A Norwegian Man's Ode To Nasi Padang: Audun Kvitland
For the past 48 hours, Indonesian netizens have been actively sharing
a viral music video by Norwegian singer Audun Kvitland Røstad, an ode
to one of Indonesia’s most popular dishes, Nasi Padang (rice with
various side dishes).
Audun, a music and sound designer for films, runs a sound studio
called Ambolt Audio with his friend and colleague, Jørgen Meyer in
Norway. “I also play guitar in a band called Asiago, and we will release
new music in early 2017.
His interest in Indonesia began five years ago when he bought a
Lonely Planet guide on Indonesia. “I sat down with my friend, Petter
Heggen, who was my travel mate on this trip and we were discussing which
places in the world we should travel to. After comparing pictures,
testimonies, blogs and climate reviews [in the month] of July, we ended
up in Indonesia,” Audun reminisced.
Audun and Petter set off for Indonesia in July 2016 and spent three
weeks exploring Bali, Lombok, Labuan Bajo, Ende, Yogyakarta and Jakarta.
“We went to see Buyan Lake in Bali, the rice terraces and Gitgit
Waterfall. We enjoyed all of them but I for me, the rice terraces looked
really stunning. It’s like arriving in a different planet,” Audun said,
also noting that they were lucky to be in Bali as the Bali
International Arts Festival was taking place.
After Bali, Audun and Petter traveled to Lombok and Labuan Bajo,
where komodo dragons made a great impression on them. “We did some
tracking on Rinca Island and were lucky enough to see three or four
Komodo dragons. Powerful experience, and slightly frightening when one
of them came walking straight toward us,” said Audun.
Making friends with locals at Moni, Ende, even participating in
cultural-exchange activities in one of Yogyakarta’s homeless shelters
are also the highlights of his trip, but Audun was most impressed by
Indonesian food, especially Nasi Padang.
“Nasi Padang was my favorite because of the unique combination of
tastes and different dishes with big variety. I’m also a fan of spicy
food, which made the chili combination very good,” Audun gushes about
his food crush. “When I visit a country, I enjoy tasting local foods,
and I feel Nasi Padang is a good representation of Indonesian cuisine.
Too bad I only tasted it on the last day of my travels,” he added.
Audun never expected the overwhelming virality of his Nasi Padang
video, “I had never dreamed of this kind of response, and I am very
flattered that people seem to like it. What really makes my day is
knowing that someone got happy from listening to the song.”
Apparently, viral songs are not new for Audun. However he didn’t
expect Nasi Padang to be huge considering its simple beginning, “I
talked about the Nasi Padang meal with an Indonesian friend, and made a
joke about making a song about it. Five minutes later, I had a sketch
ready for the beginning of the song. I thought it would be a fun idea as
my love for the food is genuine at the same time,” he said.
Audun adds, “I never expected or even dreamed about this kind of
enthusiasm. I must confess the affection for Indonesia and its people is
just growing when I’m receiving all this love.” The musician has made
the Nasi Padang video available on YouTube and the song free for
download on Soundcloud and iTunes. Fans can also stream the song for
free on Spotify.