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.