Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto has tasked musician Yovie Widianto to help him boost Indonesia’s creative economy.

Prabowo officially appointed the 56-year-old pianist as his special staff on the creative economy. Yovie is a seasoned musician and is known to have formed the famous pop band Kahitna as well as Yovie & Nuno. He is the producer and composer of many Indonesian pop hits. 

“With my experience in the creative economy, I hope I can advise [Mr. Prabowo] on how we can boost the creative economy,” Yovie told the press shortly after being inaugurated in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Yovie said he was confident that his decades-long experience in the music industry could help him deliver the job and provide constructive advice. 

“There are many creative economy sub-sectors that we can develop and empower. Many of our works have gained global recognition, so [we need to think of ways] to make sure that [these works] can be monetized well,” Yovie said.

Indonesia aims to record $28 billion worth of creative economy exports in 2024.

In 2023, the creative economy sector generated an added value worth Rp 1,415 trillion (approximately $93 billion). This already surpassed the Rp 1,300 trillion target, government data showed.