'I have no regrets, my past makes me who I am'
Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
One can take Edo Kondologit out of Irian Jaya, but no one can take Irian Jaya, his home province, out of the singer.
Under his real name, Ehud Eduard Kondologit is the father of three-year-old Itamar Lemuela Barbalina.
So dedicated is he to his roots that he even named his second album Sorong after the area where he grew up. The album was produced in 2001 by Chica Asamato in Japan.
His debut album, Yang Menangis, produced in 1998, also exhibits the strong influence of ethnic Irianese music.
"I always miss my hometown. I remember when I was a kid, bathing in a river with crocodiles nearby -- who were staring at me and my friends," said the husband of Niar Septia Cahyana.
The winner of the Golden Stage Festival in Romania and Voice of Asian International Song Festival in Kazakhstan started his professional career by singing in nightclubs, going from one venue to the next.
Having just appeared on Japanese singer Masaki Ueda's latest album, Hands of Time, Edo is now preparing a third album. Amid his busy schedule, accompanied by his wife, he shared some of the things he says are close to his heart.
Question: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Answer: Perfect happiness? Hard to tell, I'm confused. For me happiness is very complex. Happiness is relative. Me? I have tasted it -- a peaceful life, an enjoyable job, waking up early, and playing with our child. These are already extraordinary sources of happiness. It's just hard to say.
Q: If you had the choice, what would you be doing right now?
A: I would spend the day on a ranch.
Q: Which living people do you admire most?
A: I admire (artist manager and producer) Chris Pattikawa. He is one of the people who inspired me, and changed my character and way of thinking in the process. We are very close.
When I first met him, I thought I had met the cruelest person on earth. But later, I began to understand that he just knows how to handle people. With character and the culture that I brought from eastern Indonesia, Chris knows that he had to emphasize discipline and be hard on me.
Q: Do you believe in God?
A: Of course I do.
Q: If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be?
A: To be myself again, with the chance to improve upon the past that I have wasted. I am a late starter because I started singing at 22, so if I was reborn, I would surely have begun to sing earlier ... probably at three years old.
Q: What was the last movie you watched?
A: My favorite films involve science-fiction, futuristic scenarios, and war.
The last one I watched was at Bintaro Plaza ... Johnny Depp's From Hell. Now I really want to see Ca Bau Kan.
Q: What makes you angry?
A: Slow movers. I sometimes get angry with my wife because she always moves slowly and is sometimes late.
Q: And what makes you cry?
A: I am easily touched. When I read something touching, I cry. Yesterday, when I read an article on Muslim and Christian Ambonese, I couldn't hold back the tears. Sometimes, after I get angry with my daughter, I cry because I feel guilty.
Q: What characteristics you most like about yourself?
A: Honesty.
Q: What characteristics do you dislike in others?
A: Dishonesty and slowness.
Q: Where do you want to live?
A: On a ranch, with gardens. I really love the roads around Buckingham Palace -- so full off gardens and parks. I want to live in such an area with my little house inside the woods, gardens or park. And in Irian Jaya.
Q: What makes you embarrassed?
A: When I get caught telling a lie.
Q: What makes your life worth living?
A: I have experienced life from rags to what I am now. I once became a porter, a street busker, a gardener, an athlete and even a security guard. All people's lives are worthy because God creates them. In each person's life, there must be something that should be sharpened to make it worthy -- and I've been through it all.
Q: Do you have favorite song?
A: I love many songs ... but my favorite song is To Love Somebody.
Q: Who inspires your style?
A: Stevie Wonder.
Q: Do you ever worry about your appearance?
A: Yes, I feel I gain weight because I rarely find time for exercises. I am worried with my weight because I have to take pictures for the cover of my latest album.
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Fish. Everyday, there has to be fish to be eaten.
Q: What quality do you most like in a woman?
A: I like smart women. It's good to be able to communicate with woman who has a great intellect.
Q: Is there anything you regret about your life?
A: No, I don't have any regrets. My past made me what I am now.
Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: As a good person. A person who makes a lot of people happy, and does not trouble others.
Q: What three things would you bring to a deserted island?
A: My wife, my daughter and supplies to live on.