Shelomita follows in mother Marini's steps
Shelomita follows in mother Marini's steps
By Endi Aras
JAKARTA (JP): Since the launching of her maiden album Langkah
(Step) in late May, Shelomita Sulistyani, 25, has been leading an
unusually hectic life.
"Promotional activities for this album are insanely time
consuming. Interviews, picture taking, there seems to be no end
to my activities," said Mita, as she is usually intimately
addressed.
Like mother like daughter. When asked why she decided to take
up singing as a profession, Mita, born in Jakarta on Nov. 26,
1974, says that she was influenced by her mother, Marini, who is
always with her during promotional activities and is a noted
singer and actress.
"Obviously all this runs in the blood," she said.
Mita, the second child of Marini and Didi A Haju, is also the
step-daughter of prominent violinist Idris Sardi. Marini's
marriage with Idris, however, lasted only until recently.
Shelomita, who graduated from the University of Indonesia's
school of psychology last year, is no novice to the singing
world. She was a member of a choir from the time she was in
kindergarten until she was a junior high school student. At age 4
she began to learn how to play the piano and she later took some
lessons at YPM music school.
"When I was in senior high school, I tried singing in a vocal
group and joining the backing vocal group for Slang, Imanez and
Dewa 19. At that time, I was asked to choose between studying for
my exams or singing on the stage. I would have without hesitation
opted for the latter. But as it was I was just a teenager," said
Mita.
On her first album, Mita, who has a gravelly voice, sings
mostly old songs with new arrangements. One of these, for
example, is Kekagumanku (My Admiration) by Chandra Darusman &
Harry Sabar, a song originally recorded in the mid-1980s, and
which is the main title in her collection.
There is also Prahara Cinta (Whirlwind of Love) which was
first popularized by Imaniar. "When I was a small girl, I loved
this song very much. So now I have included it in my album," said
Mita.
Despite the fact that none of her songs are on the music
charts and they have not received any positive reviews from music
critics, Shelomita is quite optimistic that people like her
songs.
"I hope that my first album will bring some fresh air to
Indonesia's music fans," she said.
Shelomita, an R&B fan, said that the music on this album was
worked out by Harikis Menon, a Malaysian arranger. Several
Indonesian arrangers were also involved, namely Andi Ayunir and
Andi Riyanto.
According to Shelomita, the songs on the album are
particularly soothing to the ears. She has made sure of this and
now she is ready to be a professional singer thanks to the
support of her family. This explains why she has signed a
contract for three albums.
Shelomita's luck is certainly not every woman's destiny. She
is endowed with smooth fair skin and a beautiful face. Like her
mother, she has a sharp-pointed noise and a broad mouth. Her
Eurasian face is another factor which could catapult her into the
ranks of professional singers in the country.
"I don't want to just run halfway. If we want to have an easy
road to success in our jobs, we must fully love the job we do.
This is my principle," said Mita, who is also a presenter of the
TV show Zoom In.
Mita, who plans to get married some time this month, asked
that this not be reported widely. "I don't want my planned
marriage to be reported widely because I just want all attention
to be concentrated on my album."
Will she be afraid that her fans will leave her once she gets
married? "I'm ready for this possibility. Singing and getting
married are two different things. Singing is a profession while
getting married is an act of devotion."
Although her plan to be a psychologist, one that she has
nurtured since she was a little girl, is not a priority right
now, she holds on to the optimism that the knowledge she gained
at university will not go to waste. She said that she would like
to pursue a higher level of study later to earn her Masters
degree.