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Former Las Cruces American Idol Contestant Shares Musical Journey

Dzaki Sukarno

Dzaki Sukarno is no stranger to failure. As a young Las Cruces musician, he remembers nervously preparing for local performances, scared of the public’s reaction.

“I remember standing up on stage, freaking out, forgetting lyrics and just stopping in the middle of the performance,” Sukarno said. “Going to sing at the farmers market, just the local farmers market, and being so nervous, being timid, not projecting my voice because I was like, ‘What are people going to think?’”

The 20-year-old has come a long way from those first timid performances, a contestant on this season of American Idol. Sukarno says it’s his failures that have helped him to hone his craft, giving him the courage to pursue his dream.

“If your dreams scare you, they're big enough. And my dreams scare me,” Sukarno said. “They really do scare me, and I'm willing to give it my all. I don't care if I fail or not. I think failing is a really, really important thing. If you don't fail, you don't succeed.”

It’s a mindset that has gotten Sukarno all the way through to the Hollywood round of American Idol. While he was cut in the duet round, he attributes the show with helping him grow into a more professional musician.

“I didn't know exactly what kind of artist I wanted to be until American Idol,” Sukarno said. “I’m really grateful for the opportunity. It definitely solidified what I wanted to be as an artist…Now that I do know what I want to do it’s been really, really easy now. Writing music has been a lot easier. Singing has been a lot easier, playing guitar, the little riffs that I want to do, it's a lot easier now for sure.”

A country singer and guitar player, he dedicates time each day to his songwriting, allowing himself the freedom to experiment. Sukarno knows not every song will be released, but he says each one is an opportunity for self-improvement.

“I started writing like a song or two every day just to make sure I can build up the vocabulary, develop lyrics and just experiment,” Sukarno said. “Experimenting is my biggest thing. I know that there's always room for improvement, so might as well keep working at it.”

A junior at New Mexico State University in the agricultural business program, Sukarno is learning to balance his time between his love of music, school and his role in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. Upon graduation, Sukarno will be commissioned into the U.S. Air Force for four years, where he will continue to pursue music in his free time.

“Fingers crossed in the Air Force, I'll have stories I can tell. I love telling stories. So hopefully they give me a good amount of stories I can tell and write about,” Sukarno said.

For now, when he’s not singing on TV, Sukarno remains busy in Las Cruces, frequently booking music gigs. With over 105,000 followers on TikTok, where he often shares videos of himself singing, and three original songs out on Spotify, Sukarno is well on his way to success.

“If someone like me, who's just a regular guy, sings on the street, literally sings on the streets of my town, can make it through, then anyone can. My sisters can do it. My little brother can do it. It’s all for them,” Sukarno said. “I'm a strong believer that God will push you towards where you want to be if you're willing to push yourself.”

Madison Staten was a Multimedia Reporter for KRWG Public Media from 2020-2022.