Sunyahni, bursting with talent
Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
She has earned herself the nickname "Dadaist", a school of fine art twisted into a local dialect to mean "busty", but Anik Sunyahni has convinced everyone that her biggest asset is her talent.
Nyahni, as she is affectionately called, continues to enjoy rising popularity as a pesinden, or singer of Javanese ethnic music. Wayang (shadow puppet) and Javanese contemporary music concerts featuring her are always sold out.
Nyahni is popular among people of all walks of life in Central Java, East Java and Yogyakarta, her current hometown after she moved from her birthplace of Sragen, East Java.
Her singing talent spans from the traditional gending to the most contemporary local music genre called Campursari.
At 35, she is a divorcee with three children and at the same time a top singer of Javanese songs.
At each performance, she is always the star and the focus of attention because she has a golden voice, is good looking and has an appealing body.
The nickname "Dadaist" came from (the late) Umar Kayam, a respected writer and cultural observer who was an avid admirer of Nyahni. Men will do anything to get close to her, just for a glimpse of her in her tight traditional kebaya with a low neckline that exposes her cleavage.
Nyahni's appearance has its own attraction. When she attended the Javanese Language Congress in Yogyakarta recently, the delegates from Suriname were so charmed by her that they planned to invite her to perform in Suriname.
Addressing seminars on the arts has become her latest activity. Last week, a discussion titled Journeys in Art at the Cultural Studies Center, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, also featured her.
Nyahni, who dropped out of school after second grade, is an eloquent speaker in the arts.
"Seeing your capability of creating so many Javanese songs and considering that many of these have become top hits, you deserve a degree," one participant said in her praise.
Obviously, her physical and intellectual charms have been a blessing and a curse.
Once, Nyahni, who often accompanies a leather shadow puppet performance with masters Ki Manteb Sudharsono or Ki Anom Suroto, was secretly prohibited from appearing before the ranks of the East Java provincial administration.
Rumor had it that the wife of the then governor of East Java did not like the idea of her husband admiring Nyahni.
"She may have been jealous of me, because during my earlier performance in East Java, she (the governor's wife) saw us pull each others' leg. She should know that happened only on the stage and could not have been real," she told The Jakarta Post.
Nyahni has often told people that she is but a humble villager and that she is virtually uneducated. She remains very modest despite the dozens of songs she has composed and recorded. Her albums, both cassettes and VCDs, sell like hotcakes.
Though now she earns between Rp 5 million and Rp 12 million for each performance, she is always prepared to perform free for social purposes.
"I must always be thankful to God for bestowing upon me a golden voice and for giving me the strength to resist temptation."
There have always been temptations in her journey in life, particularly as a celebrity.
"My first husband did not want me to become a singer. He would hit me until I bled. So I asked for a divorce. I remarried only to find another husband who wanted me to quit my job. Eventually, I opted to become an artist rather than have a husband who had no respect for the arts.
"I think it is my destiny to be an artist. If another man wanted to propose to me, he would have to understand my world, the world of an artist," said Nyahni, who earned only Rp 500 as her first fee back in 1980.
Now she can easily make money performing from one city to the next in Indonesia. "I have visited most major cities in Indonesia. The only place I haven't visited is the province of Aceh."
Following her success with her campursari album, she has been busy promoting her latest album, Keroncong Jamus (Javanese music). Keroncong Jamus maintains its keroncong spirit although the music incorporates the Jaipong genre of West Java and a keyboard.
Sunyahni has a great passion to revive traditional music. It is this passion that prompts her to continue creating music and songs.
The inspiration to write a song comes to her at any time. It may come while on a train journey or while bathing her child. Sometimes it just comes when she is in the kitchen.
"Once when I had a temperature and had to stay in bed, I kept thinking about a friend of mine who had asked her husband for a divorce. I was inspired by this friend and wrote a song that could really reconcile the husband and wife. I called the song Reconciled," said Nyahni.
Nyahni has dedicated her life to art. Although her marital life is in ruins, she remains a star during a performance. Her fans do not care about her private life. They come to enjoy her golden voice and graceful appearance in a kebaya, with a tuberose perched on her hair bun.