Diva Titi DJ wows, wows crowd with theatrical concert<\/p>\n
Tari Danawidjaja, Contributor\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
When Titi Dwijayanti, aka Titi DJ, was 17, she had no experience
\nin modeling or in beauty pageants. But amazingly, she took off to
\nLondon for the Miss World 1983 Contest and gave herself a shot,
\neven if she came back almost empty-handed -- she returned with a
\nboost in confidence.<\/p>\n
Later, when a record company offered to record an album, she
\ngrabbed that chance too and released Imajinasi. Her musical
\ntalent seems to have grown, especially after her album Bahasa
\nKalbu won several awards in 1999.<\/p>\n
After 10 years in the industry and earning a place among the
\ntop female singers in the country, Titi DJ finally had a chance
\nto give fans her first solo concert, Sang Dewi, which was held at
\nthe Plenary Hall of the Jakarta Convention Center on Friday
\nevening.<\/p>\n
The concept of holding a solo concert had been on her mind for
\nsome time, but the singer could only keep the idea to herself
\nbecause of a lack of sponsors.<\/p>\n
\"I've been waiting for this for 10 years, and finally it came
\ntrue. Thank you for being here,\" she told the audience after her
\nopening number.<\/p>\n
Sang Dewi is an amazing show, mixing a music concert and
\ntheater in a beautiful arrangement.<\/p>\n
In addition to her glamorous red gown and feathered headdress,
\nvisual art displayed on seven large screens bring the split-level
\nminimalist stage to life. Just before the end of her second song,
\na dancer gives Titi DJ a Polaroid camera, with which she acts as
\nif she's a photographer, snapping photos here and there, then
\nthrowing them out to the roaring audience.<\/p>\n
During an old hit, Keresahanku, arranged with a touch of
\nreggae, an L-shaped fluffy brown sofa appears on centerstage, and
\nTiti DJ and her dancers dance around the sofa in a flirtatious
\nmime.<\/p>\n
\"I'm not a festival singer and I'm not like other singers who
\nhave great voice, win a lot of awards. But my style keeps me in
\nthe business,\" she said jokingly as the crowd cheered and broke
\ninto applause.<\/p>\n
Her experience on the stage is clearly evident, as she belts
\nout each number in an unfaltering voice, hitting high notes
\nwithout hesitation.<\/p>\n
She calls Andi Rianto -- the young talented musician who
\ncollaborated with her on the Bahasa Kalbu album -- to the stage,
\nand as soon as Andi leads the intro, the audience joins in,
\nsinging along to the duet, Titi DJ delivering a perfect rendition
\nin a smooth voice.<\/p>\n
Everyone is still buzzing when five Chinese lute players begin
\nplaying on the upper stage, dressed like those women in vintage
\nkungfu movies. Soon, five men dressed as Chinese warriors enter
\nfor some kungfu demonstrations.<\/p>\n
To the crowd's surprise, Titi DJ is suddenly hoisted into the
\nair, just like a flying kungfu master, wearing a white robe with
\na Chinese crown on her head, a sword in her right hand, and
\nbreaks out into another big hit, Sang Dewi. She might be flying,
\nyet her voice remains beautiful, and everyone in the hall is
\nhypnotized by the Chinese scene.<\/p>\n
\"I was once a member of this band, Anak-anak Dara Puspita. And
\none of the songs we sang was created by Titiek Puspa, so now I'm
\ngoing to sing it,\" she introduced the next number and the
\nlegendary singer.<\/p>\n
Titi DJ leads the audience to clap a specific rhythm, then 10
\ndancers in colorful costumes enter the stage, dancing a cheerful
\ncabaret. Then the singer asks Titiek Puspa to rap, and the crowd
\ncheers its enthusiasm.<\/p>\n
But there's more: Titi walks around the VVIP area and asks
\nfour singers -- Shanty, Dewi Sandra, Anggun (yes, the famous
\nAnggun!) and Dewi Gita -- to sing a few stanzas in their
\ndifferent styles, bringing great applause from the audience.<\/p>\n
While Titi DJ might not have Krisdayanti's or Ruth Sahanaya's
\nvocal talent, she does a great job in her style and choreography.
\nShe captures the soul of theater and turns the concert into
\nsomething beyond a regular music show, into a theatrical
\nperformance that's entertaining and charming.<\/p>\n
She's a total stage queen, and the crowd love it.<\/p>\n
Even after performing for almost two hours, the diva remains
\nstable and energetic, kicking off another song, a duet with Ari
\nLasso in Tak Akan Ada Cinta yang Lain -- leading pop-rock band
\nDewa's big hit in the 1990's, but with a Middle Eastern touch.<\/p>\n
The stage lights dim again, and Indonesian Idol Mike comes
\nout, singing the first lines of Dunia Boleh Tertawa, followed by
\nIdol finalists Firman and Judika, and last year's popular winner
\nDelon. The crowd is applauding them with a frenzy -- looks like
\nthese guys are still the favorites.<\/p>\n
The show goes on, with the Garuda marching band beating out
\nthe intro to Ekspresi, another Titi DJ hit. For this song, Titi
\nturns up in something amazingly weird -- an Indian chief's
\nheaddress. Cool, but it's too much.<\/p>\n
Making a concert like this is no easy job, and it takes more
\nthan just creative ideas to attract an audience -- no wonder Sang
\nDewi creative director Inet Leimena and Alex Hashim have been
\npreparing such an amazing show to surprise Titi DJ's fans.<\/p>\n
The theater concept works in presenting a uniquely different
\nstage act, keeping the audience focused on the singer.<\/p>\n
Even so, it's the performance of the singer herself that makes
\nor breaks a show, and the dance numbers present no difficulty for
\nTiti DJ, who has been dancing since she was a child, and moves
\neasily like a twenty-something woman,<\/p>\n
And theater is no stranger either, because before she became
\nknown as a singer, she had supporting roles in several movies and
\nwas also a member of Swara Mahardhika, the well-known dance group
\nowned by Guruh Soekarnoputra.<\/p>\n
Her band -- four backing singers, six brass players, two
\nguitarists, one bassist, three keyboardists and two on percussion
\n-- unlike those big-band types, maximizes their combined talent,
\nthanks to music director and guitarist Tohpati, whose brilliant
\narrangements have made the songs more hip and lively. They keep
\nsteady pace with Titi DJ until the closing song, Bahasa Kalbu in
\nan upbeat arrangement.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, there is an explosion of confetti, and the crowd
\nstands in unison to hail Titi DJ.<\/p>\n
Long live the diva!<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/diva-titi-dj-wows-wows-crowd-with-theatrical-concert-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }