Chrismansyah Rahadi (aka Chrisye, born on September 16, 1949) was a Jakarta-born singer-songwriter and one of the most prominent figures in Indonesian music. After playing bass with prog-rock band Gipsy during the ‘70s, Chrisye embarked on a successful solo career that started with the hit “Lilin-Lilin Kecil,” (1976) which became one of his most-known songs. His film score for the movie Badai Pasti Berlalu (1978), won the Citra Award at the Indonesian Film Festival and Sabda Alam, his solo debut, went on to sell 400,000 copies and was certified gold. After the commercial flop that was Percik Pesona (1979), Chrisye released the highly-successful Puspa Indah (1980), an album heavily-influenced by romantic pop and easy listening. Chrisye went on hiatus until 1983’s new-wave-influenced Resesi, which was quickly certified silver and received heavy airplay on Indonesian radio. He followed the success of Resesi with Sendiri (1984), which earned him his first BASF Award. His creative output remained steady throughout the ‘80s but recurring financial problems made him consider quitting the music business at the end of the decade. In 1994, he became the first Indonesian artist to play a solo concert at the Plenary Hall of the Jakarta Convention. AkustiChrisye (1996) and Kala Cinta Menggoda (1997) were both recorded with an orchestra and enjoyed moderate success. Senyawa (2004), a collaboration with some of Indonesia’s biggest pop stars, was his last studio album before being diagnosed with and eventually succumbing to lung cancer in 2007.
