mention Hayley's name there, hoping that his work would be noticed by his idol.

Lets try!

No offense, but getting notice from Hayley Williams through this video actually sucks @yelyahwilliams pic.twitter.com/nif10VDwVF— .abel (@7Abel7) April 5, 2020  

 

"Lets try! No offense, but getting notice from Hayley Williams through this video actually sucks @yelyahwilliams," Abel wrote in the caption of his tweet.

The sentence written by Abel above may sound somewhat 'arrogant', but don't misunderstand. He was just quoting a phrase that is currently trending on social media. It is said that whoever writes that phrase, their wish will come true. And in this case, Abel hopes that his tweet will be noticed by Hayley.

4. Finally Noticed by Hayley Williams

Credit: Twitter/yelyahwilliams

And the magic works! Abel's video work has truly been noticed by the one and only, Hayley Williams. Not only did it receive likes, but the video was also retweeted and commented on by Hayley's official Twitter account (@yelyahwilliams), which is currently followed by 5.1 million people!

"It (the phrase) worked. Also, all the Petals For Armor inspired art that people have shared had been so encouraging during the weird rollercoaster days. Thankful for creative people doing their thing," Hayley wrote while retweeting Abel's video.

There's no need to ask how happy Abel's heart was when his work was directly noticed by his idol. The man born in Malang even admitted that he couldn't sleep because he was so excited and couldn't stop thinking about it. He didn't even care when his phone kept vibrating non-stop due to the flood of notifications from comments, likes, and retweets from other Hayley fans.

"Well, as a fan, of course I wanted my work to be noticed. Then there was this phrase that went viral on Twitter 'No offence but blablabla', so I decided to try using it just in case I got a response. I didn't expect a response, but it turns out it was noticed," continued the thin-mustached man.

5. Failed Experience Watching Paramore

Instagram/abelrisang

A little flashback to February 2018. Paramore made a stop in Indonesia as part of their concert tour titled AFTER LAUGHTER. Without hesitation, Abel immediately used his savings to buy VIP tickets, the most expensive ones, to be able to see his idol up close. Abel was also willing to dig deep into his pockets to buy round-trip plane tickets from Malang to Jakarta.

Unfortunately, an unwanted incident occurred when Abel had already arrived in Jakarta and was preparing to watch his favorite band's concert. As it is known, 4 hours before the concert, Paramore released a painful announcement, stating that they had to postpone the concert because their vocalist, Hayley Williams, fell ill.

Like being struck by lightning, Abel's heart and mind immediately went into chaos. In his mind, he didn't care how much money he had spent to watch the concert. What was more painful for him was the failure to watch the band that he had idolized since high school. It should have been his first experience.

"So, Paramore had a concert in Jakarta in February 2018. I bought concert tickets, transportation, accommodation. I flew from Malang to Jakarta. On the day of the concert, I was ready to go to the venue, but suddenly the concert was postponed because Hayley got sick. Instead of going home empty-handed, I still went to the venue to see the situation there," Abel recalled his experience.

6. Lessons to be Learned

Paramore / Credit: KapanLagi - Mathias Purwanto

Shortly after canceling their concert, Paramore announced that their performance would be replaced in August 2018. Despite the cost of round-trip airfare, Abel remains determined to go. And this time, his efforts were not in vain.

"Fortunately, the concert will be held again in August 2018. It may be a loss in transportation and accommodation expenses, but it's worth it to not miss it," Abel concluded.

Congratulations once again to Abel Risang. Someday, tell your children and wife about this great achievement with pride. You totally deserve it.

This also serves as an example for all of us to never give up in pursuing our dreams, no matter how trivial they may seem. It may sound insignificant to some, but to be noticed by the artist we have long idolized is truly indescribable.

(kpl/gtr)