A lot of fans are familiar with Afgansyah Reza (or better known as Afgan) for his soothing voice and his numerous hit songs like “Terima Kasih Cinta”, “Jodoh Pasti Bertemu”, and “Katakan Tidak”. That being said, there is more to the 32-year-old singer.
In the reality game show “AXN Ultimate Challenge Indonesia”, fans are expected to witness a different side of the singer. The show pits two teams, led by Afgan and songstress Isyana Sarasvati, against each other as they travel across three top tourist destinations in Indonesia, all while completing a series of daredevil tasks. Afgan won’t be alone throughout the journey, though, as he’s partnered with his very own best friend – actor and comedian Reza Chandika.
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We caught up with Afgan recently where he shared with us about his stint in “AXN Ultimate Challenge Indonesia”. Not only that, he also spilled some exclusive deets on “THAT” special project with Jackson Wang. Check it out:
How did you prepare yourself prior to filming “AXN Ultimate Challenge Indonesia”?
“We had a few meetings with AXN and we were informed about the challenges and tasks that we needed to do. And I went there and did my best. Because I do my workout every week, it helped me in the challenges.”
Can you talk about your other cast members – did you guys knew each other personally before working together on the show?
“Yes, the three of us, me, Reza and Isyana, we are very close, I can say that they are my closest friends in the industry. Me and Isyana – we have done a few collaborations together previously. All three of us are good friends, that’s why it has been an amazing experience, to actually travel and explore opportunities we have never done. So it was the best actually.”
You collaborated with Jackson Wang from GOT7 for your song “MIA”, which was included in your 6th album “Wallflower”. How did this project come about?
“I finished working on my album back in 2019 when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, so we had to put it on hold for about a year. It came about when I met Jackson in Korea. I did a show there in Korea and he was performing as well with GOT7 and we met up backstage and became friends. Basically, after that he reached to me on Instagram and we talked about music and life.
He also told me, ‘We should do a song together’, and I said, I have a song that would be perfect for him. So I sent over the song to him, and he loved it, and eventually decided to collab. He was very helpful even during the video shoot. We were shooting it in different places – I shot it in Indonesia and he shot it in Korea. He was very helpful and I am glad that everything went down perfectly.”
Can you tell us about your experience working with Jackson? How was it like working with him?
“When I send him the song and told him ‘You can do your own thing with it; I will not restrict or put a limit on you’, he came up with his own verse during his tour. Despite being busy at that time, he recorded it and I love the result. I just have so much respect for his talent.”
What did you learn the most from the collaboration project?
“What I learnt the most is probably during the songwriting (process) of the song. We recorded and wrote the song in San Francisco with the producer as well as songwriters there. It was a brand-new experience for me, and I learnt a lot as an artist.”
Check out the MV for “M.I.A” here:
For those who are curious, “AXN Ultimate Challenge Indonesia” airs every Thursdays at 8:30pm on AXN (Astro channel 701).
