Music is often debated within the Muslim community, with some believing it is forbidden. Yet, music festivals continue to attract young people, including many young Muslims.

This article doesn’t aim to delve into religious debates but rather focuses on the presence of Muslim attendees at music festivals over the years, even during times when the permissibility of music was a hot topic.

Take, for instance, the recent We The Fest (WTF) 2024. The festival saw a significant number of Muslim attendees despite the open sale of alcoholic beverages, often without age verification. This situation allows underage individuals to purchase alcohol easily.

This article presents observations from the WTF 2024 festival, highlighting the enduring appeal of music festivals to Muslim youth and exploring the implications of their participation in such events.

The Attraction of TikTok’s Algorithm for ‘the Nuruls’

Music festivals have always been intertwined with youth culture. The majority of festival attendees are teenagers and young adults, making them the primary target audience for the music industry throughout the years. This demographic includes Muslim youth, who are just as engaged in the festival scene.

The rise of TikTok has significantly changed how young people consume and discover music. Artists who may not be mainstream but go viral on TikTok thanks to their FYP (For You Page) presence are increasingly attracting young audiences eager to see them perform live. This trend includes a group known as “The Nuruls.”

“The Nuruls” is a term that has gained popularity on social media, especially on TikTok. It refers to young Muslim women who exhibit a unique blend of conservative Islamic backgrounds with a modern, often contrasting, lifestyle. Here are some distinctive characteristics of “The Nuruls”:

• Hijab & Eccentric Outfits: The Nuruls typically wear hijabs, reflecting their conservative Islamic background. Their outfits often include knitted sweaters and other attire that conveys a simple yet conservative lifestyle.
• Anti-Alcohol Club: The Nuruls are known for abstaining from alcohol, often opting for trendy non-alcoholic beverages like Americanos.
• Expressive: They are unafraid to express themselves openly, including dancing joyfully even while wearing hijabs.

The Nuruls are frequently seen at concerts of Korean artists, where they channel their energy into dancing, a trend that is also popular on TikTok. They are also drawn to artists who sing about life’s emotional aspects, like Nadin Amizah and Sal Priadi, enjoying and even glorifying their melancholic feelings through these performances.

K-pop concerts, in particular, are a fascinating scene for The Nuruls. Their bold fashion choices, even while wearing hijabs, challenge stereotypes about how Muslim women should dress according to Islamic views.

They confidently showcase their styles and participate in K-pop choreography, capturing these moments for their social media without fear of being labeled as deviating from their cultural norms.

This phenomenon can be understood through the lens of popular culture theory. With the advancement of communication technology, the cultural values we know are shifting. Popular or mass culture, as described by Dwight MacDonald, is seen as a dynamic force that evolves outside traditional cultural systems.

The presence of Muslim youth at music festivals, including the distinctive Nurul generation, highlights how cultural dynamics are shifting in the digital age. Their active participation in these events, blending traditional values with contemporary expressions, underscores the evolving nature of youth culture today.

The intersection of TikTok and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) has significantly influenced how popular culture, particularly K-pop, is embraced by groups like The Nuruls. TikTok’s fast-paced, highly personalized content algorithm plays a crucial role in this transformation.

TikTok’s ability to quickly adapt and tailor content to individual interests makes it a powerful tool for shaping cultural trends. The platform’s algorithm ensures that users are constantly exposed to content that aligns with their preferences, creating a highly engaging and immersive experience.

For young people, including The Nuruls, this means that their feeds are filled with K-pop performances, fashion, and trends that they are likely to find intriguing and relatable.

The constant exposure to K-pop content on TikTok makes it more accessible and appealing. This ongoing engagement with K-pop culture influences young people’s behaviors and preferences, leading them to adopt aspects of this culture in their own lives.

The Nuruls, for example, are increasingly seen participating in K-pop dance trends, incorporating Korean fashion into their wardrobes, and sharing their experiences on social media.

The era of FOMO further amplifies this effect. Young people are driven by the desire to be part of the latest trends and experiences.

As K-pop becomes a significant trend on TikTok, The Nuruls and others feel compelled to engage with it to avoid missing out. This includes dancing to K-pop songs, attending related events, and showcasing their involvement on social media.

TikTok’s rapid content turnover and personalization, combined with the pervasive influence of FOMO, have made popular culture phenomena like K-pop more accessible and impactful.

This dynamic is reshaping the behaviors and interests of young people, including The Nuruls, who eagerly embrace these trends as part of their cultural identity.

Praying is fundamental and cannot be changed by popular culture among Muslim youth

Recently, a video from Twitter went viral about a young person who didn’t want to attend a music festival because they didn’t know how to handle their prayer obligations at the event.

They were concerned about where to pray and whether a prayer room would be available. At the WTF event, the organizers provided a prayer room.

Prayer remains very important for young Muslims, even as other values are influenced by and adapted to popular culture. For example, some young women in hijabs confidently dance to K-pop music. However, prayer is a fundamental practice that remains unchanged.

Amid the excitement of the music concert, when evening approaches and it’s time for Maghrib prayer, the concert takes a pause. No bands or musicians performed on any of the three stages provided by WTF during this time. Many young Muslims take this opportunity to pray in the prayer room provided.

In the context of the increasing mental health issues among young people and the rising trend of mindfulness meditation, many have come to realize that prayer can also serve as a form of spiritual therapy to combat anxiety and other mental health challenges. Post-hijrah Muslim youth are deepening their practice of prayer as a means of self-reflection and internalization.

Increasing the number of prayer rooms or making them more accessible could be a great idea for music festivals to be more accommodating to young Muslim attendees.

The New Wave: Welcoming Post-Hijrah Trends

The emergence of “The Nuruls” has prompted me to reflect on a significant shift from the traditional hijrah movement to what I now see as a post-hijrah phase.

The hijrah movement, which gained prominence on social media in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, was largely about young Muslims striving to live more in accordance with Islamic teachings.

I personally became involved in this movement in 2016 while studying in Jakarta, observing many of my peers transform their appearance and lifestyle to align with their faith. This transformation often included abandoning previous interests, such as music, in favor of more religiously aligned activities.

However, post-hijrah represents a change from the previous, more rigid standards of the hijra movement. Unlike the hijra era, when I proudly and happily followed the hijra era of the past, certain dress codes and lifestyle changes were heavily emphasized, and this made us happy. Although different and distant from others, we were proud. Post-hijrah is characterized by a more flexible approach to faith and modern life. Post-hijrah, on the other hand, wants to stay in the popular culture.

This shift became especially evident after the pandemic, which halted many offline religious gatherings and led young people to seek new ways to engage with their faith, primarily through social media platforms like TikTok.

In this new context, attending music festivals or concerts is no longer seen as contradictory to one’s faith. For instance, The Nuruls and others like them have demonstrated that participating in such events does not preclude them from expressing their religious beliefs.

An example is Nadin Amizah’s performance at a festival where she advocated for “Free Palestine“, showing that one can be both culturally engaged and committed to their faith.

Post-hijrah is not about isolating oneself from popular culture or merely using it as a means for religious outreach. Instead, it reflects a more fluid and adaptable approach to integrating faith with contemporary cultural trends.

This is particularly evident in the Gen Z cohort, which differs significantly from millennials in its more flexible, open-minded approach to balancing religious practices with modern cultural expressions.

In essence, post-hijrah represents a nuanced evolution in how young Muslims navigate their faith and identity in a rapidly changing world. It highlights a departure from rigid traditionalism toward a more integrated and adaptive approach to living one’s faith alongside contemporary cultural phenomena.