- 10:59 AM
- April 30, 2026
Bingkai Karya – There is something invisible, yet constantly working in people’s daily lives. It shapes the way we think, respond, and even survive. It does not always come from personal experience, but often from something inherited, slowly, almost without us realizing it. From domestic wounds within the so-called safe space of family, it grows into emotional and mental burdens that feel suffocating. Often, this becomes too taboo to talk about, leaving us feeling powerless and trapped. This theme of generational trauma is explored by Dipha Barus and Hindia in their latest collaboration, “Nafas.”
“Nafas” begins with something close to everyday life. From there, the song evolves into a reflection on how people continue living while carrying thoughts that constantly move in the background. The initial idea came from Dipha Barus, whose musical composition was highly intuitive, something repetitive, like a never-ending cycle. Dipha then passed the song idea to Baskara.
“When I first heard the demo, what immediately came to mind was its repetitive feeling, like the cadence of running, like jogging or a marathon. From there, I thought about writing something that also repeats itself, about daily life, about cycles that keep happening. Even on days that feel perfectly fine, there is always something lingering in the background, something looming that never truly disappears,” said Baskara.
Baskara then translated those feelings into lyrics. True to his writing style, “Nafas” delivers a strong hook without sounding preachy.
“If I had to describe “Nafas” in one sentence, it’s really just a song about daily struggles. Like going through small things that inconveniently disrupt life, but still carrying on. There will always be things that disturb us, but we keep moving forward. Struggling, but still continuing,” said Baskara, the songwriter and vocalist of the single.
On a more personal level, Baskara also sees “Nafas” as a space to understand something deeper than everyday struggles.
“There is one part that feels very personal to me, about breaking a cycle. It’s about realizing that I may be the way I am because of my parents, and my parents may be the way they are because of those who came before them. But that cycle can only stop if I acknowledge it and choose not to hold onto resentment. That realization made me see many things in my life differently.”
This perspective closely resonates with Dipha Barus’ own personal experience with generational trauma, not as a planned theme, but as something that naturally emerged in his life.
“To be honest, this was never something I planned as a ‘theme.’ It came on its own, slowly, through what I experienced myself. Becoming a father made me start seeing the patterns I carried from my family and previous generations, patterns I only truly began to process as an adult. I grew up in an era where silence was a form of survival. My parents’ generation lived under a regime that taught them not to speak too much, but to swallow everything. And that inheritance was not only political, but emotional, it settled into the way we love, get angry, suppress feelings, and even into my core memories.”
He also realized that many wounds we consider personal actually have much broader roots.
“From what I’ve read, I came to understand that personal suffering is often structural. What we think is a personal wound is actually a collective wound that has been individualized.”
“Nafas” does not stop at portraying repetitive cycles. In Dipha Barus’ hands, the musical layers become another way to read and feel the issue. Instead of creating a composition that is entirely dark, he builds contrast between movement and reflection.
“For me, that contradiction is exactly what makes this song feel honest. I have personal experience with this, running often becomes my escape when I’m feeling low. While running, I can process what’s inside my head, untangle my fears one by one. My body moves forward, but inside, it becomes contemplation. “Nafas” is basically a reflection of that process.”
This approach was then translated into a production landscape that still gave Baskara’s emotions enough room to remain the heart of the song.
“Baskara’s voice carries a very specific weight, it feels intimate, like someone telling a story, not just singing in a performative sense. The challenge was making sure his voice remained the center, like the host inside the house I was building. The production around it could be grand and fast-moving, but he still had to remain the core.”
In the end, “Nafas” becomes a space that not only captures anxiety, but also ongoing awareness and healing.
“For me, music has always been a place to talk about things I cannot say in ordinary conversations. “Nafas” is the point where I stopped holding myself back about this. Not because I’ve finished processing it, but precisely because I haven’t, and silence is no longer an option.”
“Nafas” was released on April 24, 2026, and is now available on all music streaming platforms.
Read more about the music here
