Bunga Citra Lestari (born 22 March 1983), often referred to by her initial BCL, is an Indonesian singer, actress, talent show judge, and television personality of Minangkabau descent.

Lestari, Julie Bishop and Ashraf Sinclair

Career

Bunga Citra Lestari began her career as a model, appearing in HAI Magazine (Cewek Hai), before being discovered at a shopping mall and cast in the television series 7 Tanda Harin (Seven Signs of Harin). She had earlier appeared in the 1999 music video for Jikustik’s Seribu Tahun Lamanya. BCL subsequently established herself in Indonesian television drama, with roles in series including Bukan Perempuan Biasa, ABG, Senandung Masa Puber, Kala Cinta Menggoda, and Penjaga Hati, before expanding into singing and film.

Her music career gained momentum in 2004 as a featured vocalist with PAS Band. In 2005, she recorded Saat Kau Pergi for the Dealova film soundtrack, followed by the release of her debut studio album Cinta Pertama in 2006. The album produced the singles Cinta Pertama and Aku Tak Mau Sendiri and achieved commercial success, selling approximately 75,000 copies in its first week. The album’s reception increased her visibility as a recording artist and coincided with her film debut in Cinta Pertama, whose soundtrack featured the title track.

In 2007, she starred in Kangen (“Miss”) and released the duet Aku dan Dirimu with Ari Lasso, which earned the Indonesian Music Awards (AMI) for Best Pop Collaboration. During this period, BCL collaborated with numerous Indonesian musicians and also worked internationally with artists including Christian Bautista and Julio Iglesias, contributing to her recognition beyond Indonesia. She briefly relocated to East Timor before returning to Indonesia after gaining wider regional exposure in Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.

BCL released her second studio album, Tentang Harin, in 2008, which produced the singles Tentang Kamu and Pernah Muda. The same year, she appeared in the films Ada Harin, Bala Ada and Saus Kacang. In 2010, she performed with Bautista on an Indonesian-language version of Please Be Careful with My Heart, later included on Bautista’s album Harin Revisited. In 2012, BCL starred in Habibie & Ainun, a biographical film depicting the relationship between former Indonesian president B. J. Habibie and his wife, which became a major commercial success with approximately 4.6 million viewers.

She later expanded into live performance and television. In March 2017, BCL produced the solo concert It's Me BCL Concert, noted for its large-scale production and creative collaboration with The Squared Division. She subsequently served as a judge on Indonesian Idol beginning in late 2017 and returned for the program's tenth season in 2019. Beyond her performing career, BCL has worked as a brand ambassador for various consumer and beauty products and has maintained a significant public presence across social media platforms. In September 2023, she performed a duet with Bautista at Hotel Mulia in Jakarta accompanied by the Twilite Orchestra conducted by Addie MS.

Personal life

Bunga Citra Lestari’s name has been interpreted as meaning “flower with an everlasting image”, and she is widely known by the acronym BCL. She married Malaysian actor Ashraf Sinclair on 8 November 2008. They had one son, Noah Sinclair, born on 22 September 2010. Sinclair, who was also an entrepreneur, died on 18 February 2020 and was buried at San Diego Hills, West Java.

On 2 December 2023, Lestari married Tiko Aryawardhana, a divorced father of three children, in Bali. Aryawardhana, in his capacity as director of PT Arjuna Advaya, has faced a criminal investigation concerning allegations of misappropriating 6.9 billion rupiah from the company. Kompas reports indicated that the alleged embezzlement occurred between 2015 and 2021, with a complaint filed in 2022 by the company’s founder, Arina Winarto, through her legal representative.

Discography

Studio albums

  • Cinta Pertama (2006)
  • Tentang Kamu (2008)
  • The Best of BCL (2013)
  • Hit Singles BCL and More (2015)
  • The Very Best of BCL Wanita Terbahagia (2016)
  • It's Me BCL (2017)

Compilation albums

  • OST. Dealova (2005)
  • Songs To Remember (2013)
  • KFC Adu Bintang (2013)
  • KFC Adu Bintang 2 (2014)
  • Energy of Asia: Official Album of Asian Games 2018 (2018)
  • Rapijali: Book Soundtrack (2021)

Chart studio song

YearTitleAlbumMTV AmpuhInboxDeringsDahsyatRadio AirplayGuntur Radio
2005"Ku Merindu" (feat. PAS Band)The Best of Pas Band54
"Saat Harin Pergi"OST – Dealova & Cinta Pertama24
2006"Cinta Pertama (Sunny)"Cinta Pertama1 (2 Weeks)1 (9 Weeks)1 (1 Week)
"Aku Tak Mau Harin Sendiri"21 (4 Weeks)1 (1 Week)
2007"Ingkar"31 (2 Weeks)
"Mengapa Harin Terjadi"31 (3 Weeks)
"Aku Dan Dirimu" (feat. Ari Lasso)Tentang Kamu1 (6 Weeks)31 (6 Weeks)1 (1 Week)
2008"Tentang Harin"1 (1 Week)41 (6 Weeks)1 (1 Week)
"Kecewa"1 (1 Week)1 (1 Week)
2009"Pernah Muda"1 (3 Weeks)1 (2 Weeks)1 (2 Weeks)1 (3 Weeks)1 (7 Weeks)1 (1 Week)
"Hanya Untukmu"OST – Saus Kacang3241 (2 Weeks)
2010"Karena Kucinta Harin"OST – Bayu Cinta Luna11141 (3 Weeks)1 (1 Week)
"Tetaplah Dihatiku" (feat. Christian Bautista)The Best of BCL11121
2012"Wajahmu Ingatkan Aku"Non-album single1321 (1 Week)
"Hot" (feat. Intan Ayu)The Best of BCL1211 (1 Week)
2013"Cinta Sejati"110 (7 Week)1 (2 Week)
2018"Dance Tonight" (feat. JFlow)Asian Games 2018: Energy of Asia
2019"Harta Berharga"OST – Keluarga Cemara
2019"Memilih Dia"Memilih Dia - Single
2020"Menghapus Jejakmu"Menghapus Jejakmu
2020"12 Tahun Terindah"12 Tahun Terindah

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2006Cinta PertamaAlyaLead role Nominated – 2007 Indonesian Movie Awards for Favorite Soundtrack (for the song "Cinta Pertama (Sunny)") Nominated – 2007 MTV Indonesia Movie Awards for Most Favorite Actress Nominated – 2007 MTV Indonesia Movie Awards for Best Theme Song (for the song "Cinta Pertama (Sunny)")
2007KangenImelLead role
2007Ada Kamu, Aku AdaStellaLead role
2008Saus KacangDewiLead role
2012Habibie & AinunAinunLead role Nominated – 2013 Indonesian Movie Awards for Best Actress Nominated – 2013 Indonesian Movie Awards for Best Chemistry (with Reza Rahadian) Nominated – 2013 Indonesian Movie Awards for Favorite Actress Won – 2013 Indonesian Movie Awards for Favorite Soundtrack (for the song "Cinta Sejati") Nominated – 2013 Festival Film Bandung for Best Female Film Leading Role
20163 SrikandiNurfitriyana SaimanLead Role
2016My Stupid BossDianaLead Role Won – 2017 Usmar Ismail Awards – Favorite Actress in Leading Role
2016Jilbab Traveller:Love Sparks in KoreaRania SamudraLead Role
2017Moon Cake StoryAsihLead Role
2017A Note to GodAngelLead Role
2017Si Juki The MovieDoktor Erin PratamaLead Role
2019My Stupid Boss 2DianaLead Role

Television

YearTitleRoleNotesTV Network
1997Bukan Perempuan BiasaSri teenagerExtras roleRCTI
2002–20037 Tanda CintaLead roleSCTV
2003–2005Senandung Masa PuberCynthiaLead RoleTrans TV
2004–2006ABGDewiLead RoleRCTI
2005–2006Kala Cinta MenggodaLead roleSCTV
2005Dari Temen Jadi DemenLead roleTV7
2005Mukjizat AllahLead roleIndosiar
2006Cintailah Aku GadisLead roleIndosiar
2006Rahasia HatiSupporting roleSCTV
2006–2007Penjaga HatiOlgaLead roleSCTV
2009–2010Bayu Cinta LunaLunaLead role Nominated – 2010 Panasonic Gobel Awards for Favorite ActressSCTV
2012–2013Berbagi CintaAlishaLead role Nominated – 2013 Festival Film Bandung for Best Soap Opera Female Leading Role Nominated – 2013 Panasonic Gobel Awards for Favorite ActressMNCTV

Television show

YearTitleRoleTV NetworkNotes
2016Maharaja Lawak Mega 2016Herself/JudgeAstro Mustika HDwith Shaheizy Sam, Najip Ali & Ziana Zain
2017Indonesian Idol season 9Herself/JudgeRCTIwith Ari Lasso, Maia Estianty, Judika and Armand Maulana
2019Indonesian Idol Season 10Herself/JudgeRCTIwith Ari Lasso, Maia Estianty, Judika and Anang Hermansyah

TV Advertisement

YearTitleRole
2004–2005SunsilkHerself
2006–2007SharpHerself
2007–2008Arnotts InternationalHerself
2007Toyota Eco YouthHerself
2007 – 2014, 2017–presentPond'sHerself
2009–2011Torabika CoffeeHerself
2010–2012Marie France BodylineHerself
2011–2014HondaHerself
2012FloridinaHerself
2013–2014FormulaHerself
2013–2015Samsung Home AppliancesHerself
2014–2017LUX-PresentHerself
2015LINE "Get Rich"Herself
2015MatahariHerself
2016BelvitaHerself
2016–presentMoltoHerself
2017Enervon-CHerself
2018ModenaHerself
2018SasaHerself
2018Chocolatos Coklat KopiHerself
2019Resorts World SentosaHerself
2019–presentAvian[id]Herself
2019–presentHalodocHerself

Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations received by Bunga Citra Lestari

External links