Frau is the performing name of Indonesian singer-songwriter Leilani Hermiasih, a musician from Yogyakarta born in 1990. She begins as a playful side project, drawing on her background in classical piano, which she starts learning in lessons with an elderly teacher when she is around seven.

Music and style

Her work centres on piano-led songs built from melodies that she describes as arriving naturally before being shaped into full pieces with lyrics. Her songs also reflect an early interest in musicals by Cameron Macintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber, which she watches in her younger years and which leave a trace in her writing.

Name and concept

She uses the name Frau because she feels she does not create alone, but rather makes music with her piano, Oskar, as part of the project’s identity. The name also carries the German meaning of “mrs.” or “wife”, which she links to the idea of being the “wife” of music.

Collaborations

Alongside Oskar, she works with other musicians, whom she describes as bringing their own “secret weapons” to the music. Her approach remains deliberately light and playful rather than serious.