Bunga Citra Lestari Sharing Her Creative Core as A Star Performer and Fashion Maven
During a recent concert, she was the definition energetic lady in red. Bunga was also in attendance at the 2020 New York Week in a stylish navy suit complete with a blue faux-fur jacket. Once out for a holiday, she went pastel in a comfy lilac set. These days, during the social-distancing period, Bunga frequently wears a bikini with sunglasses to suntan at home to make it feel like Bali.
There is no such regret for her fashion buys unless the item is of the wrong size –or if the shoe is too painful to wear. “I would find a wat to make each piece work because it’s an investment since I work in the entertainment industry and has many public events to attend,” she said. “I choose an item based on how it would look on me or make me feel good.”
If anyone were to pinpoint her style, the definition would run the gamut; Bunga could wear almost everything while making each her own. “I am a chameleon; my style changes depending on my mood,” she said. “When people told or expected me to dress one way, I would wear something else to express myself better.” Unpredictable, as Bunga further described her style, no matter how simple an outfit is, it would need an element of surprise to make it hers. “Style is fluid, and so am I,” she said. “Life also keeps on changing, and so do our feelings and responses to it.” As Bunga grows to experience more in life, her style in fashion and creativity also evolves.
In tune with herself, she enjoys her creative process and flows along with its movements in creating her music. “Sometimes we cannot control the creative process, and there would be this urge to produce an idea. As the feeling comes, I will write the words or record the notes down on my phone—anywhere,” Bunga said. “When someone sends me a new melody, sometimes I’d find these verses or melodies to fit in the context and would bring them into a workshop.” In her work as an actor, however, she works more methodically. With a given production timeline in mind, Bunga straightaway puts herself in the character’s shoes through reading and visualising.
All these different processes happen internally to filter and discern what Bunga observes and learns from the outside—to make it her own experience. Whenever she hits a roadblock, Bunga used to travel or to meet friends and family for inspiration. “Since these activities are more restricted these days, I just let myself be stuck. I pause the process and move on to the next task before returning once the feeling is there,” she said. “I can still stick to my goals; however, I cannot force the process, and it has to be organic.”
Today, these experiences would remain as lessons learned and reflected. For example, Bunga is learning to be patient with herself, especially when the situation is out of control, such as the challenging times during the pandemic. “Overall, I’m rediscovering myself after going through so much. I’m finding my bearings and where I should be going next,” she said. In the meantime, Bunga is making a mini-album and a movie besides getting ready to judge another Indonesian singing competition. “Everything is still changing, so I let myself go with the flow and adjust as needed to know where I would fit in life’s next stage.”
This story appears in the October 2021 issue of Tatler Indonesia. Read our e-magazine and their full story here.
