Ariel (singer)

Ariel tried his hand at songwriting during middle school.^[17][18] One of the songs Ariel wrote during high school, titled "Yang Terdalam" (the deepest), received praise from his friends. The positive response drove Ariel to write more songs.^[19]

Ariel's musical style was influenced by the grunge band Nirvana ever since his teenage days.^[20] Ariel is a fan of Nirvana's vocalist Kurt Cobain.^[21][22]

Ariel's songwriting was influenced by the poet Kahlil Gibran. Ariel was introduced to Gibran's writings in high school and liked the meaning he found behind Gibran's poetry.^[18]

The Bill against Pornography and Pornoaction came into effect in Indonesia in 2008.^[3] In June 2010 Ariel was charged with breaking the law by appearing in two sex videos found on the Internet.^[3] Ariel claimed the tapes were stolen from his house and posted online without his consent, but the judge argued the pop star did nothing to prevent their widespread distribution.^[23]

TV presenter Luna Maya and soap opera star Cut Tari denied being the women in the videos.^[3] However, on 9 July 2011, Cut Tari admitted to being in one of the three sex videos. The confession was made as Cut Tari did not want to preempt the police's investigation into the case.^[24] The sex video prompted an outpouring of criticism from conservative Muslims.^[3]

Ariel was held in custody from his arrest until his trial, in Bandung, West Java, which began in November 2010. On 31 January 2011 a guilty verdict resulted in three years in prison.^[25] The video could also result in prosecution under a law banning adultery,^[26] owing to Cut Tari having been married at the time it was made in 2006.^[27] The two women were not charged.^[28]

On 31 January 2011, Ariel was sentenced to 3+1⁄2 years behind bars and fined 250 million rupiah (US$28,000). Prosecutors had asked for a five-year sentence.^[29] The maximum sentence possible for the charges was 12 years.^[30] On 25 April 2011 the Bandung High Court rejected his appeal.^[31] On 23 July 2012, after serving two years in prison, Ariel was released early for good behaviour.^[32]

The scandal became a popular topic. Communications and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring engaged in a Twitter debate after suggesting that the possibility of mistaken identity was similar to the Muslim belief that a lookalike of Jesus of Nazareth had been crucified;^[33] he stated that the internet could "destroy" the nation.^[34]

Ariel has received various awards and nominations as a member of Noah, including the Anugerah Musik Indonesia (AMI Awards) for Best of the Best Album for Bintang di Surga, Seperti Seharusnya, and Keterkaitan Keterikatan; and for Best of the Best Production Work for the songs "Bintang di Surga" and "Separuh Aku".^[35][36][37]

In December 2010, Rolling Stone Indonesia ranked Ariel the 43rd-greatest Indonesian singer on its list of the 50 Greatest Indonesian Singers.^[38] In February 2014, the magazine ranked him 28th on its list of the 100 Greatest Indonesian Songwriters.^[39]

• XL (With Noah)
• Sunsilk
• Lux
• Yamaha
• KFC
• Vaseline men (with Noah)
• Kakao Talk (with Noah)
• Vitamin Water (With Noah)
• BRI (With Noah)
• BRImo
• Greenlight
• Geoff Max
• Gosend
• Kratingdaeng