Family matters come first for singer Franky Sahilatua<\/p>\n
By Endi Aras<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Franky Sahilatua faced a hard life in his early
\nchildhood. The Surabaya port provided enough lessons in this area
\nto the Ambonese boy, who has rarely visited the land of his
\nancestors. In the Madura neighborhood of Surabaya, the ballad
\nsinger began a new life. He chose to live with music.<\/p>\n
His two brothers were members of a ship crew in Surabaya,
\nwhich was understandable because their father worked on ships.
\nThe same career choice was expected of Franky: it was just a
\nmatter of waiting for his graduation from senior high school.
\nMany youngsters living in the neighborhood planned to work on the
\nships.<\/p>\n
\"It is better to work on ships because you can see other
\ncountries,\" his father told him when he was an adolescent. As a
\nyoungster he was sometimes not given the choice of following his
\nown wishes. Luckily his mother's instinct spoke up.<\/p>\n
\"I was about to work with a ship's crew but my mother was
\nagainst it. She told me to stay at home. At that time I started
\nplaying the guitar,\" Franky recalled.<\/p>\n
It was not his wish to disobey his parents. After all in one's
\nadolescent years one often cannot choose what one wants to do.
\nBut traditional ties sometimes help in making one's decision, as
\nin the case of Franky Sahilatua. He remembered the motto for
\npeople of the eastern part of Indonesia: \"Men must leave their
\nhome area (to seek a better living).\"<\/p>\n
Those words aroused a strong-seated desire in Franky not to
\nremain idle. As a young man he felt that he must indeed travel.
\nWhen he was over his adolescent period, and with some guitar
\nplaying experience under his belt, the young man born in Surabaya
\non Aug. 16, 1953, started to wander about. \"I left Surabaya and
\ntraveled by train to the Jakarta harbor,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Franky was not a cry baby. The hardships he faced at
\nSurabaya's harbor had given him enough experience to face life as
\na man. When he was at the Academy of Accountancy in Surabaya, he
\nfelt the urge to travel. \"I could go 20 times to Jakarta without
\nbegging my parents for money. I also paid for my college fees
\nfrom my singing. What was clear: I had to function in a balanced
\nway. The functions of a child and that of a man,\" Franky said,
\nrecalling his younger years.<\/p>\n
His life as a singer was not as lucky and easy as is imagined
\nby people these days. A long time before the coming of the music
\nindustry in Indonesia, Franky's name was already well-known. Some
\npeople who know his said that Franky's endurance made him a
\nfamous singer. Franky was not reluctant to make ends meet by
\nholding down all kinds of jobs, for example working as a security
\nguard in Jakarta's downtown Glodok area.<\/p>\n
\"At that time it was very difficult to enter the recording
\nindustry. For days I had to wait in Glodok, from morning till
\nnight. I arrived before the shops opened and I went home after
\nthey closed. But I learned a lot from the experience.\"<\/p>\n
Who doesn't not know the songs Bis Kota (City Bus) and
\nPerjalanan (Travel) created by the ballad singer who liked to
\ncall himself a troubadour or wayfarer? Those were the songs that
\nbrought Franky Sahilatua fame as a singer. He even introduced the
\ntalent of his sister Jane on a number of albums. At the time, his
\nballads were very popular, his lyrics poetical and cool. Franky &
\nJane spoke to the people's hearts.<\/p>\n
The arrival on the scene of Iwan Fals and his acquaintanceship
\nwith Ian Antono led Franky to drop his characteristic melodies
\nand lyrics. Franky, Iwan and Ian worked together several times on
\nsongs like Terminal and Orang Pinggiran (Marginalized People).
\nFranky was being carried away by the current. His erstwhile cool
\nlyrics were changing. This was influenced by the conditions of
\nthe people he often met. His socializing was no longer limited to
\nfellow singers and musicians. Franky had entered a different
\nterritory. He joined M.H. Ainun Nadjib on the album Perahu Retak
\n(Cracked Boat), for example.<\/p>\n
He wanted to know many things about the world and industry of
\nmusic. His frequent visits to Glodok to see the development of
\nthe music industry meant that Franky was never inactive for long.
\nThrough the Ken Project, the recording company he established, he
\nproduced a number of albums for singers.<\/p>\n
An acquaintanceship with Ainun Najib brought Franky into
\ncontact with Nahdlatul Ulama's then chairman Abdurrahman Wahid,
\npopularly known as Gus Dur, at the launching of the Perahu Retak
\nalbum here a few years ago. The new acquaintanceship did not stop
\nthere. When Abdurrahman launched the album Perbincangan Demokrasi
\n(Discussions on Democracy) it was Franky who was willing to
\ncirculate the cassettes using his own contacts.<\/p>\n
The relationship with Abdurrahman continued. Without the
\nknowledge of many people, Franky often went to Abdurrahman's
\nhouse in Ciganjur. When Abdurrahman was hospitalized at Cipto
\nMangunkusumo Hospital some time ago Franky went to the hospital,
\nalthough he was not allowed to see his friend because of the
\nlatter's condition.<\/p>\n
In the world of artists Franky is known as somebody who gets
\nalong with others, as well as always being keen to lend a helping
\nhand. When singer Farid Hardja was in a coma at Cipto
\nMangunkusumo Hospital, Franky along with Chandra Darusman took
\nthe initiative to take care of everything. The next day when
\nFarid Hardja died, Franky accompanied the deceased's family to
\nthe cemetery. At his own initiative he called fellow artists.
\nSome journalists even learned of the news from him.<\/p>\n
Franky's many different activities could appear to be
\nconflicting. When students incessantly demanded reform, Franky
\nwas nearly always with them. Through his songs and lyrics he
\nentertained students and other young people, going from one stage
\nto another.<\/p>\n
When the election campaign fever hit the country, Franky also
\ntook part in the activities. He didn't just join one party, he
\njoined at least three: the National Awakening Party (PKB), the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and the
\nNational Mandate Party (PAN). \"I remain nonpartisan because I
\nhave my own space, i.e. music. I express my vision of nationality
\nthrough music. The important thing is that humans can develop
\ntheir talent optimally,\" Franky explained.<\/p>\n
He admits he cannot be sure whether he will enter politics,
\nconsidering his closeness to political figures like Abdurrahman,
\nthe fourth President of the Republic of Indonesia. \"I do not know
\nwhat tomorrow will bring. Humans change all the time. But I still
\nremain nonpartisan,\" Franky said diplomatically.<\/p>\n
Apart from his association with a wide range of people, this
\nfather of two, Ken Noorca, 16, and Hugo Delano, 12, has a lot of
\nwork. \"I have done all kinds of work in the music world. I have
\nbeen a composer, singer, producer, distributor, supervisor, video
\nclip producer and also operator. It is because I want to know all
\nabout my world. I have artists' blood and workers' bones.\"<\/p>\n
Franky has thought about and evaluated the development of the
\nmusic industry in Indonesia. \"Our music industry started from a
\nsystem of speculation. Initially the actors and pioneers were
\nspeculators. This was the case until three or four years ago.
\nCurrently, efforts to bring order to the music industry is
\nhappening in the presence of foreign investors.<\/p>\n
\"However, I see that our producers who cooperate with foreign
\ninvestors are only money agents. The management is good. There is
\nsynergy between the professional management which is brought by
\nforeign investors and the management created by the climate of
\nspeculators, which has so far been conducted by local producers.
\nFor me what is more important is a concept, i.e. that the
\nIndonesian market becomes the main objective. The Indonesian
\nmarket is a potential one. If the objective is only the market it
\nwill reduce the space for Indonesian artists. I will fight for it
\n-- by the methods that we use in the music world,\" said Franky.<\/p>\n
Considering his early debut in the music world, Franky
\nSahilatua has experienced many choices in the field. As well as
\nselecting different types of work which suited him, he never has
\nappeared to get stuck in just one aspect of the field. In this
\narea, it is useful to consider his response following sad events.
\nHis sadness is described in his new songs.<\/p>\n
Mourning<\/p>\n
In his album Keroncong Belasungkawa (Melody of Mourning)
\nFranky wanted to describe a nation in darkness that was shrouded
\nby black fog. He sang Keroncong Belasungkawa in 1983. \"Today the
\nsong has again found its relevance,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In translating the meaning of Keroncong Belasungkawa he used
\nan example from the Western world. He says that in the West to
\nexpress something one uses the ballad. The keroncong in this work
\nis meant as a ballad, not keroncong as a form of traditional
\nmusic. Belasungkawa is an expression to describe a specific
\nsituation -- bitterness experienced by the people because the
\nconstellation of politics does not run as it should. He has a
\ngreat desire to study political nuances and bitterness is often
\npresent in his latest works. They are different from the time
\nwhen Franky sang ballads with Jane. What they imagined at the
\ntime was a life which gradually turned happier.<\/p>\n
Does the launching of the album Keroncong Belasungkawa and his
\nactivities on the periphery of the political world indicate that
\nFranky has changed? Franky adheres to a Javanese saying,
\nNgglinding Semprong. \"It means 'wherever the current carries
\nme'.\"<\/p>\n
\"Commitment is the important thing. Concepts may change but we
\nhold on to commitments. In my journey of life, I always cross the
\nboundary, crossing the boundaries of parties or even religions,\"
\nsaid the husband of Harwanti Ningroem.<\/p>\n
Franky Sahilatua, a troubadour moving across many worlds, is
\nnot afraid to make many interesting statements about music and
\npolitics.<\/p>\n
Despite his many activities, the ballad singer who is afraid
\nto travel by airplane always gives precedence to his family. \"I
\nam surprised why so many people get divorced. Unsuitability is a
\nrisk. Children should not be the victims. In my activities the
\nharmony in the family is maintained. I see to it. That is my
\ncapital to go further,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Franky, who recently established the Foundation for
\nEnvironmental Concerns, said his family and children are always
\nthe priority in his life. \"I myself am number 15 or 16 on the
\nlist of priorities. Number one is the family,\" said Franky.<\/p>\n
These are not just empty words. Franky is continually
\nsupportive of his children, and assists them to channel their
\ncreativity. For example, his eldest son Ken Noorca, who is still
\nin junior high school, was interested in photography. So Franky
\ntook him to the Antara Gallery. There Ken became a member of the
\nAntara Club. According to Franky, Ken's progress is
\nextraordinary. \"He will shortly hold an exhibition with his
\nfriends. He is the youngest member,\" Franky said proudly.<\/p>\n
And what of his relationship with his wife? Franky was all
\nsmiles. \"My wife is my play mate.\" He suggested that if people
\nwanted to know about the relation between himself and his wife,
\nthey listened again to Elton John's song Friend. \"How young
\nlovers start as a friend...\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/family-matters-come-first-for-singer-franky-sahilatua-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}