Any fans of Indonesian soap operas here familiar with singer-actress Cinta Laura Kiehl? For those who don’t know, the 26-year-old is well-known among Malaysians for her starring roles in TV series such as “Cinderella: Apakah Cinta Hanyalah Mimpi” and “Upik Abu dan Laura”.
10 years have passed since appearing in her last drama “Air Mata Cinta”. Now, the German-Indonesian beauty is all grown up and is set to comeback with a bang. To celebrate the good news with her fans, Cinta was in town for a special appearance at the recent Lazada 11.11 Super Show over the weekend.
Not only that, she also dropped by to promote her latest single after a 7-year long break from the music scene called “Vida”. The sexy Latin-pop number is a true gem and we instantly fell in love with it.
A day after the Lazada event, we caught up with Cinta where she spilled the deets on her return to singing, her music and acting career as well as her plans for the upcoming festive season.
Why did it take 7 years for you to release a new song for fans?
So, I started singing back in 2008, my 1st single was called “Oh Baby”. I was 14, I was really young at that time. And thereafter, I further released songs like “You Say Aq”, “Guardian Angel”, “Cinta Atau Uang” and my last song before my hiatus “Tulalit”. I am very much grateful for the success that all the tracks have achieved and also for the people who have found joy in my music.
But as an artiste, I personally was not happy with my previous songs because all of the songs were given to me by my label. And it absolutely was not representative of who I was, it didn’t reflect my personality at all. So finally in 2012, I decided to quit because I was sick of singing songs that gave people the wrong ideas of who I am.
What was the inspiration behind your new single “Vida”?
“Vida” is my 1st single after my 7-year hiatus. So, back in 2018, my label reached back to me during my long-term break from music. They reassured me that I was going to have complete freedom of my music and they want me to be proud of the music that I have made. You can hear or notice the essence of my personality (in the song) because I enjoy listening to the reggaeton genre. “Vida” is quite Latin, though it’s still a pop track. And the word vida itself means life in Spanish. I just want to comeback with an upbeat song that would really get people excited and to just celebrate their life.
So, the single talks about being attracted to someone. Are you the type that will make the first move?
To be honest, NO! (laughs) I would rather have a man pursue me. I don’t purposely or intentionally do this but I do play hard-to-get. That’s just the way I am. I will usually place a wall in front of me because I do take my time in getting to know someone. But, even though I don’t like making the first move, I do believe that women need to be confident, and they shouldn’t be scared to express the way they feel.
The music video was hot and we love it! Was it challenging filming those scenes & executing the choreography?
Filming the music video was not that hard but it was more stressful because I wanted to comeback to the music scene proving to people that, ‘Look, when I’m the one in charge of my music and everything to do with my career, this is what you get’. And I’m a perfectionist, I’ll make sure that everything that I do is the best at my capabilities.
And so, I had a lot to prove with this music. So, the video was planned 2 months before we actually shot it. I learned the choreography for a month before shooting the clip. And the music video itself took 2 days to shoot, which is rare especially in Indonesia – where they utilise one day to finish the shoot. So we were very prepared.
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Congrats for winning Best Film Actress at the recent Latino Film awards for the movie “Goodnight”! What was the experience working with the cast & crew?
For me, I really like the concept of the short film, where it talks about sleep paralysis. It was a concept that was never explored in many horror-thriller movies. And in some countries they often associate sleep paralysis with superficial myths such as ghosts or witches sitting on your chest. Since director George Heras also had his own experience (suffering from sleep analysis), we bonded over that.
The cast and crew were so easy to work with. And surprisingly, all of the actors are American of Latin descent. So, when I won the award (Best Actress), I wasn’t present because I was here in Kuala Lumpur. The interesting part was they all thought that I was a Latina. So, I found that it is really cool to be accepted among the South American community because I have always been fascinated with their culture.
You’ve worked in film and also TV. Which one do you prefer more and why?
I personally love film-making. So, I will choose film over TV. I feel like movies are much more well thought out. It takes a crazy amount of planning and you really get to delve into your character deeply before starting to shoot. You know, you really get to live the life of a person for a standard period of time. I think film can change someone’s life – it can change people’s perception, it can bring people to an emotional journey. I think film has really shaped our society.
Are you currently focusing solely on music or are there TV or movie projects in the works?
I love acting, so I would never just let go of my passion. So, I’m doing both. I will have my next song coming out this coming 22nd November called “Caliente”. And on 12th December, my upcoming movie called “Jeritan Malam” is coming out.
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<>Channeling my inner evil. #maleficent
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We saw you dressed up as Maleficent on Instagram. Is she your favourite Disney villain?
Actually, Angelina Jolie (Maleficent actress) is my favourite actress. So, if she wears any other Disney character, I would probably try to embody her. Not because of the Disney character, but because of the actress herself. I think Angelina Jolie is very talented, gorgeous and I’m in love with her humanitarian works with the United Nations (UN).
Christmas is next month. How are you celebrating?
My parents live in Bali. So, for the past couple of years it has always been a tropical Christmas celebration for us. (laughs)
Complete the sentence: All l Want For Christmas Is….
All I want for Christmas is a beautiful Christmas Eve dinner with my parents. 🙂
Last but not least, as we approach the year end, what’s the biggest thing you’ve learned in 2019?
I think I realised that patience is so important because good things really does take time. You know, I have this personality whereby I like things to go according to plan and to move quickly. But sometimes in certain industries, especially in the entertainment scene, there are so many unforeseen obstacles that come your way and you just can’t expect things to go according to schedule. If you accept the journey and by being patient, you will finally feel the benefits. And it really feels good and you will appreciate your achievements even more.
Much thanks to the good people at Sony Music for this wonderful opportunity. For those who are interested, do follow Cinta on her Instagram to check out her latest updates.
