Kai Mata is an Indonesian LGBTQ+ musician who uses celebration as rebellion, pride as protest, and joy as resistance. Their ability to turn homophobic commentary into celebratory pride anthems made global news in 2020 when their musical protest of a proposed bill mandating conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ Indonesians went viral. Since then, Kai Mata has gained a reputation for turning trials into triumphs, venom into vitality, and death threats into love notes. Due to their acclaim as one of Indonesia’s most vocally queer artists, Kai Mata has appeared in The Diplomat, South China Morning Post, Gay Italia, The Jakarta Post, Vice News, and The Guardian. Kai Mata’s career includes: writing a World AIDS Day anthem with Grammy Award-winning producer Kipper (most known for his production of Sting’s solo albums); performing and marching at Sydney Mardi Gras 2024, and even singing a tender, soulful duet with a washing machine for a Worldwide LG Commercial. Kai Mata is the current Joint Annual Engaged Artivist Award Winner, a yearlong prize bestowed by the Auschwitz Institute, Binghamton University, and the Global Campus of Human Rights for their creative confrontation to prevent identity-based violence. In 2024, they are releasing their second album, titled Nasib (Fate).