SOCIAL AND POLITICAL EFFECTS OF POP BALI ALTERNATIF ON BALINESE SOCIETY: THE EXAMPLE OF XXX

This article will clarify how the music genre Pop Bali Alternatif affects contemporary Balinese society, both socially and politically. The article focuses on the band XXX (Triple X), whose major hit Puputan Badung was released in 2006. Recent studies on the Pop Bali genre by Balinese researchers have divided it into two main streams: Pop Bali Konventional and Pop Bali Alternatif. In contrast with the former, which is deeply connected with traditional Balinese music, Pop Bali Alternatif includes a variety of influences. For this reason, it exerts a powerful social influence, particularly on young people. The activities of Pop Bali Alternatif band members, which are covered extensively by mass media, are quickly imitated by their fans. How did this system come about? What kind of albums/songs produced by these bands have influenced the young and to what extent? Finally, how do the historical backgrounds and surroundings of Pop Bali Alternatif figure into this quation? This article investigates the issues raised through these questions by using XXX as a case study and will closely analyse their most popular song Puputan Badung. I will show how the social position of the band comes into play, focusing on the narrow line that connects the band to local politics. The conclusion of this article expands the focus of my argument to consider the wider influence of Pop Bali Alternatif on Balinese society as a whole.