“Shape of You”, the 2017 hit track by British singer Ed Sheehan was one of a selection of songs that have been banned from daytime airplay on Indonesian radio for being too “pornographic.”
Rahmat Arifin, the deputy chair of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission’s West Java branch, said the songs themselves are not banned but the lyrics of such songs that contain pornography, association with pornography or obscenity are subject to bans.
The Commission announced earlier that a list of 17 Western and Western-influenced songs are too explicit to play any hours outside of the late night broadcasting time slot — between 10pm and 3am.
The move follows the proposal of a new law which aims to restrict pornographic content, as well as negative foreign influences in music. Indonesia musicians have strongly criticized the bill that was drafted.
Songs that were included in the list include Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” Bruno Mars’ “Versace on the Floor,” and Zayn’s “Dusk Till Dawn.”
Meanwhile, Ed Sheehan is set to have a show in the Indonesian capital this coming May.