Life & Work with Aubrey Situmorang of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aubrey Situmorang.

Hi Aubrey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My music journey started at a very young age. Born into a musical family in Indonesia, I was constantly surrounded by music. I started piano lessons at four, and over the years, my family kept introducing me to different types of music. By middle school, I had decided that bass would be my main instrument. In 2017, I moved to the U.S. to study music, and I’ve been here ever since, pursuing my passion.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being an independent freelance musician has its ups and downs. It’s exciting to always have different day-to-day schedule and to work with a variety of talented artists. I love that it keeps things fresh and adventurous. On the other side, it can be a lot to handle everything by yourself: booking gigs, practicing the materials, taking care of your instrument, updating websites and social medias, and many more. Not to mention that there would be dry seasons when there are not a lot of gigs available. Even though it’s difficult, I wouldn’t choose any other career—there’s nothing more rewarding than doing what I love.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an Indonesian bass player living in Los Angeles, California. Growing up in Indonesia, I have been immersed in the western and eastern music cultures throughout my life, which helps me grow into being an intuitive musician full of creativity and great attention to detail. Since 2023, I have the honor of playing for notable artists from a diverse array of genres, listing the Grammy winning jazz pianist and composer Billy Childs, double-platinum artist Bipolar Sunshine, and singer/producer SASAMI. My recent performances with them included selling out multiple nights at Los Angeles’ legendary Baked Potato, opening for Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the Huntington Bank Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois, opening for Soccer Mommy at Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco, California, and opening for TOKiMONSTA at Northern Nights Music Festival in Piercy, California. I also toured North America and Australia with The Life and Music of George Michael which I had been a part of since 2022, selling out theaters with capacity up to 3000 people. Beyond my live performances, I also released my debut album “One Point One” in 2021 which received a nomination for Best Jazz Album at Indonesia’s highest music awards Anugerah Musik Indonesia 2022.

How do you define success?
For me, success is happiness, and happiness doesn’t equate money or fame. Happiness comes from being fulfilled doing what you love and being surrounded by the people who love you. I feel fulfilled making music when what I’m trying to say from my heart is translated beautifully into sounds of music and it gets to be shared to people who enjoy it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aubreysitumorang.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aubreyplaysbass/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aubreyplaysbass
• Youtube: http://youtube.com/aubreysitumorang99

Image Credits
Owen Nathanael
Syd Studios
Justine Bursoni