he bio (chrisye)

Chrismansyah Rahadi (xrisˈmanʃah raˈhadi; 16 September 1949 – 30 March 2007), born Christian Rahadi but better known by his stage name of Chrisye (xəˈriʃə), was an Indonesian progressive-pop singer and songwriter. In his 40-year career he won many awards and accolades; in 2011 Rolling Stone Indonesia declared him the third-greatest Indonesian musician of all time.

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 (later Gipsy), 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 first 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 (and a fifth to which he contributed) 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.

Early life

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 second 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 (also in Menteng).

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.

Beatlemania reached Indonesia while Chrisye was in Senior High School PSKD Menteng, and increased his interest in music. Responding to Chrisye's desire to play an instrument, his father bought him a guitar; Chrisye chose the bass guitar, as he considered it the easiest to master. As they could not read music, Chrisye and Joris learned to play by accompanying their father's records and songs recorded from the radio. In time they began playing at school events, with vocals by Chrisye. During this period he began smoking in school; when caught, he was punished by being forced to smoke eight cigarettes at once, in front of the assembled pupils. However, this failed to cure his habit and he eventually became a chain smoker.

Marriage and changing styles

Although popular with groupies, Chrisye had rarely dated. But in early 1981 he began courting Guruh Sukarnoputra's secretary, Gusti Firoza Damayanti Noor (Yanti). 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 was not 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 (Recession), 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" ("Goodbye Dear") also became a hit. That year, Chrisye and Yanti had their first 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 was not 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 (Alone), 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 first BASF Award.

In late 1984 Chrisye approached another young composer, Adjie Soetama, to help him prepare his next album. Light beats and cheerful melodies were in vogue at the time; therefore the two used a lighter style. Recording for the new album, titled Aku Cinta Dia (I Love Her), began in 1985, with additional songs from Guruh and Dadang S. Manaf. The titular song was chosen after Aciu heard a jam session led by Adjie and immediately decided that it would be the lead single. The album called for more emoting, which Chrisye – known as having a stiff stage persona – struggled to deliver, though Yanti prepared colourful costumes and Alex Hasyim trained him in choreography. Upon its release, Aku Cinta Dia sold hundreds of thousands of copies in the first week and was eventually certified gold. That same year, Chrisye and Adji Soetama released Hip Hip Hura (Hip Hip Hurray!), and another collaboration, Nona Lisa (Miss Lisa), was released in 1986; the later two albums had similar beats and rhythms and sold well, although not as well as Aku Cinta Dia. On 2 March 1986 Chrisye and Yanti had their second daughter, Risty Nurraisa.

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 (First Meeting), 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". The title song, "Pergilah Kasih", was written by Tito Sumarsono and used to make Chrisye's first music video; the video, directed by Jay Subyakto, was the first 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" ("Your Love has Passed") with arrangement by Younky; the music video was again broadcast on MTV Southeast Asia and became the first 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.

Personal life

Aciu Widjaja, now President-Director of Air Asia, described Chrisye as a simple man and said that one time, when he, Chrisye, and several others had gone overseas Chrisye was the only one who did not look for brand-name clothing or world-class restaurants; instead he ate at a food court and bought what he felt was comfortable. In his biography, Chrisye noted that he enjoyed eating at roadside foodstalls well after his marriage and would be perplexed when people stared at him. Guruh recalled that Chrisye would sleep anywhere during extended planning sessions, including under the piano.

After his marriage to Yanti, she ended her singing career to become a housewife. When the couple had children, Chrisye often had little time to spend with them as he was busy performing or recording; however, he attempted to spend as much time with them as possible. In a 1992 interview, he said that his children did not want to follow in their parents' footsteps and become singers because they had seen the stresses it put on the family.

Honours and awards

Chrisye received numerous awards during his career. In 1979 he was selected as the Favourite Singer of the Indonesian Armed Forces. His albums Sabda Alam and Aku Cinta Dia were certified gold, and the albums Hip Hip Hura, Resesi, Metropolitan, and Sendiri were certified silver.

Chrisye received three BASF Awards, sponsored by the BASF cassette production company, for best-selling albums; his first was in 1984 for Sendiri, followed by one in 1988 for Jumpa Pertama and one in 1989 for Pergilah Kasih. He received the BASF Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994 for his contributions to Indonesian music; the same year he received the BASF Award for Best Recording Artist. In 1997 he received an Anugerah Musik Indonesia for Best Male Pop Singer. The following year Kala Cinta Menggoda won nine AMIs, including Best Album; Chrisye himself received awards for Best Male Pop Singer, Best Recording Singer, and Best Graphic Designer (shared with Gauri). In 2007 he posthumously received the first SCTV Lifetime Achievement Award, which was accepted by his daughter Risty.

Illness and death (2005–2007)

In July 2005 Chrisye was admitted to Pondok Indah Hospital, complaining of breathing difficulties. After 13 days of treatment he was moved to the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore, where he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Although concerned about losing his hair, which he considered part of his image, he underwent the first of six rounds of chemotherapy on 2 August 2005.

Chrisye's health improved in 2006 and in May and November he undertook long interview sessions with his biographer Alberthiene Endah. He also released two compilation albums, Chrisye by Request and Chrisye Duets; however, he reportedly did not feel well enough to release new songs. By February 2007 his health was again in decline.

Chrisye died on 30 March 2007 at his home in Cipete, South Jakarta. He was buried in Jeruk Purut Public Cemetery, South Jakarta. His funeral was attended by hundreds, including Indonesian celebrities such as his collaborator Erwin Gutawa and singers Titiek Puspa, Ahmad Albar, Sophia Latjuba, and Ikang Fawzi.

One hundred days after Chrisye's death Musica released two compilation albums. Entitled Chrisye in Memoriam – Greatest Hits and Chrisye in Memoriam – Everlasting Hits, they contained fourteen hits from albums ranging from Sabda Alam to Senyawa. On 1 August 2008 Chrisye's last single "Lirih" ("Gentle Voice"), written by Aryono Huboyo Djati, was released. The song's existence had been kept secret, and the recording date is unknown; Djati has said that it was recorded "for fun". A music video directed by Vicky Sianipar and featuring Ariel Peterpan, Giring from Nidji, and Chrisye's widow was released later.

from various sources