In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 20 August 1987
- Birthplace
- Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia
- Country
- Indonesia
- Nationality
- Not independently established
- Known for
- Independent albums, Gajah, Monokrom and the Japanese version Kutsu
- Birth
- 20 August 1987, Bukittinggi
- Education
- Architecture degree, 2009
- Debut album
- Tulus, 2011
- Japanese release
- Kutsu, 10 October 2015
Why this life matters
His career combines authorship with an artist company and partnerships across music, translation and visual art, creating several routes through which Indonesian songs reach listeners.
Timeline
Key moments
Birth
Born in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra.
Architecture degree
Completed undergraduate architecture study.
Independent debut
Released his self-titled album and held an introductory Bandung concert.
Gajah
Introduced the second album after completing recording in late 2013.
Kutsu
Released the Japanese-language version of Sepatu.
Adu Rayu
Collaborated with Yovie Widianto and Glenn Fredly.
Manusia
The ten-song album was released on 3 March.
Architecture study preceded the professional recording career
Tulus was born in Bukittinggi on 20 August 1987 and studied architecture at Universitas Katolik Parahyangan in Bandung. A 2014 interview places his graduation in 2009 and describes the jazz-club performances he joined while at university. Music became a professional possibility through practice, encouragement and financial risk. His elder brother Riri Muktamar supported the first recording. Tulus’s training and early performances thus developed together before a self-titled album gave the singer a more durable route to listeners.
An independent structure supported the first records
The 2011 debut was released through his own recording operation, with Demajors assisting distribution. In September of that year he held the introductory concert An Introduction: Tulus in Bandung. The later official profile identifies TulusCompany as the record-label and management business built with Riri. This gave his career an organisational base alongside songwriting and performance. It also made distribution, planning and relationships with other creative workers part of the continuing work required to bring a record to an audience.
Gajah turned a childhood name into an album identity
The official career account places completion of Gajah’s recording in late 2013 and its introduction in early 2014. Its title drew on a childhood nickname. The same account describes Tulus taking an active part in visual production, including directing “Teman Hidup” and “Sepatu” with a small team. The album and videos placed his writing within a wider visual identity. This is a career in which songs, their presentation and the people making that presentation developed in relation to one another.
Sources for this section: [3]
Translation opened a particular route into Japan
In October 2015 “Sepatu” acquired a Japanese-language version, “Kutsu”, translated by Hiroaki Kato. ANTARA’s contemporaneous report dates its Japanese iTunes availability to 10 October and carries the artist company’s explanation of choosing Japan. Kato’s own later interview describes a broader practice of translating Indonesian songs for Japanese listeners. The project connected an established composition with a new language and collaborator. It was a specific release strategy, alongside Tulus’s live engagements abroad, rather than evidence that every international listener received the song in translation.
Visual artists and musical peers enlarged the work
Tulus’s collaborators have included Davy Linggar, Melati Suryodharmo and Papermoon Puppet Theatre, according to his official profile. His career page describes a book responding to Linggar’s photographs and identifies musical collaboration with Petra Sihombing. In 2019 he joined Yovie Widianto and Glenn Fredly for “Adu Rayu”. These projects gave the singer opportunities beyond the self-contained solo album: an image, another performer or a translated text could become a starting point for new work and another relationship with an audience.
Later albums extended an established independent career
Monokrom forms another important stage in the official chronology, including its later introduction in Malaysia. Manusia followed on 3 March 2022; the release record lists ten songs under TulusCompany. The progression shows an artist company supporting both domestic releases and selected work abroad over more than a decade. Tulus’s significance lies in the continuity of songwriting across those changing settings. His career also illustrates how independence can involve sustained collaboration with distributors, translators and visual artists rather than isolation from them.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Tulus
- Was Tulus trained as an architect?
- Yes. His official profile identifies an architecture qualification, and the 2014 interview dates his degree to 2009.
- Who translated Sepatu into Japanese?
- Hiroaki Kato translated the lyrics for the version released as Kutsu in 2015.
Keep exploring
Lives connected to this story
- Glenn Fredly
Read the career of a collaborator on Adu Rayu.
- Raisa
Compare another singer with an artist-led recording operation.
- Isyana Sarasvati
Explore another Indonesian singer with formal training and a varied recording career.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. Jawa Pos/JPNN, 21 September 2014Karir Tulus di Musik, Dulu Ditolak, Kini Menolak
Actual indexed article first page read through web open lines 176–200: name Muhammad Tulus, birth 20 August 1987, 2009 degree, first recording and 2011 concert; participant interview with Tulus. Direct HTML returned unrelated current feed, so only saved actual tool body supports these facts. No claim to read next page.
- 2. TulusCompany official artist siteBiografi
Actual short official profile read: Bukittinggi, architecture qualification, company with Riri, visual collaborators, 2015 Japanese adaptation and later Malaysian expansion. Snapshot has stale three-album/streaming totals and future destinations; not repeated as current facts. No song lyrics/audio or images consumed.
- 3. TulusCompany official artist siteBiografi – Perjalanan Karir
Actual selected official career sections read: Gajah recording completed late 2013 and introduced early 2014; video directing/production, Hamburg 2013, Japan 2015, Malaysia 2018 and Adu Rayu 2019. Inconsistent APM 2014/2015 award wording and crowd totals not adopted. No full music videos, concerts or recordings viewed/heard.
- 4. ANTARA; artist-company press release, 12 October 2015Lagu Sepatu Tulus dirilis di Jepang
Actual complete short article body read: Japan iTunes release from 10 October 2015, Japanese title/version, Hiroaki Kato translation and manager Pananingtyas Prabantari’s rationale. It is reported company testimony, not an independent market-success evaluation. No lyrics or music listened.
- 5. Medcom; Putu Radar Bahurekso interviews Hiroaki Kato, 27 February 2016Musisi Jepang Ini Terjemahkan Puluhan Lagu Indonesia
Actual complete short interview article read: translator’s Indonesian-song work, Sepatu, language direction and residency sequence. Kato’s reported positive reception is attributed personal testimony, not a quantified survey or assessment of translation quality. No interview recording or translated lyrics read.
- 6. Apple Music; TulusCompany metadataManusia
Actual release-page metadata only: 3 March 2022, 10 songs, 38 rounded minutes, phonogram TulusCompany. No track previews played or album artwork reproduced.
