Astrid Suryanto has a story like no other, with a personality and sound to match. Born February 7th, 1982 and raised in Sumatra, Indonesia, with one channel on the TV and monkeys running across the roof, she now inhabits a studio in New York where she writes and produces an array of electronica, having captured the imagination of big name DJs, industry figures and the public alike. NY label Statra was playing the demo CD that Astrid had sent in when Victor Calderone, a renowned producer, remixer and DJ in demand with Madonna, Sting, Beyonce, Garbage, Goldfrapp, and many others, dropped by and fell instantly in love with the music. "We were all talking, and in the background I heard this beautiful piano playing, then this amazing voice followed," Victor remembers. ...show more

Astrid Suryanto has a story like no other, with a personality and sound to match. Born February 7th, 1982 and raised in Sumatra, Indonesia, with one channel on the TV and monkeys running across the roof, she now inhabits a studio in New York where she writes and produces an array of electronica, having captured the imagination of big name DJs, industry figures and the public alike. NY label Statra was playing the demo CD that Astrid had sent in when Victor Calderone, a renowned producer, remixer and DJ in demand with Madonna, Sting, Beyonce, Garbage, Goldfrapp, and many others, dropped by and fell instantly in love with the music. "We were all talking, and in the background I heard this beautiful piano playing, then this amazing voice followed," Victor remembers.

"I was completely distracted, I knew in an instant that this was an artist I wanted to work with". A week later, Astrid was in Vic's studio alongside producer/engineer Dave Micalizzi, working on single Rainwater and beginning her album project. Astrid was always going to make music. When she was 5, her dad bought her an organ, "the one with big pedals and blinking lights.

My feet hovered 30cm above ground, but I was hooked. Days after, we wrote our first song, Sanur Beach, about my favourite beach in Bali." But within a year Astrid fell victim to that age old problem for musicians living in the jungle - a mouse bit through the organ's wiring and they couldn't find anyone to fix it. Astrid then took up piano lessons, but a discipline-happy teacher put her off conventional learning and she subsequently taught herself to play every instrument herself. And, with a life that can be charted through instruments, that's a lot of self-teaching. ...show less