Chrisye

Chrisye

Born in Jakarta of mixed Chinese-Indonesian descent, Chrisye became interested in music at an early age. At high school he played bass guitar in a band he formed with his brother, Joris. In the late 1960s he joined Sabda Nada, a band led by his neighbours, the Nasutions. In 1973, after a short hiatus, he rejoined the band to play in New York for a year. He briefly returned to Indonesia and then went back to New York with another band, the Pro's. After once again returning to Indonesia, he collaborated with Gipsy and Guruh Sukarnoputra to record the 1976 indie album Guruh Gipsy.
Following the success of Guruh Gipsy, in 1977 Chrisye recorded two of his most critically acclaimed works: "Lilin-Lilin Kecil" by James F. Sundah, which eventually became his signature song, and the soundtrack album Badai Pasti Berlalu. Their success landed him a recording contract with Musica Studios, with whom he released his 1st solo album, Sabda Alam, in 1978. Over his almost 25-year career with Musica he recorded a further eighteen albums, and in 1980 acted in a film, Seindah Rembulan. Chrisye died in his Jakarta home on 30 March 2007 after a long battle with lung cancer.
Known for his stiff stage persona and smooth vocals, Chrisye was critically acclaimed in Indonesia. Five albums to which he contributed were included in Rolling Stone Indonesia's list of the 150 Best Indonesian Albums of All Time; another four of his songs were classified as some of the best Indonesian songs of all time in a later issue of the same magazine. Several of his albums received certification of silver or gold. He received two lifetime achievement awards, one in 1993 from the BASF Awards and another posthumously in 2007 from Indonesian television station SCTV.
Chrisye was born Christian Rahardi in Jakarta on 16 September 1949 to Laurens Rahadi, a Chinese-Betawi entrepreneur, and Hanna Rahadi, a Chinese-Sundanese housewife. He was the 2nd of three sons born to the couple; his brothers were Joris and Vicky. The family lived on Talang Street near Menteng, Central Jakarta, until 1954, when they moved to Pegangsaan Street.
While attending GIKI Elementary School, Chrisye befriended the neighbouring Nasution family; he became especially close to Bamid Gauri, with whom he played badminton and flew kites. He also began listening to his father's record collection, singing along to songs by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Dean Martin. After graduating from elementary school, Chrisye attended Christian Middle School III Diponegoro.
In the mid-1960s, the Nasution siblings formed a band; Chrisye and Joris watched them play songs by Uriah Heep and Blood, Sweat & Tears. In 1968 Chrisye registered at the Christian University of Indonesia to fulfill his father's wish that he become an engineer. Around 1969, however, Gauri invited him to join the Nasutions' band, Sabda Nada, as a replacement for their bassist Eddi Odek who was ill. Pleased with his performance, the Nasutions asked him to stay as a permanent member. The group had a regular gig at Mini Disko on Juanda Street and freelanced at birthday and wedding parties. When Chrisye had a chance to sing while performing covers, he attempted to sound as much like the original artist as he could.
The group was renamed Gipsy in 1969, which they considered more macho and Western-sounding. The schedule for the band, which had no manager, became increasingly busy, since they had begun giving regular performances at Ismail Marzuki Park. As a result, Chrisye decided to drop out of UKI; in 1970 he transferred to Trisakti Tourism Academy, where he considered the study schedule to be more flexible.
In 1972 Pontjo Nasution offered Chrisye the opportunity to play in New York. Although ecstatic, Chrisye was afraid of telling his father, who he thought would disapprove of the idea. He eventually fell ill for several months, during which time the rest of the band left for New York. After Chrisye discussed his fears with Joris and his mother, his father agreed that he could drop out of college to join Gipsy. After his health improved, in mid-1973, he left with Pontjo to meet Gipsy in New York. That same year he dropped out of Trisakti.
While in New York, Gipsy performed at the Ramayana Restaurant, which was owned by the Indonesian gas company Pertamina. The band, housed in an apartment on Fifth Avenue, performed in New York for almost a year, providing Indonesian-themed music and covering songs by Procol Harum, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Genesis and Blood, Sweat & Tears. Although Chrisye became upset that he could not fully express himself through covers, he continued to work.
In late 1976 Chrisye was approached by songwriter Jockie Soerjoprajogo and Imran Amir, head of Prambors Radio, who asked him to provide the vocals for the Prambors Radio Teenage Songwriting Competition; Chrisye refused, as he didn't want to sing an Indonesian pop song. Several days later Sys NS, an employee of Prambors, approached Chrisye while he was meeting with Guruh and Eros Djarot. Sys emphasised that Prambors needed Chrisye for "Lilin-Lilin Kecil", composed by James F. Sundah. After hearing the lyrics, Chrisye agreed. The song was recorded in Irama Mas Studio in Pluit, North Jakarta, and included on an album with the other contest winners. Originally the ninth track, "Lilin-Lilin Kecil" was placed in the lead position to increase the album's marketability after the original format sold poorly. The song then took off, receiving much airplay; the album was the best-selling of the year.
The following year Chrisye recorded Percik Pesona with Jockie. Produced after Amin's death, the album featured songs written by Chrisye's close friend Junaidi Salat, as well as Jockie and Guruh. The album's title was chosen by vote; the titular song wasn't released as a single. Percik Pesona, released in August 1979, was a critical and commercial failure. After discussing the issue with other artists, Chrisye blamed the album's failure on its similarity to Badai Pasti Berlalu. As a result, following a period of contemplation, he began branching out into different genres. That same year he was on the panel of the Prambors Teenage Songwriting Competition, held on 5 May.
After deciding that romantic pop songs influenced by easy listening would suit him best, Chrisye began recording his next album, Puspa Indah. All but one of the songs were composed by Guruh Sukarnoputra; the album also featured the English-language "To My Friends on Legian Beach". Two of the songs, "Galih dan Ratna" ("Galih and Ratna") and "Gita Cinta" ("Love Song"), were used in the 1979 film Gita Cinta dari SMA (Love Song from High School); Chrisye played a minor part in the film's sequel, Puspa Indah Taman Hati (Beautiful Flower in the Heart's Garden), as a singer. Due in part to the popularity of the film, Puspa Indah was well received and sold well; "Galih dan Ratna" and "Gita Cinta", released as singles, were also commercially successful.
In 1980 Chrisye appeared in the Indonesian film Seindah Rembulan ; at 1st reluctant to accept the role, he was convinced by Sys NS that it would be fun. He later regretted the decision, considering the film crew unprofessional and often fighting with director Syamsul Fuad. The following year, he released Pantulan Cita (Reflection of Dreams), a collaboration with Jockie. After the album flopped, Chrisye took a long sabbatical.
Although popular with groupies, Chrisye had rarely dated. But in early 1981 he began courting Guruh Sukarnoputra's secretary, Gusti Firoza Damayanti Noor. Yanti, of mixed Dayak and Minang ancestry, was a former singer and came from a musically inclined family; she would often discuss music with Chrisye while he waited for Guruh, and he would also see her when visiting her brother Raidy, one of his friends. When she moved to Bali to work at a five-star hotel there for several weeks, Chrisye followed her and told her that he would marry her when she returned to Jakarta; although this wasn't a formal proposal, Yanti accepted. In 1982 Chrisye converted to Islam, as Islam does not permit interfaith marriages between Muslim women and non-Muslim men, and changed his name to Chrismansyah Rahadi; Chrisye at the time had been growing increasingly discontent and disillusioned with Christianity. On 12 December 1982 he married Yanti in a Padang-style wedding.
Driven by his poor financial position and invigorated by Djarot's return from Germany, Chrisye began work on his next album with Djarot and Jockie in early 1983. Aciu Widjaja, the new manager of Musica, speculated that they required a new sound; as such, Chrisye, Djarot, and Jockie mixed art rock with Chrisye's standard romantic pop and drew influences from The Police. The resulting album, Resesi, was released in 1983. The album was well received, selling 350,000 copies and being certified silver; the singles "Lenny", "Hening" ("Silent"), and "Malam Pertama" ("Wedding Night") received much airplay.
After Resesi, Chrisye collaborated with Djarot and Jockie on the 1983 album Metropolitan. The album, drawing on New Wave influences and dealing mainly with issues facing youth, was well received, later going silver; the single "Selamat Jalan Kekasih" also became a hit. That year, Chrisye and Yanti had their 1st daughter, Rizkia Nurannisa. The following year, Chrisye, Djarot, and Jockie collaborated again on Nona (Miss), which featured social criticism; the album spawned four singles and went on to be certified platinum. Despite Nona's warm sales, after some influence from Aciu, Chrisye decided to look for a new sound and broke off his partnership with Djarot and Jockie in mid-1984.
Chrisye approached Addie MS, a young composer, and asked him to help with the next album. Addie, despite feeling that he wasn't in the same class as Djarot and Jockie, accepted, and suggested using similar melodies as in "Lilin-Lilin Kecil" and Badai Pasti Berlalu. The resulting album, Sendiri, with songs by Guruh and Junaidi Salat, included harps, oboes, cor anglais, and a string section. Spawning three singles, the album sold well and earned Chrisye his 1st BASF Award.
Despite the success of the trilogy, Chrisye and his family continued to struggle financially; twice they had to sell their family car to raise cash. This led Chrisye to briefly consider quitting the music industry. In 1988 Chrisye recorded Jumpa Pertama, and the following year he released Pergilah Kasih (Go Away Dear). He later recalled that the album, with an arrangement by Younky Suwarno, had a "beautiful touch".[c] The title song, "Pergilah Kasih", was written by Tito Sumarsono and used to make Chrisye's 1st music video; the video, directed by Jay Subyakto, was the 1st Indonesian song to be shown on MTV Southeast Asia.
On 27 February of the following year, Chrisye and Yanti had twin sons, Randa Pramasha and Rayinda Prashatya. In 1992 Chrisye recorded a cover single of Koes Plus' song "Cintamu T'lah Berlalu" with arrangement by Younky; the music video was again broadcast on MTV Southeast Asia and became the 1st Indonesian music video to be broadcast on the American version of MTV. The following year, Chrisye paired up with Younky again to record Sendiri Lagi (Alone Again), a project which required four months of planning and another four months of recording; the music video for the title song was also circulated on MTV South-East Asia.
Although Sendiri Lagi did fairly well, in the beginning of the 1990s Chrisye began to feel pressure from the increasingly visual-oriented music industry and growing amount of young talent. He again began considering leaving the music industry, feeling as if he had already "reached the finish line".[d] Despite reassurances from Yanti that many singers continue to perform into their sixties, Chrisye observed that increasing numbers of established acts were being pushed aside by newcomers. While in this state of despair, Chrisye was approached by Jay Subyakto and Gauri Nasution, who offered him a solo concert at the Plenary Hall of the Jakarta Convention Centre, which had never before hosted a solo concert by an Indonesian artist. Unconvinced he had sufficient fans to fill the hall, Chrisye initially refused.
Gauri tried for several weeks to persuade Chrisye to commit to the concert, and following Chrisye's introduction to Erwin Gutawa, who was scheduled to handle the arrangements, Jay Subyakto succeeded in convincing him that it might be the last chance to revive his career. Lacking the necessary funding, they approached RCTI in search of sponsorship but were refused, and laughingly told that they should try holding a concert at the National Monument. Undeterred, Chrisye, Subaktyo, and Gutawa put together a group of artists and began rehearsals. Around the time of RCTI's 4th anniversary, the television station relented and agreed to fund the concert as part of their celebrations; the thousands of tickets available sold out within a week.
Following the success of his Sendiri tour, Chrisye began to explore the possibility of producing an album of his early hits, remastered by Gutawa. On the condition that they use an Australian orchestra to provide backing music, Gutawa agreed to an acoustic-flavoured album. Aciu also agreed, despite the expected cost of Rp 600 million. After basic recording in Jakarta, Chrisye, Gutawa, and sound engineer Dany Lisapali spent two weeks in Studio 301 in Sydney finishing off the album. The Philip Hartl Chamber Orchestra provided the music; the mixing and mastering was also completed in Sydney. AkustiChrisye was released in 1996 and sold well.
After AkustiChrisye, Gutawa suggested that Chrisye try a new style, with more serious songs. The two soon began collaborating on Kala Cinta Menggoda, again using an Australian orchestra. Chrisye, however, found himself unable to record one of the songs, "Ketika Tangan dan Kaki Berkata", written by poet Taufiq Ismail and based on verse 65 of the Qu'ranic sura Ya Sin; he would break into tears after singing only a couple of verses. Eventually, the day before he was to leave for Australia, he completed the song with Yanti's support. On 11 October Chrisye performed "Indonesia Perkasa" ("Powerful Indonesia") at the opening ceremony of the 1997 Southeast Asian Games; the song was written for the event. The following month he released Kala Cinta Menggoda. The music video for the titular song, directed by Dimas Djayadiningrat, won the MTV Video Music Award for South-East Asia on 10 September 1998; Chrisye went to Los Angeles to accept the award at the Universal Amphitheatre.
Chrisye then began work on his last studio album, Senyawa. In collaboration with other Indonesian artists including Project Pop, Ungu, and Peterpan, he also produced the album, replacing Gutawa. The song "Bur-Kat" ("Say It Quickly"), with Project Pop, marked his 1st attempt at rap. Released in November 2004, the album was well received by the market, but Sony Music Entertainment Indonesia complained that the names of their artists were featured on the cover. As a result the album was withdrawn, and re-released without the offending names.

Related Sites for Chrisye

• Chrisye - Wikipedia bahasa Indonesia, ensiklopedia bebas read Chrisye
• Gudanglagu.com - Index of Free Download MP3 Chrisye Album … read Chrisye