85 ‘vulgar’ English-language pop songs banned from daylight broadcasting as Indonesia’s West Java cracks down on ‘adult’ lyrics
- The songs, which include Ed Sheeran’s chart-topping Shape of You and Ariana Grande’s sultry Love Me Harder track, are only allowed to be played between 10pm and 3am
- The authorities said the move followed complaints from the public and there were similar objections over thousands of other songs, both English and Indonesian
Indonesia’s most populous province has set restrictions on when certain English-language songs can be aired on television and radio, citing concerns over “vulgar” and “negative” lyrics.
The West Java chapter of the Indonesian broadcast commission identified 85 songs labelled “adult” that can only be aired between 10pm and 3am.
These include Dusk Till Dawn (Zayn Malik ft Sia), Love Me Harder (Ariana Grande and The Weeknd) , Makes Me Wonder (Maroon 5), Mr Brightside (The Killers), Overdose (Agnez Mo ft Chris Brown), Shape of You (Ed Sheeran), That’s What I Like (Bruno Mars), and Your Song (Rita Ora).
“Broadcast programmes are prohibited from containing songs and/or video clips that display or contain obscenities, sex ... and drugs,” Neneng Athiatul Faiziyah, a member of the commission, said on Tuesday.
She said the move followed complaints from the public and there were similar objections over thousands of songs.
