Inul takes it all in stride

When dangdut singer Inul Daratista was set to perform at last week's WOMAD Singapore 2004, there was concern that the audience would prefer to watch the local favorite, the percussion group Wicked Aura Batucada.

Both Inul and the group's gig were at 7 p.m., with Inul on the main stage.

However, whenever the master of ceremonies mentioned her name, a cheer was heard from the crowd, predictably from Indonesians and Singapore Malays.

As soon as she showed up on stage, the worry faded as several dozen audience members pushed forward to dance in front of the stage. Some were Westerners, who at first stood up out of curiosity, but then got carried away and danced to the tune.

Tania Kiener, a Swiss-born Singapore resident, said Inul dangdut's style was different from that she heard on the radio.

It caught her interest for the similarity to her favorite sound of reggae; Inul's songs do indeed have a lot of rock elements in it.

"But I don't understand the controversy. Her moves are a lot tamer than what I've read about in the paper," Tania said.

With her entourage in tow, including a younger sister and husband/manager Adam, Inul said she was happy to perform at WOMAD.

"It's a way to get back at my detractors who always intimidated me," the 25 year old said in an interview with The Jakarta Post a day prior to the show.

She no longer appeared to be the coy small-town girl made big who cried a lot during last year's media blitz about protests from religious leaders and fellow dangdut artists about her erotic gyrations. She was more composed, friendly but even showed her moody-artist persona.

Here is an excerpt from the interview:

Question: How do you feel about performing in WOMAD?

Inul: This is a golden opportunity that I couldn't say no to. There has never been an Indonesian artist perform here, especially dangdut, which is considered the music for the middle to lower economic brackets.

I want to show that I'm a qualified artist, not just a target of mockery, ridicule and protests simply because of my way of singing dangdut. It turns out that dangdut has brought me to WOMAD.

Had you heard about WOMAD before?

Yes. I think it's like a competition forum between countries to introduce their music.

When I received the offer (to perform), I was in doubt whether I could do it or not. I'm nervous because for the first time, I will sing to a totally different audience. There are Westerners, of various characters.

But this is, like, my way of getting back at the detractors who intimidated me all this time. I want to show them that I'm (a) serious (artist). If I rejected this offer, I wouldn't move forward.

There are still flaws here and there, because I'm not an intellectual person to start with.

How will you react when the audience finds out your style of dangdut is not the traditional one?

No problem. What I've brought here is that I can sing and dance ... I can do the "gyrating" dance, hipshaking movements, doing a traditional dance gracefully, singing joyful tunes or Malay rhythm ... I can do them all.

You are rarely seen on TV right now, except for your TV drama. Why?

We're indeed pushing for events like this. I'm tired of people saying that I'm popular because of controversy, like with the case of Rhoma Irama. I'm happy to be here, with my own existence and identity.

You have dozens of followers, young singers with even more provocative moves. What do you think of them?

I'm proud of the fact that they're following my path. I don't dare to say they're dirty and all. Although I think that dancing in a squatting position until one's underwear shows is out of context.

But let them be. It's usually done because there's some limitations: No money, they have to sing in a sleazy bar with their midriff showing. That's what happened to me.

By the time they have the money, they will understand. They must want to improve, having their own identity, not just following me.

Now, however, the road to fame is less winding. It doesn't have to be through a record deal, but you can go straight to television. Never mind the sensationalism, let people know that Indonesians are not that narrow-minded.

Criticism over dangdut music is about how predictable and monotonous it is. What do you say about that?

That's why I want to be different. I want to be recognized as an artist who can sing any genre. I've been covering pop and rock songs, Malay as well, and mix it with dangdut, so that it's not monotonous. If we want the music to be accepted, we have to give them variations.

Have you started writing songs?

Yes, but it's more into rock. I don't know how to write a dangdut song, never get it. I cover more and more rock songs, rearrange them into dangdut, which perhaps make dangdut artists even more furious (laughs).

Any other offer to perform abroad after WOMAD?

Yes, actually, singing dangdut in Greece and Belgium. It's a festival too, like WOMAD.

Any other thing you want to achieve?

I want to learn how to speak Japanese, and want my English to be more fluent. I can speak English, actually. I'm just still afraid and not confident.

I'd like to learn many languages. Why Japanese? Because I like it, and I prefer traveling to Japan. There has been a recording offer in Japan, but it has to be in Japanese.

That's why I need to learn the language, to understand what I'm singing. The music is still dangdut, but being mixed or remixed, with a DJ perhaps, because that's what's popular now.

-- Hera Diani