Kotak : a modern rock band from Jakarta, Indonesia

Kotak

Kotak is a contemporary music group that originates from Jakarta, Indonesia. The group was formed on September 27, 2004, after its members, Julia Angelia Lepar (known as Pare), Prinzes Amanda (known as Icez), Mario Marcella (known as Cella), and Haposan Haryanto Tobing (known as Posan), won the talent competition "The Dream Band" 2004 on TV7. They met Dody Isnaini, a member of the band Kahitna, at an audition who later became their producer. The band began working on their first album, also titled Kotak, which was released in 2005 under the Warner Music Indonesia label. The album featured ten songs including "Hilang", "Terbang", "Damai Hati", and "Kau Pilih Dia".

Three years later, the group released their second album, Kotak Kedua, which received critical acclaim in Indonesia and abroad. The album contained twelve songs, including popular hits such as "Beraksi", "Masih Cinta", and "Tinggalkan Saja". The group continued to release albums with Energi in 2010, Energi Repackage in 2011, Terbaik in 2012, and KFC Adu Bintang in 2013.

In 2007, Pare and Icez left the band, and they were replaced by Tantri Syalindri (known as Tantri) and Swasti Sabdastantri (known as Chua), respectively. Posan, the band's percussionist, also left the group, leading to more changes in membership. Despite these changes, the band remained successful and released their second successful album, Kotak Kedua, in 2008. One of the album's tracks was converted into a ringback tone that has been downloaded over one million times.

In 2011, Kotak collaborated with Simple Plan to record a new version of their song, "Jet Lag". The band has also performed in various countries.

According to an article in the Jakarta Post on November 13, 2012, Kotak, one of Indonesia's most popular rock bands, released a new album titled "Best." The album includes nine of the band's most popular tracks from their previous albums, three new songs, and a bonus track. The album also features the song "Jet Lag," which was created in collaboration with the American punk band Simple Plan. The album sold 200,000 copies.

Tantri, the band's vocalist, won the Best Rock Band/Group and Best Rock Album awards at the AMI in 2009. The band was nominated for the "Best Newcomer Group" award at the Anugerah Planet Music in 2009 and for "Favorite Breakthrough Artist 2009" at the MTV Indonesia Awards.

At the end of 2009, Kotak released their new single "Pelan-Pelan Saja," which was included in their third album "Energi," released in November 2010. The band was invited to perform at an event called Muzik FM organized by Expert & Legends and Raistar Entertainment in Singapore.