Tobing was a gospel singer when she signed up for the first season of Indonesian Idol, leading to some criticism since she was not considered an amateur. She was expected to represent Indonesia in the Asian Idol and World Idol competitions, but disagreement arose with the idol show management, Indomugi Pratama, and her recording company, BMG Indonesia, insisting that as an artist she should not only have obligations but also have rights. During a press conference in November 2004, the team of Indomugi Pratama, BMG Indonesia, RCTI, and FremantleMedia, who hold the license of the Indonesian Idol program, claimed they were not sending Tobing to any Asian or World Idol because of this. They considered her disobedience as her failure to behave as a good idol. In March 2005, Tobing terminated her contract with BMG Indonesia which, in September 2004, released her Idol album Terima Kasih. At her press conference, Tobing and her lawyer stated that the reason she had long been treated unfairly, BMG Indonesia had never informed her about the selling of the album and did not give her any royalties.
Before joining the Indonesian Idol competition, Tobing had released several records, mostly Christian songs and songs in her family's dialect, Batak. According to Tobing's father, BMG Indonesia had been informed about this during the parents' interview with BMG when she advanced to the finals. It became big news when Octopus Record published her old record, The Song Of Joy, around the same time as the release of Terima Kasih, her Idol album, and during her dispute with Indomugi Pratama and BMG Indonesia. The Song of Joy was recorded from 1998 to 1999, but had not been released until September 2004. According to Octopus Record, they had asked permission from BMG to release Tobing's old records. They also offered to buy the recording master from BMG so there would be no competition, but BMG refused. The incidents between some finalists and the show management, Indomugi Pratama, had actually occurred previously. One of the Top 4, Helena Andrian, canceled her contract and had to withdraw from the competition shortly before the grand final, causing her to be hastily expelled in the middle of the night from the apartment provided for the finalists. According to Adrian, around 2–3 weeks before the grand final, the finalists were suddenly asked to sign a new contract with a new show management, Indomugi Pratama, with little time to consult or think about the contents, and little information was provided regarding their future management program. Among the clauses with which she disagreed were that all finalists were bound to Indomugi Pratama until three months after the grand final, when Indomugi Pratama would then decide who would stay with them for the following three years. Afterwards, Indomugi Pratama would still continue to receive royalties for a total of 15 years.
