Indonesian musician Pamungkas practically lived up to the title of his hit song To the Bone when he rubbed a fan’s phone on his crotch on stage, drawing criticism from the public.
The singer-songwriter took the stage at Bengkel Space in SCBD on Oct. 5. A clip from the concert went viral over the weekend, showing the 29-year-old picking up a fan’s phone before doing the crotch stunt. Reposts of the clip often came with the hashtag #jijik (disgusting).
Early this morning, Pamungkas posted a series of Instagram stories addressing the controversy. He said that while the crotch rub may have looked bad from the outside, it represented a moment of intimacy between him and his fans at the venue.
“It was purely fan service. It was part of the interaction between me and my fans. It was a happy interaction,” Pamungkas said.
He then lamented how other performers, who may be known for their wild performances, get away with more sensual acts on stage.
“There was no harassment towards anybody. It was towards a phone, if anything,” he said.
“Let’s take it back to the context.”
Pamungkas said he doesn’t mind the public ridicule and if the crotch rub lives forever as a meme. But he decided to speak up after his manager was admitted to hospital for an unspecified heart problem from dealing with the stress from the controversy.
Pamungkas made a name for himself as a solo musician with the release of his debut album in 2018. To the Bone, his single off the sophomore album Flying Solo, became the longest-running song to top Spotify’s Indonesia Top 50 chart in 2021.
